Earth And O-Lan Analysis

Both the Earth and O-lan are plain and need very little to survive. The Earth and O-lan are simple; they appear plain and undesirable to most men. The Earth symbolizes the back breaking labor in the smoldering heat to the rich, lustful men. Likewise, O-lan is a large, dull woman with unbound feet, the least attractive to men at this particular time. However, beauty does not mean anything. All the Earth needs is a little bit of rain, and it will produce great crops that could make a man wealthy. O-lan serves her family selflessly, without the attention and material goods that a high-maintenance woman would need. Whilst both simple beings who do not need much to survive, their goodness is not hindered by their appearance. O-lan and the Earth are the foundation of the Wang household. During this time, poor chinese farmers had to make do with whatever they can get their hands on, in this case, dirt. Therefore, everything from the walls to the stove is made out of the Earth. As well as being made of Earth, the house also sat upon the land, literally meaning that the Earth is the foundation. The Earth, however, is also the figurative foundation of the …show more content…
During this time, wealth was dependent on how plentiful the harvests. Therefore, the Earth was a large factor in the family's prosperity. O-lan also played an important role. She produced three sons for Lung, which is a symbol of good fortune in Chinese culture. She worked alongside Lung in the fields during hard times to bring in as much crop as possible. In order to survive, the family uses O-lan’s experience and knowledge while in the South. Anything from building huts to begging, O-lan knew the proper, most efficient ways from her troubled past. Her knowledge also gained rare jewels for the family to thrive off of. This fortune was the beginning of the new start to a happy