As they leave their home and village, we are made aware that the little girl child is in dire circumstances. The starvation which accompanies her early years will have a disastrous effect on her. The fact that Wang Lung has to hold her so close to his breast prevents him from selling her as a "slave" later on when the family gets into critical straits. And it is also this starvation which later leads to her being mentally ill, yet Wang Lung will always take pleasure in her presence, even after he has gained great wealth.
With Chapter 11, the reader feels the intense relief that, for the first time in days, the family is able to buy a little rice for sustenance. Also, they learn how to make a shelter out of six mats and ultimately how to survive in the new land. They also learn how a man can beg for a living. This entire concept is alien to Wang Lung, who has owned his own land. The stranger laughs, saying that a man can make more money begging than working in the south. So it is, at the end of the chapter, for much money has been made by begging as was made by the totally exhausting work which left Wang Lung's hands ripped to shreds and his body enervated. But as one who owns land in another part of the country, he retains those values which are associated with the land and he will not resort to begging.
The strength of O-lan serves the family well here since she is able to remember when her own family was in a situation similar to the one they are now in. For the first time, we hear that O-lan was once in a position as desperate as they are now in. She knows how to build their house from the mats, and she teaches the family how to beg. When the children don't realize the desperate circumstances, she slaps them until they are "fit to beg." We are constantly surprised at the amount of resources that O-lan has. Once more, Wang Lung is surprised at her: "How much there was of this woman he did not know!"
