2010 Bookshelf: The Good Earth

I just finished reading, for the first time, the classic novel "The Good Earth", by Pearl Buck. While this is a book that a lot of people probably read in high school, for some reason it never made my high school's required reading list. I did really enjoy this book. It's a simple story set in pre-revolutionary China (late 1800's/early 1900's). It follows the life of a Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, as he goes from being a poor peasant to a wealthy man. While Wang Lung experiences many different things in his life - including different societal expectations and norms as he climbs the social ladder - he remains, at his core, just a simple farmer and a simple man. Observing him as he wrestles with different life stages and positions in society makes up much of the story.

I was particularly entertained (and amazed) at the way in which Wang Lung's wife, O-lan, handled childbirth. Being poor peasants, they didn't have doctors to assist with the births. When O-lan gave birth to her first child, she did so alone, in her bedroom. After giving birth to her second child in the same manner, she actually went back out into the fields that same day to continue working! I'm not sure how much of this type of thing actually did happen, but I can imagine that to some degree peasant farmer's wives probably didn't get much bedrest after giving birth.

Sadly, the book does describe female infantcide. During one particularly difficult time, Wang Lung and his family and community are all practically starving to death when O-lan gives birth to a baby girl (her second daughter). She strangles the baby at birth, because one, girls were seen as less desirable than boys, and two, the baby would have likely died anyway due to the famine.

One quality I appreciated about Wang Lung, though, was his relationship and care for his first daughter. This daughter is described as having some mental handicap, and is in need of constant care. Rather than let her die, though, Wang Lung continues to keep her and care for her throughout her adult life, unlike other families who would have had not problem justifying letting her die. This speaks to Wang Lung's strong sense of character, even though he does make bad decisions throughout his life.

All in all, an enjoyable book.