Paul Kim
October 21, 2014
Inequality of Women
Misogyny was an underlying theme in the novel The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. The
society at the time had a very oppressive view towards women and considered women property.
An example of this was after Wang Lung purchases Olan; the ancient mistress tells Wang Lung
to “‘Take her and use her well. She is a good slave, although somewhat slow and stupid”’ (Buck,
39). Based on the culture of society, it was completely normal for women to be treated unfairly.
In modern day society, even though the treatment of women has significantly improved from this
time, social and economic examples of inequality for women still exist.
In the book, we see unequal divisions of labor in domestic life which are still visible in
society today. Wang Lung had feelings of excitement on the day of his wedding day because “It
was the last morning he would have to prepare food for the old man” (Buck, 18). The role of
women at the time was not only to prepare food, but to bear a son and to do all of the house
chores. Women weren’t even considered second-class citizens but treated as slaves, because it
was very common for women to get sold to families. Throughout the book Wang Lung considers
Olan as a maid rather than a wife. During this time period, it was not only men who considered
themselves as superior to women, but women themselves internalized their inferiority to men.
When Olan bears a daughter in times of famine, the result is a dead baby. When Wang Lung sees
the baby he sees a “round head dropped this way and that and upon the neck he saw two dark,
bruised spots” (Buck, 184). During a time of famine, Olan sees no use in wasting resources for
