the Good Earth Essay

Money, the weakness of the world that drives many people to a point of no return. Once money is obtained by someone, the act of greed begins to set in, and any morals that this person had, are over ruled. Religion and beliefs become a side note, and the thought of money over-comes the mind. In the novel, The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, a simple man named Wang whose life was the Earth, is slowly transformed into a greedy man whose life is not for the Earth, and all for the money, and other worldly possessions.
Wang in the beginning of the novel was a man whose only concern was the Earth. The way he lived his life was just to please the Earth, and money was not important as long as he still had his land. “Out of the land we came, and into it we must go, for land is one’s flesh and blood.” (pg.45) This quote just goes to show you further how deeply Wang believed in the Earth. The only way Wang thought you could lead a successful life, is if you praised and worshipped the Earth. His philosophy did prove to be right, and eventually he was blessed with more money than any man needed.
As a poor man Wang was very happy, and whatever he had he appreciated it. The Great House of Hwang, gave Wang a wife named O-lan, granted she was not the prettiest but she was able to bear children. Wang was happy with her at the start of their marriage, she worked hard and cooked well. O-lan never complained of what she had to do, and she did everything in a quiet matter. With the help of O-lan the fields prospered, and they finally had extra silver. This part is where the notion of greed starts to begin. With his extra silver he decided to buy a piece of land from the House of Hwang. The land he had wasn’t good enough, he needed more, and he wanted it to be from a rich man. “That land of my uncle’s… I would not have it… No I will buy Hwang’s land.” (pg.52) Clearly, now Wang is starting to sense that he has a little power, and that he can do things without the Earth.
Fortunately for Wang he hasn’t totally withdrawn from the land, but he is not as connected to the land as he was. In a way of rebellion from the Earth, a drought came, and very few crops survived. Wang and his family were forced to leave their home and travel to an unknown place, where Wang was humbled by having to do hard work. Even though this time away was supposed to be a way of cleansing, his morals still are taken into no consideration, and something he would have never have done he did. Wang was raised to believe that begging or robbing were wrong, but family must now become beggars, and at the end of his trip to the south he becomes a robber. The rich house in the south was being ransacked, and Wang robs a fat rich man, and takes all of his gold. An act that he use to think was morally wrong, appears to seem fine to him, considering now that money is in the picture.
The transformation is now in full affect, and nothing can stop the monster of Wang from doing what he wants. “Now Wang Lung had more land than a man with an ox can plough and harvest.” (pg. 159) One of his first act upon returning home is to buy more of the land that is from the rich, he then continues to expand his house, trying to give it the appeal of a great house. What Wang had wasn’t good enough, he needed to show his position in society, and get more land. A very clear picture of how money had changed him is when he goes to the old teashop. “Now why should I drink my tea at this shop, whose owner is a crossed-eyed weasel and whose earnings are less than the laborers upon my land, I who have land and whose sons are scholars?” (pg.172) Suddenly a place that used to bring him pleasure, turned into something that he couldn’t tolerate, because it wasn’t up to his criteria.
From the teashop episode things continue to no longer be good enough for Wang. His wife O-lan who he was grateful for because she gave him sons, was now not pretty enough to be his wife. He finds a solution to his problem in two different ways. First, he ignores and scrutinizes her. Then he goes and finds someone else to have fun with. This person comes in a tiny lady named Lotus who worked at the greater tea shop that Wang now went to. “Every day he went back to the tea shop; every evening he waited until she would receive him, and every night he went into her.” (pg.183) He wanted more than what he could get, before his money he would of never thought of such a thing, nut now to him it is no big deal. Not only is he greedy, but he is now a man with so much lust, that he can’t even realize who he has become.
Finally, he reached over board with his love and money. The one thing that he absolutely hated at the beginning of his life, he has turned into. The family that used to live in The Great House of Hwang, is the perfect picture of who Wang has become. Buying the House of Hwang was his first way of turning into the snobs who used to live there, but not only buying the house he also purchased some of the indulgences that these rich people used to have. Opium is a very expensive drug, and usually the rich are the only people who buy it, but now Wang had to have it. In the older days when Wang worshipped the rich he very rarely smoked. He knew it wasn’t good for you, and it was expensive. Another moral is tossed out the window and Wang has became the one thing that he couldn’t stand, a greedy man who is never satisfied.
Greed is seen everywhere in the world, and it eventually lures the simple man Wang into its trap. Many people have different feelings of what the trap is, but to me it when your mind is consumed by the world of social rank, by your appearance and how your financial stability looks to those around you. Getting caught in the trap is something that can so easily happen to anyone, unless you have a strong faith, and good moral values. For those who do have these two things in check, prayer is the key to insure that it will forever remain this way. Unfortunately for Wang and many others, the morals they have set for themselves are not enough to escape from this fatal downfall.