The abstract concept of beauty is simply a reflection of the cultural expectations present in a specific region. Each culture has its own beauty ideals that the population is expected to uphold. The Good Earth took place in Ancient China, where the perfect body type included small feet and a slim figure. An underlying theme of the book is the idea of internal versus external beauty, and which one is more valuable based on the different characters. O-lan represents people with internal beauty, whereas Lotus represents people with external beauty. The way Wang Lung views O-lan and his love for Lotus furthers this theme. Throughout the book, O-lan faced many challenges due to her lack of external beauty. O-lan’s feet had never been bound when
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Wang Lung’s father, however, convinced him that her resourcefulness was far more important than her unbound feet. Later, Wang Lung became rich and O-lan was no longer needed in the fields. Wang Lung became focused on her unattractiveness, specifically her large feet. He began to visit Lotus, a prostitute, and her small figure and tiny feet delighted him: “And if one had told him that there could be feet like these, little feet thrust into pink satin shoes...he would not have believed it” (179). Foot-binding was a symbol of high status and wealth, and Wang Lung’s sudden attraction towards small feet was a result of his new and opulent lifestyle. Wang Lung wanted to grant Lotus a gift, so he demanded …show more content…
Unbound feet represented ugliness and Wang Lung looked down at O-lan for it: “It seemed to him that she was altogether hideous, but the most hideous of all were her big feet...” (169). Wang Lung’s lack of love for her was directly related to her unbound feet. O-lan wanted her daughter to not have to face the same criticism for her feet from her future husband, so O-lan decided to bind her daughter’s feet. Their daughter complained to Wang Lung about her foot-binding: “...my mother said I was not to weep aloud because you are too kind and weak for pain and you might say to leave me as I am, and then my husband would not love me even as you do not love her.” (249). Wang Lung’s rejection of O-lan emotionally devastated her, even if she didn’t explicitly express her pain. O-lan wished for her daughter to have a successful marriage and believed this could only happen if her daughter fitted the cultural standards of beauty. Apart from receiving insults for her appearance from Wang Lung, O-lan endured similar verbal abuse while growing up in the House of Hwang: : “I bore [Cuckoo’s] haughty looks all during my youth in the great house...and I was too ugly and too slow and too this and too that…”
Wang Lung’s father, however, convinced him that her resourcefulness was far more important than her unbound feet. Later, Wang Lung became rich and O-lan was no longer needed in the fields. Wang Lung became focused on her unattractiveness, specifically her large feet. He began to visit Lotus, a prostitute, and her small figure and tiny feet delighted him: “And if one had told him that there could be feet like these, little feet thrust into pink satin shoes...he would not have believed it” (179). Foot-binding was a symbol of high status and wealth, and Wang Lung’s sudden attraction towards small feet was a result of his new and opulent lifestyle. Wang Lung wanted to grant Lotus a gift, so he demanded …show more content…
Unbound feet represented ugliness and Wang Lung looked down at O-lan for it: “It seemed to him that she was altogether hideous, but the most hideous of all were her big feet...” (169). Wang Lung’s lack of love for her was directly related to her unbound feet. O-lan wanted her daughter to not have to face the same criticism for her feet from her future husband, so O-lan decided to bind her daughter’s feet. Their daughter complained to Wang Lung about her foot-binding: “...my mother said I was not to weep aloud because you are too kind and weak for pain and you might say to leave me as I am, and then my husband would not love me even as you do not love her.” (249). Wang Lung’s rejection of O-lan emotionally devastated her, even if she didn’t explicitly express her pain. O-lan wished for her daughter to have a successful marriage and believed this could only happen if her daughter fitted the cultural standards of beauty. Apart from receiving insults for her appearance from Wang Lung, O-lan endured similar verbal abuse while growing up in the House of Hwang: : “I bore [Cuckoo’s] haughty looks all during my youth in the great house...and I was too ugly and too slow and too this and too that…”