The Mother is a novel by Pearl S. Buck, first published in New York by the John Day Company in 1934. It follows the life of peasant woman in rural China before the 1911 Revolution, as she struggles to raise her children and cope with poverty, famine, and social oppression. The novel explores the themes of motherhood, gender roles, family, and tradition in a changing society. The novel is based on Buck’s observations and experiences as a missionary’s daughter in China. Buck later acknowledged that the protagonist of the novel is influenced by her longtime housemaid in Nanjing.