The Good Earth/YMMV


 * Complete Monster: Wang Lung's uncle, who repeatedly mooches off of his nephew, treats his niece in law cruelly, joins/becomes the leader of a gang that kills people, burns down houses and rapes women for laughs, and attempts to blackmail Wang Lung with this fact..
 * Deliberate Values Dissonance: Though Buck was a die-hard feminist, she depicts traditional Chinese practices (such as concubines and foot-binding) fairly straightforwardly.
 * Jerkass: Wang Lung, at various points.
 * His relatives much more so.
 * Tear Jerker: