The agent deals with all of the Old Lord’s business transactions, always taking a cut for himself. When Wang Lung first buys land from the Old Lord, he does it through the agent. Later, Cuckoo speculates that the agent played a role in the ransacking of the House of Hwang during the famine, showing that even those the wealthy trust can turn against them.
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The Old Lord’s agent Character Timeline in The Good Earth
The timeline below shows where the character The Old Lord’s agent appears in The Good Earth. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...was with a new concubine. Wang Lung had to deal instead with the Old Lord’s agent, who’s untrustworthy.
(full context)
Chapter 8
...the House of Hwang is struggling more than ever, and the Old Mistress wants the agent to sell land so she can have opium. The Old Lord has taken another concubine,...
(full context)
The fields of the House of Hwang haven’t borne harvests either, so the agent is desperately in need of Wang Lung’s silver. They make the deal quickly. Wang Lung...
(full context)
Chapter 16
...he realizes it’s the Old Lord. Wang Lung says he wants to talk to the agent, but the Old Lord says the agent has gone. Wang Lung can’t make deals with...
(full context)
