Paradox of Obedience and Rebellion: Duality of Personality Traits of O-lan in The Good Earth
Abstract
Pearl S. Bucks novel The Good Earth is considered an epic, telling the ups and downs of Wang Lung, but the central role O-lan is
the driving force for his rise to prosperity and higher social status. O-lan in The Good Earth obeyed Chinese traditional morals, following every limitation and positions set by the Chinese patriarchal society; and therefore in her, we can see Chinese womans conventional characteristics -- being silent and obedient. However, behind O-lans silence and obedience, there actually hides another independent and smart woman,
who pulls her family out of poverty through her experience from life struggling. The true O-lan is actually a woman who tries to break up the
convention of man works outside while woman tends the family at home. She makes every effort to prove to the family and the society her
value as a woman.
the driving force for his rise to prosperity and higher social status. O-lan in The Good Earth obeyed Chinese traditional morals, following every limitation and positions set by the Chinese patriarchal society; and therefore in her, we can see Chinese womans conventional characteristics -- being silent and obedient. However, behind O-lans silence and obedience, there actually hides another independent and smart woman,
who pulls her family out of poverty through her experience from life struggling. The true O-lan is actually a woman who tries to break up the
convention of man works outside while woman tends the family at home. She makes every effort to prove to the family and the society her
value as a woman.
Keywords
O-lan; The Good Earth; Radical feminism; Paradox; Obedience; Rebellion
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PDFReferences
[1] Buck, Pearl S.The Good Earth. Shanghai: Mandarin Paperbacks, 1994.
[2] Daly, Mary. Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism. Boston, Mass: Beacon Press, pbk, 1978 & 1990.
[3] Robyn Rowland, Renate Klein. Feminist Theory into Action: The Politics of Engagement, Australian Womens Studies Association Annual Conference. Sydney: University of Sydney Press, 1992.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/frim.v3i2.6043
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