The Good Earth is about one man's relationship with the natural world. We're not talking about the whole natural world; it's mostly the earth that gets Wang Lung's attention. His life is directly tied to something as simple as whether or not it rains when it's supposed to. If it rains too little, his family starves; if it rains too much, then half of his food is gone.
It's a tough life, but Wang Lung never gets angry or fed up with nature. He knows that's just how nature is. Sure, nature may not be on your timetable, but nature is good. If you respect it and try to rule its rules and rhythms, it will probably reward you... at least some of the time.
Questions About The Natural World
- Does Wang Lung ever totally lose his connection to the earth? If so, when? If not, what prevents him from losing it?
- Is anything more important than the land? If so, what? When?
- What's so "good" about the earth? Are there times when the earth is bad? Is it benevolent, malicious, or neutral?
Chew on This
Who needs the earth when you have money? You only use the earth to get money in this novel, anyway.
The earth is vengeful when it feels it's being ignored in The Good Earth.