Dynamic Equilibrium: Exploring the Golden Mean in Pearl S. Buck's Life and Works

Song Hao(Suzhou University Suzhou)

Abstract

Based on Tu’s interpretation of the Confucian Doctrine of the Mean, this paper explores how Pearl S. Buck, a distinguished American writer, embodied the doctrine in her life and literary works. By analyzing Buck’s autobiography and her life trajectory, it is found that she realized the reconciliation of cultural conflicts, empathetic understanding of “the other”, and spiritual transcendence amid the tensions between Chinese and American cultures. The study reveals that Buck’s cultivation of virtue (“sincerity to achieve virtue”), life practices (“attaining harmony”), and literary creation all resonate with the doctrine of the Mean: she resolved the tension of cultural identity through dynamic balance, integrated Chinese and Western wisdom via daily ethical practices, and ultimately verified the universality of the Mean as “a universal way” in her cross-cultural writings. This “wisdom resonance” not only uncovers the ideological foundation of Buck’s cross-cultural practice but also offers a new perspective for understanding the value of the doctrine of the Mean in modern pluralistic societies.

Keywords

Pearl S. Buck; life and works; Doctrine of the Mean; dynamic equilibrium

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12345/jetm.v9i4.33804