Women in the early twentieth century were treated differently from men. Being inferior from men, women gained pain during their lives. From infant,
child, youth until old, women became less important than men.
C. Theoretical Framework
There are some theories applied in order to answer the problem formulated in this study. First is the theory of critical approach. This theory is used to analyze
the problem in the novel, there are five approaches and this study is emphasized on the psychological approach.
Theory of character is needed to analyze the character. The theory of characterization is used to analyze the character in the novel, especially the
character of O-Lan. By understanding the definition of the character and the characterization, the writer hopes that the reader will attain a better understanding
of the character’s personality, way of thinking, and also her development in the story.
Other theory used for this study is theory of conflict. The writer used the theory of conflict proposed by Worchel and Cooper in analyzing the types of
conflict felt by the character of O-Lan. After analyzing the types of the conflict, the study moved to the source of the conflict, then the conflict resolution. In
analyzing the conflict resolution, the writer preferred to use the theory proposed by Isenhart and Spangle.
Women status in Chinese culture also helps this study to reveal the influence of culture through O-lan character and O-lan way of thinking in
resolving her personal conflict. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
D. Criticism
This part talks about the critics about Pearl S. Buck and her work, The Good Earth. Buck is one of the most famous novelists of the twentieth century
and her work, The Good Earth is probably Buck’s the most popular and widely read novel. In 1932, the Good Earth earned the Pulitzer Prize. It is because of
some reasons. First, Buck rarely wrote about a simple Chinese life in her former novels. In The Good Earth, Buck paid a very detailed attention about the
description of everyday life of the Chinese in the novel. Second, the theme in this novel is not complex. People like to read novel with a simple a literary techniques
and theme so they can understand it well. Third, this novel gives a universal appeal of a man who struggles to survive, succeed and gain happiness. Magill in
Masterpiece of World Literature says: Buck’s feeling for the fundamental truths of life transcended any
preconceived notion that the reading public may have had about China, and portrayed her people as understandable human being who struggled
from happiness and success like anyone else 1989: 336. The writer shares the same opinion with what Magill says. In this novel,
Buck is very intelligent in describing the Chinese character; though she is not a Chinese. This statement is also supported by Stuckey in his book The Pulitzer
Price Novels: The Critical Backward Look. Stuckey states: The Good Earth is a childishly simple book in which good and evil are
neat labeled. Mrs. Buck always stays outside her characters, judging them sympathetically, but at the same time from a superior and somewhat
patronizing altitude 1966: 92-93. The writer agrees what Stuckey stated is not that simple. Most characters
in The Good Earth show different attitudes, both good and bad. Sometimes a character plays a role as a good person might behave like a bad person “evil”.
Then the other character which supposed to be a bad person behaves correctly. The different behavior also shows the real character of a person in the real life.
Buck also gives a brief explanation about the land of China. Even though, Buck is not a Chinese. Magill says, “She wrote about what she knew best; these
were the people whom came to love during her years in the interior of China” 1989: 337.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter will cover three main parts. The first part is subject matter which is about the subject of the study, the novel The Good Earth itself. The
second part is approach of the study which explains the use of the approaches in analyzing the novel. In this study, the writer uses the psychological approach. The
last part is method of the study which contains the steps taken in doing the analysis.
A. Subject Matter
Pearl S. Buck began her carrier by publishing her first novel in 1930, East Wind: West Wind. Then, in 1931 she wrote The Good Earth which is considered
to be Buck’s most famous novel. The Good Earth, a story of a peasant farmer made her won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and William Dean Howells Medal in
1935. Besides writing novels, Buck also published collections of stories, biography and autobiography, poetry, drama, childrens literature, and translations
from the Chinese. This study analyzed the novel, The Good Earth. This novel was written by
Pearl S. Buck and published in 1959. This study used the cardinal edition novel published by Pocket Books, Inc. This novel contains of thirty four chapters and
344 pages. In this study, the writer attempts to analyze the conflict faced by O-Lan,
who is Wang Lung’s wife. O-Lan is one of the strong characters found in The
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