Pa and Wang Lung

Throughout my experience reading my choice novel,”The Good Earth”, I was able to make many connections between him and Pa from Grapes of Wrath. Wang Lung, while his father is still living with him, is supposedly the man of the house, but he does not step into this role completely in any part of the novel. Wang Lung submits to his fathers control and even at times his wifes, who according to the times, should have absolutely no power at all. Wang Lung is shy, especially when it comes to people controlling aspects of his life when he should really be in control. He is a man but doesn’t really take on any of the societal views of what the man should be in the house until way later in the book. A few glimpses of him fighting for his land and providing for his family are seen, but these traits only show up when they need it the most. Pa, also the man of the family, also falls away from this man of the house role, leaving ma and Tom to take over what he left behind. Pa felt like a failure because he couldn’t keep the families land, another concept prevalent in both these novels. One difference between these two characters when it comes to father of the house is Wang Lung eventually steps up when necessary unlike Pa who completely drifts back into the shadows, not taking control of the situation because he is so lost in his own grief and sadness to focus on anyone else.