The Good Earth
The life of Wang Lung, as told by Pearl S. Buck in her Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel of 1931, continues to stir up controversy, dividing opinion as to whether the author achieved an honest portrayal of early 20th-century Chinese agrarian society, or promoted Asian cultural stereotypes. It takes courage and talent to tackle such a complex work of fiction, but as this graphic adaptation of The Good Earth attests, Nick Bertozzi has both in spades. In four to six panels to a page, he traces the progress of poor tenant farmer Wang Lung and his spouse, former slave O-Lan. After joining the landowning elite, Wang Lung breaks his wife’s heart when he brings a mistress into the house, and the family the couple worked for years to sustain begins to fall apart. After Wang Lung’s death, will his sons care for their father’s land, or will they go the way of the degenerate aristocracy and destroy his legacy?
Bertozzi’s art beautifully conveys the ambiguity of the ending, and his style, a mixture of ancient Chinese woodblock and modern expressionism, reminiscent of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, serves the story well. As Wang Lung moves from youthful blindness to mature insight, the backdrop changes from dark to light, and the brushstroke expresses a tenderness missing in the initial narrative. This is a fine addition to the growing canon of graphic novels paying tribute to classical fiction.
