Where O-lan is big, brown, and big-footed, Lotus is the opposite. O-lan is described as being like the earth, but Lotus is compared to flowers. Pages and pages are dedicated to Lotus's beauty, so we'll just pick out the important parts. Number one: Lotus is pretty because she has small hands and bound feet. Number two: Lotus is pretty because she has round eyes.
And last but not least: Lotus is pretty because she's helpless: "She swayed upon her little feet and to Wang Lung there was nothing so wonderful for beauty in the world as her pointed little feet and her curling helpless hands" A pretty good way to tell what a society thinks is pretty is to look at their rich women. Rich women can stay out of the sun because they don't have to work, so they'll often be pale like Lotus. Rich women are also probably healthy because they have enough food to eat, so their cheeks will be rosy.
Since they don't have to work, or even walk, rich Chinese women could bind their feet, even though that would make anything but standing for a few moments painful. Does Lotus have all these things? Check, check, and check. I will dare to say this, that if she had not been on the edge of an age when men will cease soon to look at her, it is doubtful whether jade in her ears and gold on her fingers and even silk and satin would have tempted her to the house of a farmer, and even a well-to-do farmer'" Basically, Lotus needs someone to buy her soon, because she's getting too old to carry on with her profession.
She's probably not moving in with Wang Lung because she loves him. It doesn't end there. If birds of a feather flock together, then Lotus becoming besties with Wang Lung's aunt is a bad sign. She hates his kids, and Wang Lung's father calls her a harlot. She doesn't even really care about his well-being; she just wants to be amused. Boy, does that turn out well. We're not sure that's what Wang Lung bargained for.
About That Nameโฆ By the way, since names occur so rarely in The Good Earth, they are pretty important when they do appear. In Chinese culture, lotuses are super important. You probably guessed that they are a traditional symbol of beauty, but they are also a religious symbol. Lotuses live in muddy, dirty water, but they float on top of all the muck in pristine beauty.
