The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck… HELP!!!?
What purpose did O-lan’s death serve in the whole context of the novel?
I’ve read the book and I wasn’t sure what the answer would be. I appreciate whatever answers you guys give. Thanks!!
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O-lan’s death takes away the person in Wang Lung’s household who is most thematically connected with the earth. Wang Lung seems to understand this connection intuitively when he states that he would give up his land to keep O-lan alive. She is his land in several important ways — she provided the financial means and the work ethic necessary to accrue property and, on another level, she produced three sons and three daughters herself. O-lan, like the fields, has been ignored, neglected and taken-for-granted, yet she has been steady and strong and bountiful and Wang Lung finally realizes how much he owes her.
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