In the early 1900s, many countries enforced heavy gender roles. Known for disrespecting women, enforcing the duty of motherhood, and allowing women to have little freedom, China is no stranger to this. As demonstrated in the novel The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, it is expected that women care and tend to their families. Character Olan spends her life birthing children, preparing food, and working in the fields while Wang Lung is allowed to sit back and take concubines as he pleases. However, this isn’t the only instance where Wang Lung shows his true nature and disrespects the women in his life. Due to the treatment of Olan, Wang Lung’s daughters, and Wang Lung’s two concubines, it is clear gender roles and the mistreatment of women are major themes in The Good Earth. 

Harshest on his wife Olan, Wang Lung slowly begins to treat her more and more like an object throughout the novel. While he didn’t choose Olan for love (she was picked for her ability to produce children, and ultimately wealth), Olan never acts out. Instead, she cooks the food, makes the tea, sets the fire, and does everything else Wang Lung asks for her. Despite this, he is shown abusing and taking advantage of her position as a woman. For example, he constantly criticizes Olan’s appearance. He says, “It seemed to him that she was altogether hideous, but the most hideous of all were her big feet in their loose cotton shoes” (169). In this scene, Wang Lung goes on a huge rant where he insults every aspect of her appearance. From her unbound feet to her matty hair, nothing is off-limits. Hurting the poor woman, she feels as if she isn’t worthy of his love thinking it has to do with her and not him being pretentious. However, as he gains more wealth, he continues to treat her more poorly. Earlier in the novel, he allows Olan to keep two stolen pearls which quickly become her more prized possessions. Shortly after meeting Lotus, Wang Lung has a change of heart and demands them back. At first, Olan disagrees by saying, “Give them to me- I have need of them!” (pg 186). Knowing he is just going to give them to his concubine Lotus, she is extremely upset. But, ultimately she is unable to stand her ground and she is merely a woman. As he takes her pearls, she quietly cries, wishing she was prettier, as if that would make him love and respect her more. These two scenes single-handedly prove Wang Lung’s mistreatment and his role playing into gender roles. He doesn’t respect Olan despite her giving everything to him. From providing three sons to caring for his elderly father, Olan keeps the house afloat and gets him into a position of wealth. While the horrific incident shows his cruelty towards women, later on, he provides more negative incidents towards his two daughters. 

As his daughters are raised in a household where Olan is instructed to do everything for the family and serve her husband, it is no wonder that they learn to do the same thing. While Poor Fool will never have this life due to her disability, she is still neglected in her way. She is constantly left outside in the sun by herself and as the other children grow older, she gets less and less attention. Before his death, Wang Lung even tells his second concubine Pear Blossom to poison her after his death assuming nobody else will want her. But even worse, on one rainy night, everyone (including Wang Lung) forgets her outside. The narrator describes this horrific situation by saying, “But even Wang Lung himself forgot and once they left her outside through a whole night, and the next morning the poor wretch was shivering and crying…” (pg 255). Wang Lung proceeds to yell at the other children and blames everyone but himself. As her primary caregiver, it is his responsibility to take care of his daughter rather than sleep with his lady friends. On the contrary, his other daughter is on the other side of the spectrum. Having the means to follow in Olan’s footsteps, she is called a slave from a young age. Within a short period, she is quickly promised as a wife to a local man when she is of age (partially to avoid her cousin molesting her). Olan prepares for this day by trying not to repeat all the mistakes she had made in her life. For example, she forces the youngest daughter to bind her feet. Wang Lung discovers this when she comes crying to him and says, “... and then my husband would not love me as you do not love her,” in response to Wang Lung questioning why her feet were bound  (249). By being forced into a life of service, it is clear Wang Lung doesn’t respect women. If he did, he would try and provide the best life for her; full of freedom and joy. Instead, she will be providing children and cleaning up after her future husband as Wang Lung’s poor treatment of Olan showed her was right to do so. Fortunately, Wang Lung does not beat his children as he does with his concubine Lotus; but this proves that there is yet another woman in his life for him to abuse and belittle. 

Throughout the novel, Wang Lung treats Lotus worse and worse similarly to Olan. But in this case, he is more physically abusive to Lotus. In one case, Lotus had been visited by his son. Outraged by this betrayal, he threatens to kill his son and consequently sends him away. On the other hand, Lotus takes the end of the whip on this one; quite literally. The poor woman, “laid looking at him and weeping and there on her face lay the swollen purple mark of his whip” (pg 224).  This isn’t even the first instance of Wang Lung losing his temper and taking out his rage blindly on Olan or Lotus. At first promised expensive gifts and royal treatment, Lotus quickly agreed to come live with him. But she is regretting her decision as old age makes Wang Lung colder by the day. Even if he did love her once, it is clear she is merely an object to him. After she yells at his children he thinks to himself,  “although he loved her again, loved her not so wholly as before and never again so wholly as he loved her” (pg 210). While this is a valid decision as Lotus screamed at Poor Fool who is developmentally disabled, Wang Lung continues to visit her for pleasure. This is no different than his attitude towards her at the start of the book. While this doesn’t seem particularly bad, it proves that Wang Lung doesn’t respect women and only regards them as workers or pleasurers. Meaning, he is playing into the outdated gender roles that were prevalent in the early 1900s. 

Due to his treatment of Olan, his two daughters, and his concubine Lotus, it is clear that the mistreatment of women and gender roles are two of the biggest themes in the novel The Good Earth. But why does this message carry on years after the novel was written? As gender equality has become more and more sought after during the ages, it is no wonder a novel displaying women in a position of submission has continued being taught in mainstream education. Not only does it show how far society has come, but it also displays why this is necessary and the hidden power of women all around the world. Even if they are unable to rise and claim this for themselves. In conclusion, The Good Earth isn’t about a pathetic man who is unable to care for himself; it is about perseverance and strength in unexpected ways. And these are all fronted by the women he has pushed behind the curtain.