The Wealth Of Wang Lung In The Good Earth

Hard work on the land is rewarded with wealth and prosperity. This is a belief of Wang Lung, the main character in The Good Earth. The book is set in turn-of-the-century China, in a rural farming town with few amenities of the revolutionized world. It follows his path from the moment he’s married to his death, with all the highs and lows in his life. It takes specific care to highlight the culture in China and how it affects the characters. With ample respect for the land he owns, Wang Lung gains wealth and his family grows with more children. In this prosperous time, he and his children begin to grow greedy and cherish their extravagant lifestyle. An increase in wealth can often lead to a lack in humbleness. It seems impossible to balance the two out, for a moment however, Wang Lung seems to master the art.

Though it seems most of the time it’s for their own benefit. This is what Wang Lung does when he tries, and succeeds in moving his family into the upper class. By the end of that process, he realizes that even though being a farmer was difficult, his family was happy, and so was he. It was his family's lineage and the farming villages culture, for him to stay the way he was, to live his life fully as a farmer. He also helped in the demise of a powerful family in the village, ending their reign as the people who lead the area. Therefore, destroying conformity and the normality of the village. This applies to the present day as people at a young age, feel the need to better themselves, but do it in the wrong way by rebelling against their culture or society they grew up with. Just like Wang Lung’s two eldest son’s. With the many things money, confidence, and standards can affect, it’s easy to see why throughout history, people who change themselves out of greed, often lose themselves in the process. They can lose respect for the way they were raised, and in turn the culture they grew up