Who Is Wang Lung's Relationship In The Good Earth

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In the novel The Good Earth, Pearl Buck strengthens her theme of the difference between the rich in the poor through the upbringings of the disciplined Wang Lung and his spoiled son. Wang Lung and his son were raised in very different ways. A distinct gap between being raised through hard work, or being raised as a young lord became evident within a single family. Wang Lung falls into temptation only every once in awhile, his son is idle in the house and only knows want. However, the eldest son is a scholar and a very good writer, whereas Wang Lung is illiterate and knows nothing about literature. Wang Lung grew up working in the fields everyday for his father. The eldest son of Wang Lung went through some hardship, but throughout his entire life everything has been provided for him. While his father has discipline and is a hard worker, the son has no motivation and only wants. Even as he is whipped and beaten by his …show more content…
Also, Wang Lung has the distraction of his work to keep him on the right track. The eldest son has experienced both extreme wealth and extreme poverty. Since he had a taste of luxury, he has disregarded his past deprivation and has lost discipline. Early in his years, the boy went through terrible hardship, but everything was still provided for him. He didn’t do any hard labor, he just helped his mother and siblings beg. At that very same time, Wang Lung was doing hard, physical work pulling rickshaws around the city. Even when they returned to their home, the eldest son did nothing. However, this time it wasn’t his fault, because he was not needed in the fields. Any person who remains idle around the house, with no real purpose except to learn and read, would eventually get bored and want to do anything else. The son’s cousin most likely approached him about going out to drink with him. It is almost not his fault for wishing to live a
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