The Good Earth: The Narration Of The Other In Intercultural Communication

Pearl Buck, the first female winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1938) in America, was a controversial writer who was famous for her vivid and compassionate depiction of life in China. Her novel, The Good Earth, has been popular all over the world since its publishing in1931. With textual analysis and Said’s theory, this thesis studies Pearl Buck’s writing motives and cultural significance in The Good Earth based on a careful reading of her novel and biographies. The thesis has an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion.In the introduction, on the basis of a review of studies on Buck both at home and abroad, the author puts forward the basic view of this thesis that Pearl Buck wrote about life in China from the point view of an objective observer as well as that of a colonialist. The introduction also briefly presents the main contents and the structure of this thesis.Chapter One introduces Pearl Buck’s life background, which reveals her life in two worlds and influences from two cultures. Different from most other Americans, Buck grew up in China and was therefore familiar with both Chinese and American cultures. However, in spite of her inner conflicts, she identified herself with America.Chapter Two focuses on dressing, diet and customs Buck presented in the novel, which are of high cultural significance. Besides, the life described by Buck was quite different from that in the west, which largely satisfied western readers’ cultural curiosity and helped its popularity.Chapter Three concentrates on the intercultural resonances in the novel, which were mostly embodied in Wang Lung’s dream, his earth complex, and the characters’ benevolence. Pearl Buck consciously and unconsciously gave American spirit to her characters.Chapter Four explores the writing perspectives of the novel. Pearl Buck objectively presented Chinese life in aspects of dressing, diet and other social customs. However, she modeled the main Chinese characters on western standard and portrayed generous and kind images of the white in the novel, which proves that Pearl Buck wrote the novel from the viewpoint of a colonialist.The thesis concludes that Pearl Buck was both an objective observer and a colonialist in writing The Good Earth. It is true that her works improved the image of the Chinese in the western world, but it is also true that they contributed to western discourse hegemony.