The Good Earth
Why did O'Lan kill her newborn daughter?
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Gavin Valet Lopez Rodriguez #678904
Last updated by
Arturo
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Answered by
Aslan
Perhaps the most difficult passage in this section for the modern reader is O-lan's decision to end her newborn daughter's life. This act captures the gender dynamics of the society in The Good Earth -- it's implied that O-lan would not have killed the newborn if it had been a male child -- as well as the strength and resolve of O-lan. She knows how horrible an additional mouth to feed would be; it might well mean the end of the family. Moreover, she knows that the newborn girl has little to look forward to aside from life as a "slave." Thus, out of compassion and wisdom, she ends a life she can't sustain. As with the ox, Wang Lung is reduced to a passive role, burying the infant and contemplating, in so far as he's able, his wife's striking drive to live.
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Answered by
Caleb #4
Perhaps the most difficult passage in this section for the modern reader is O-lan's decision to end her newborn daughter's life. This act captures the gender dynamics of the society in The Good Earth -- it's implied that O-lan would not have killed the newborn if it had been a male child -- as well as the strength and resolve of O-lan. She knows how horrible an additional mouth to feed would be; it might well mean the end of the family. Moreover, she knows that the newborn girl has little to look forward to aside from life as a "slave." Thus, out of compassion and wisdom, she ends a life she can't sustain. As with the ox, Wang Lung is reduced to a passive role, burying the infant and contemplating, in so far as he's able, his wife's striking drive to live.
GradeSaver
Answered by
Arturo
Perhaps the most difficult passage in this section for the modern reader is O-lan's decision to end her newborn daughter's life. This act captures the gender dynamics of the society in The Good Earth -- it's implied that O-lan would not have killed the newborn if it had been a male child -- as well as the strength and resolve of O-lan. She knows how horrible an additional mouth to feed would be; it might well mean the end of the family. Moreover, she knows that the newborn girl has little to look forward to aside from life as a "slave." Thus, out of compassion and wisdom, she ends a life she can't sustain. As with the ox, Wang Lung is reduced to a passive role, burying the infant and contemplating, in so far as he's able, his wife's striking drive to live.
