Buck utilizes his relationship with O-lan to express his downfall into his society. When Wang Lung grows into a prestigious figure, he becomes embarrassed by his unattractive wife with unbound feet and begins pushing her away. He becomes extremely successful and he hires workers to labor the land for him. Because of this, he has endless amounts of time on his hands. With nothing to do but eat, sleep, and observe his family, he begins to look at the life he has made for himself. Buck writes of the thoughts going through his …show more content…
At first, Wang Lung stays true to himself and does not let anyone persuade him to care about society's views on his life; as Buck shows through his hairstyle and his relationship with his wife. As he introduces himself into society, his life goes downhill. He begins to make his decisions solely based on his surrounding society’s views. He turns his once simple and happy life into a miserable and lonely life; all of his new relationships are strictly physical. In the novel, Buck portrays Wang Lung's defeat by society through his hairstyle and his relationship with