In Pearl S. Buck's novel The Good Earth, a humble Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, begins as a poor man; nevertheless, he overcomes many struggles to become a wealthy and successful man. Although Wang Lung is the main character of the novel, the women featured are of equal importance. The novel focuses on the major roles of women in China. In traditional Chinese society, women were oppressed and looked down upon. Women's roles were organized at home, where they were expected to serve their family. Each female character shows a distinct perspective from ordinary women in China. The author not only illustrates the different roles of women, but she also shows the struggles that women had to overcome to deal with injustice during this period. The importance of these female characters is fundamental to the theme of the novel. The first female character the book introduces to the reader is O-lan. When she was just a young girl, her parents sold her to the Great House of Hwang, in order to reassure their survival. Many poor families in China did not have c...