The Essence of The Good EarthA universal story is one that can be told and enjoyed by any person, anywhere in the world , regardless of age. , race or cultural origin. Universal stories usually contain a theme or lesson that is not limited to the time period in which the novel takes place, but can be applied to any time period, as the lesson has no age. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck is a novel whose theme can relate to almost anyone, regardless of circumstances or environment. The events of the story, however, concern almost no one in current times, as it is a story set in pre-revolutionary China, a time when life was completely different from that of 'Today. When you think about the characters, events, and entire story of The Good Earth, it seems completely alien. This is the story of Chinese peasants. They fight against famine, drought, floods and locusts. These are difficulties completely unknown to modern men. What's amazing about Buck's novel is that even though it seems like these concepts are completely beyond the reader's comprehension, they are reasonable to the reader when reading. Suddenly they become familiar and almost second nature to the reader, because Buck writes them in a simplistic way so that the reader is drawn into this life, and all the feelings and thoughts of simple Wang Lung. Because of this, most readers are actually able to relate to the story and its universal nature. The themes of this story can be applied across time, but not modern man. The Good Earth actually includes two major themes. There is the blatantly obvious theme that the earth is the source of all good, prosperity, success and... middle of paper ... and has done everything there is to do. Wang-Lung's impatience and boredom lead him to spend hours inspecting his wife. He also starts going to a teahouse quite regularly, because he is so bored. Many people in the modern era feel this way, where their idleness leads to an evil spirit, hence the saying: the idle mine is the devil's workshop. In this sense, La Bonne Terre is and will always remain a universal story. The most important aspect of the story, what makes it universal, is its ability to make the reader feel part of it all, as if they too depend on the earth. Therefore, even though the first and main theme of the story; that life revolves around the earth, is not a universal idea, the book should be called universal because the reader gets lost in the pages of this classic novel, he comes to realize its lessons.