Throughout history, women have been treated unequally because they are thought of as being less worthy than men. It is evident that in the novel "The Good Earth," by Pearl S. Buck, women are treated unequally in China during the 1920s. Through occurrences and the character's actions, one can claim that O-lan, the three daughters, and Lotus are treated differently.
To begin with, O-lan was a slave that worked at the House of Hwang, who married a Farmer, Wang Lung. After giving birth, O-lan returned to working in the fields right away. "The woman was back in the fields beside him […] she worked all day now and the child lay on an old torn quilt on the ground asleep." (Buck 40) This shows that she knows that she is expected to do her work no…show more content… The oldest daughter, who is called "Poor fool," is not treated very nicely by Lotus. "I will not stay in this house if that one comes near me, and I was not told that I should have accursed idiots to endure." Because the daughter always sits in a corner playing with a a bit of cloth, nobody pays much attention to her. At a young age, the second daughter got married and moved in with her husband's family. After time had passed, Wang Lung did not know anything about her or how her life was like. "He hardly knew what he had for children after his eldest son." (Buck 245) To add on, Pear Blossom is Wang Lung's third daughter. Compared to Wang Lung's other daughters, Pear Blossom received special attention and was cared for by Wang Lung. "Because she was so delicate always they had petted her and allowed her only to help Cuckoo and to do the lesser things." (Buck 327) This shows that Pear Blossom does the small things when she has to help because she is so fragile. The quote "she clung to him as a father, and to him she was indeed more than half child and scarcely woman," explains that Wang Lung sees Pear Blossom as his child and treats her gently. (Buck 342) From these examples it is evident that Wang Lung's daughters are treated differently among each