Wang Lung’s father is quite old. He trusts Wang Lung to take care of him, and Wang Lung feels a strong familial duty to do so. He generally does little more than sit in the sun and nap, but he always maintains a very optimistic view of life, and is known to bring laughter to some of the grimmest situations. Symbolically, he acts as an advocate for the old way of life, before Wang Lung became wealthy, disapproving of anything he perceives as luxurious and scolding his son for purchasing a second woman, Lotus. He eventually dies, and Wang Lung buries him along with O-lan in the first graves in the family burial plot.