Why Is The Good Earth Still Relevant Today?

After 92 years, "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck is still relevant today because it highlights human nature, social and economic inequalities, and cultural differences. The first reason is human nature and how wealth and money change a person. In the book, Wang Lung starts as a humble and hard-working farmer, but when he gets more prosperous, he gets lazier and spends his money more because of his status. Some other themes of human nature mentioned in the book are love, family, and survival. These human characteristics are timeless and can be related to almost everyone. Another reason is the social and economic inequalities of people. The book has a clear division between the rich and the poor. This is also true in many countries today. The last reason is the cultural differences experienced in the book. "The Good Earth" takes place in rural China, so the culture varies from what we think is normal here. Individuals must understand cultural differences to be better people in the community and the world.