Kimberly's Reviews > The Good Earth

Published in 1931, The Good Earth was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. Author Pearl S. Buck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. She was the first American woman to win both the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes. Pearl spent her life working continuously on behalf of underprivileged children.

Although Pearl Buck was born in West Virginia in 1892, she grew up in rural China where her parents were missionaries. The Good Earth is based on her own observations of rural village life in China in the early 20th century.

As I was reading this classic, I had the feeling I was reading a parable, a reminder of important life lessons.

The story is a cycle of life, rags to riches saga of one peasant farmer and his family. We are reminded that our sustenance comes from the earth. There is a deep connection between man and the land. Working hard to acquire wealth is not necessarily a bad thing, but too often the rise to wealth and status can result in the breakdown of traditional values. Obsession with land and wealth can lead to moral corruption.

Pearl focuses also on the role of woman in rural China during this period. The farmer’s wife, O-Lan, is one of the most sympathetic female characters I have come across. With humble beginnings as a slave in the home of a rich family, she is long-suffering and loyal. She works hard. She works in the field, goes inside to give birth, cleans the birthing area, and returns to the field to work some more. Even after the family has acquired some land and wealth, it doesn’t change her. She is strong and clever. However, I kept hoping she would speak up and become a better self-advocate. That was not her way. Her internal dialogue is not revealed, and it would be incredible if an author used this character and wrote a spin narrative for O-Lan the way Percival Everett did for James.

Overall, this was an enjoyable reading experience of an enduring classic.