"It seemed now that none knew how to light the grass and keep it burning in the oven, and none knew how to turn fish in the cauldron without breaking it or burning one side black before the other side was cooked." Once O-lan died they had finally recognized this. Which also showed that a woman's job was completely unappreciated most of the time, yet maybe they had the most important job. Society had fixed thoughts about women. They considered them as useless with no purpose but to be sold. "When she is sold to become a man's wife, she is regarded as a thing and not as a person." (Chinese Women's Status in Traditional China, P. 1) Also women were considered as objects for pleasure.
One of the most inhumane, unjust, gruesome things that women had to do, was foot binding. This disgusting and painful process would scar women for life. The process of foot binding started at about the age of 5-6 and attempted to shorten the length of their feet. "Mothers bound the feet of their daughters at around 5 years of age and gradually decreased the size of the child's foot over a period of months. The feet were called lotus of gold if they were 3 inches (about 7.5 centimeters) long, silver if they were 4 inches (about 10 centimeters) long or iron if they were more than 4 inches long." (Footbinding, P. 2) If a woman did not have her feet bound they would be considered ugly and barbaric, Just like Wang Lung could not love O-lan in The Good Earth. "And my mother said I was not to weep aloud because you are too kind and weak for pain and you might say to leave me as I am, and than my husband would not love me even as you do not love her" (Buck, p. 180). Women without bound feet would not be loved and could not be considered beautiful. "She left my big toe, and folded down the rest of the toes under the sole of the foot and then used the strips to tie it in many layers- (Footbinding, p. 3) The process of foot binding was a brutal one, especially for a 6 year-old.
