A stoic is “a person who can endure pain or difficulty without showing their feelings or complaining” (Webster). When she gave birth to her first child, she refused all assistance and gave birth alone. When she gives birth to her third child, she immediately returns to the fields, knowing that her husband is angry because the little girl who has just been born is "a slave", but powerless in the face of her emotion. Although her quality of life with Wang Lung is better than at the Hwang House, she is oppressed because she is at the mercy of her husband. When Wang Lung takes her pearls, a symbol of love and appreciation, O-lan is at her breaking point. She “did not raise her hand to wipe away (the tears); she only hit the clothes spread out on the stone more regularly with her wooden stick” (p. 200). The only time O-lan really showed her emotions was when she was passionate about something or when she couldn't hold them back any longer. O-lan's stoicism served her well, but at the same time, it distanced her from Wang Lung. He loved her, but she showed him no sign of appreciation. Because of this emotional distance, Wang Lung could not understand his wife's words.