The Good Earth 8

In the previous post, you may have noticed that my writing style was simplistic and choppy, without transitions. This was, of course, not an accident. It was my imitation of Pearl S. Buck's writing style, at least in The Good Earth. This novel was an interesting novel, in that it was written in a style that some Chinese readers objected to; it was a somewhat objective view of everyday life in Pre-Revolutionary China, as opposed to the dressed-up version that some Chinese would prefer. Some critics objected to it because it was not presented in the traditional Chinese manner.
However, these critics were few and far between. The way that Buck presents the facts and then allows the reader to conclude the obvious gave the novel a Pulitzer Prize and made it one of the most important novels about modern China.

The Good Earth 7

Wang Lung completes the buying of the great house in town and moves in after his eldest son has a baby. There are now three generations in the house.Wang Lung hears about the death of Ching, his close friend and trusted servant, who had worked on the farm for many, many years. He mourns Ching's death for a few days.
Wang Lung becomes very respected in the town, "And people who had said Wang The Farmer now said Wang The Big Man or Wang The Rich Man." His eldest son wanders around the house, complaining about one thing or another because it is not up to the standards he had seen while he was studying in the South. However, Wang Lung now has the money to fix these things. He buys carved furniture and installs indoor pools and fruit trees.
Wang Lung's second son gets married. "Wang Lung, then, in the space of five years had four grandsons and three grand-daughters."
Wang Lung's uncle dies and his wife is moved to the great house (they had been at the old farm house). The uncle's son has gone off to fight in a far-off war. However, when he comes back, he brings the whole army. The army stays in Wang Lung's house for many months, and there is nothing Wang Lung can do about it.

The Good Earth 6

Wang Lung suddenly notices that O-lan is ill and in pain. He calls a doctor, who tells him that O-lan is dying. O-lan "lay dying on her bed for many months" before she said that she wanted to see her son married before she died. Wang Lung sends a messenger south to get his son to come back. O-lan is pleased to see her son's wife perform the proper subordination rituals at the wedding, and dies shortly after. Wang Lung's father dies the next night, and Wang Lung properly honors both of them.
This year, there is a terrible flood, and even Wang Lung has to be very careful about wasting food, even though he is the richest of the villagers. He keeps his gates barred against people who would want food or money from him during the flood, but "Well did Wang Lung know that if it had not been for his uncle's power he would have been robbed and sacked... So he was courteous to his uncle." However, his uncle's greed would have ruined him, and he had to do something. So, consulting with his son, he decides to give his uncle opium, in order to keep him under control.
During this time, Wang Lung betroths his second daughter to the son of a merchant in town. He also buys a slave to take care of Lotus. He also begins to think about the betrothal of his second son.
The opium keeps Wang Lung's uncle under control, but the uncle's son cannot be controlled, and Wang Lung desperately needs to get away from him. He decides to buy the great house in town.
It is interesting as the reader gets farther and farther into the novel, how the author's writing style seems more and more simplistic. The author seems to just throw a bunch of events into some sort of cohesive order and then shows how they continue to affect the characters later on.

the good Earth5

Wang Lung brings his concubine, Lotus, to his house, and his father, who is now very old, is angered and alarmed. "There is a harlot here! And I had one woman and my father had one woman and we farmed the land."
After many days, Wang Lung decides to go back to the land, which has dried up after the flood. The land is now very moist and fertile, and Wang Lung forgets about Lotus for a while; he recovers from his boredom. Wang Lung becomes even more rich and respected; villagers come to him for advice and council. His sons can read and help him when he is dealing in the market. His eldest son, however, becomes sullen and won't go to his lessons. Wang Lung decides to begin preparation for the son's betrothal.
Wang Lung tries to kick his father's brother, who had been staying at his house, out because he had been wasting food and resources, but he finds out that he is part of a major band of robbers. Wang Lung has to treat his uncle carefully to make sure that he is not robbed.
At one point, there is a very large plague of locusts. All the villagers despair for their fields, but Wang Lung decides to fight the locusts. He and his men set fire to a few of his fields and run after the locusts. Thousands of the locusts die, and they leave Wang Lung's best fields alone. Most of the other villagers' fields are devoured, so Wang Lung can fetch prime prices on the grain market.
O-lan despises Lotus, and will not deign to be in the same room with her. At one point, she tells Wang Lung that his eldest son often goes into Lotus' room when Wang Lung is gone. He decides to pretend to go away and then check on Lotus. He hears his son speaking with Lotus, and he grows very angry. He decides to allow his son to go south and study at the university there.