Triumph Over Nature in The Good Earth The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, is the story of a farmer who rises from commoner to wealthy landowner. The setting is pre-revolutionary China, in the 20th century. The story is that of a farmer who becomes a rich man through hard work while facing drought and floods. He becomes very rich, but forgets his true love, the land, which brought him to where he was. The atmosphere of the story is serious. Droughts and floods affect the outcome of crops, which in turn affect the people who need them to survive. As the story progresses, the mood changes to become more lighthearted and carefree. It's typical of today's society that the main character gets rich and then forgets what it was like to be on the other side. He spends the money carelessly and neglects to remember what his life was like just a few months earlier. The main element of the story is definitely the character. We look through the eyes of the main character and see how he, as a person, grows and matures. There are many characters in the story. The first is Wang Lung, a farmer and the main character of the story. The author tells the story through his vision of life. We see Wang Lung at the beginning of the story as a young man, full of energy and love for his land. He grew up on the land he now farms and takes great pride in maintaining it. Later in the story, he becomes a rich man and forgets his land, "his own flesh and blood". When he discovers that money is not everything and cannot be everything for happiness, he realizes his guilt and returns to earth. O-lan is Wang Lung's wife in the story. She was a slave who grew up in the great house of Hwang. Wang Lung buys her from home, but sees that "there is no beauty of any kind on her face." But Wang Lung cannot afford a beautiful wife, because he is just a farmer. O-lan is a strong, but quiet character. She endures hardships when they come and bears Wang Lung four sons. Wang Lung seems to care for her, but she shows very little emotion in return. He's a difficult character to get to, and only before he dies do we see O-lan's true side.