The issue of respect in The Good Earth is very different from what we consider normal today. People who do nothing to contribute to society get respect and those who would be undoubtedly respected today are ignored because of the traditions of Chinese filial piety. In The Good Earth we can see many instances where respectable people are seen as nothing and awful people are praised. O-Lan is a good example of someone who is not seen as important but is crucial to Wang Lung’s rise to wealth. When Wang Lung marries O-Lan she achieves a respectable position as the mother of three sons. But as time goes on, Wang Lung becomes rich and he loses his attraction for her and cruelly criticizes her appearance.
He becomes obsessed with a prostitute named Lotus and then he buys her to be his concubine, completely forgetting all that O-Lan has done for him. When O-Lan falls seriously ill, Wang Lung deeply regrets his cruelty and sits by her bedside until she dies. Only when she dies does Wang Lung truly appreciate everything that O-Lan did for him. Wang Lung’s uncle is just the opposite. Wang Lung doesn’t really respect him, bu the must act like he does because he is a relative from the older generation. Wang Lung must show him respect and give him support in difficult times, despite his contemptible nature.
After the uncle moves his lazy family into Wang Lung’s house, Wang Lung gets to point where filial piety isn’t even enough to make him bear his uncle’s freeloading. He demands that his uncle and his family leave his home. This is when his uncle reveals that his a member of a band of robbers, so Wang Lung cannot make his uncle leave without fear of the robbers. His uncle is the one keeping the home safe from looters. Wang Lung must continue the game if he wants to keep his home and family safe. In this case the only escape from this false respect is to fool his uncle and his uncle’s wife into becoming opium addicts.
The Essay on The Good Earth Wang Lung 5
... bandit group to which Wang Lung's uncle belongs. The men in this group roam around the northern countryside, destroying homes and killing people. Locusts: ... are given new robes. As a humble farmer, Wang Lung always remembers to pay respects to the god and his lady, but as ... them from her to give to Lotus. After O-lan's death, Wang Lung wishes that he had not taken the pearls from her. ...
As you can see, the issue of respect and who gets it is very different from the way its today. Those who may be unworthy of respect get it, and those who do the best they can are given nothing.
