March '12 / Pulitzer Winner Reading: The Good Earth

[Scheherazade]

In March, we will be reading The Good Earth by Pearl Buck.

Please post your comments and questions in this thread.

[Dark Muse]

In reading this I could really feel the immense pressure on women go give birth to sons. Though I have come across this sort of thing often enough in the works of Historical Fiction I have read. Just thinking about this woman completely isolated with no form of support, family, friendship, nowhere to turn to, being at the complete mercy of her husband and step-father. She knows that if she "fails" to produce a son she will be viewed as a disappointment and that her life could be made a good deal harder.

I thought that was a very powerful scene when she was alone closed up within her room giving birth, and her husband on the other side of the door, the very first thing he asks is "is it a man?" I cannot even imagine the dread that would be felt if she had to report that it was a daughter.

The other thing I noticed which I wonder if it was intentional or just coincidence, but prior to the birth of her son Wang Lung's wife is referred to only as "the woman" the only time her name was mentioned was when he first went to the big house to bring her home. But after she gives birth to the son, all of the sudden she becomes addressed by her name again.

I wonder if this was intentionally meant to reflect the change in her status within the household as now being the mother of a first born son?

[Scheherazade]

Ebook: http://www.epubbud.com/book.php?g=6PNM2ML3

I think I will re-read this one as one of my 12-rereads.

[ellenc]

I hAVE just started reading The Good Earth, it promises to be a good read, but I cannot
escape thinking of the huge changes that have taken place in China over the past few
decades. Modern Chinese women are so completely different!

[ellenc]

How devastating when the third child is a female & the mother says - it is just
a slave"

[vankinh]

yes - it is just a slave