The Good Earth Chapter Summaries Chapter 1 The story begins with Wang Lungs marriage day.

He wakes up to his fathers coughing. Wang goes to the window and feels the wind and thinks it is a good omen. He picks up some grasses to start the fire under the cauldron. He realizes that today is the last day he will wake to make tea for his father. Tomorrow a woman will wake up early to light the fire. After fixing his fathers tea, Wang bathes himself for todays special occasion. The father complains that he is wasting the water and that he is hungry. Wang Lung makes him a corn gruel, puts on his nice robes and heads into the city. Wang Lung decides to go for a shave. He is surprised that a shave costs four pence. Wang visits the market and buys food for the wedding dinner his new wife will prepare tonight. He is a bit superstitious about his marriage, so he stops to purchase incense to light at the temple. He stops for something to eat because he is afraid to go to the House of Hwang and ask for the slave that is to become his wife. Wang Lung returns to the House of Hwang and the gate keeper insists on taking a silver piece from Wang to gain entry. Wang is nervous and unable to speak at first to the old mistress. She calls for O-lan and they leave the House of Hwang together. Wang returns home with O-lan and tells her to prepare a meal for the guests with the food he bought. All the guests praise the cooking. After the guests leave he finds O-lan sleeping beside the ox and takes her inside and they go to sleep.

Chapter 2 The next morning Wang directs O-lan to bring his father the hot water. Wang is very pleased with his wife, but is curious if she likes him as her husband. She brings him tea after reporting she completed her task, he feels the woman likes him well enough. Over the next few months O-lan is a very big help. Wang likes to come back from work to a meal waiting for him. She cleans, mends clothing, cleans the beddings, and also works out in the field. She is very quiet and rarely talks. One day when they are in the fields she tells Wang that she is with child. Wang and his father are very happy to hear the news. Chapter 3 As the birth of his first child approaches, Wang suggests O-lan goes back to the House of Hwang for a slave to help with the birth. She replies that she does not need help in her home. She will go to the House of Hwang with her child in fine clothing after the birth. He is astonished she had this planned out already. She asks for 3 pieces of silver for clothes, but Wang gives her four so that the child may wear silk. O-lan is very happy because it is the first time she has held silver. One day while they are working in the fields, O-lan says that she is going back to give birth to the child. When he comes in from the field, he is surprised to find that his father has been fed and that his hot supper is waiting for him on the table. Wang and his father are happy to find out that O-lan has delivered a son. It is a good omen to give birth to a boy. Wang tells O-lan he will buy red sugar for her and eggs to dye red, so everyone knows they have a son.

Chapter 4 The next day O-lan prepares breakfast, but remains home for the rest of the day. Wang works till noon then goes into town to buy the eggs and red sugar for his wife. Wang proudly tells the storekeeper of his new born son. He also buys four incense sticks, one to burn for each family member. Wang was very superstitious and felt that he should keep in good standing with the earth god. O-lan is soon back working in the fields, but she also has to stop and nurse the child. Winter comes and his harvest is better then ever before. Wang Lung is able to sell his grain at the best price, while his neighbors had to sell at premature low prices. After selling all of their grain, Wang Lung and O-lan have spare silver. They start hiding the silver in the wall of their bedroom. Chapter 5 It is almost the New Year and preparations are being made. Wang buys red stickers with letters of happiness and luck. He sticks them over farm equipment for good harvests for next year. His father makes new robes for the gods and Wang Lung burns incense at the temple for good fortune. Wang buys pork fat and white sugar so O-lan can make cakes for the new year. Wang Lung is proud that O-lan can make cakes better than any other woman in the village. She makes two plain ones for guests visiting their home and decorates fancy ones to take to the House of Hwang. On the second day of the new year they go to the House of Hwang in their best clothes with to present their son. Wang

feels gatekeeper is now inferior to him. He waits while O-lan goes to the inner court to the old mistress. When they are walking home O-lan tells him that the house is growing poor, because the young lords are spending their money freely, the old master has

concubines, and the old mistress is addicted to opium. When she tells him that they are considering selling some of their land, Wang Lung decides to buy it. Chapter 6 Wang gets his silver from the secret stash and travels to House of Hwang to buy a plot of land. The Old Lord was asleep with his new concubine Peach Blossom and would not be disturbed. Wang Lung purchases the plot of land from the Old Lords agent. Wang Lung walks the plot of land but decides not to put his markers up for fear the people of the town would know he was wealthy. Spring arrives and O-lan is pregnant again. Wang is unhappy, because she wont be able to work come harvest time, but she assures him that this birth will be easier. She gives birth to another man. Wang is very happy because of all the good fortune O-lan has brought upon him. The harvest was very fruitful. The rice harvest from the new land was twice that of his fields. Wang sold his harvest and hid the silver. His status rises in the village, because everyone knows he bought land from the House of Hwang and he was wealthy.

Chapter 7 His uncles family is a disgrace. He has to sell his grain before it is harvested to feed his family. His wife is lazy and allows the children to run around the village unsupervised. One day he sees his uncles daughter in the village talking with a man. Wang tells his uncles wife that she better marry the girl before she loses her virginity. The aunt replies that no one will marry a girl that is poor, without a dowry.

The next day Wangs uncle approaches him while he is in the field. He claims that the heavens have willed an evil destiny upon him. His fate does not allow him to bear good sons or have a fruitful harvest even though he works hard. Wang Lung that he is replies he is fortunate with his fields because he and O-lan work hard. The uncle denounces him for being rude to an elder. His uncle threatens to tell the whole village of his behavior. When Wang Lung returns to the house to gather silver for his uncle, her finds out O-lan has given birth to a girl. He feels that the birth of a girl may be a bad omen. He gives the uncle silver and returns to the fields. Wang Lung is upset that he shall have to wait for another harvest to gather more silver. The crows are flying overhead, another bad omen. Chapter 8 A drought comes and destroys most of Wang Lungs harvest. He sold what grain he had as soon as it was harvested. Without telling anyone, Wang Lung went to the House

of Hwang and purchased another plot of land. The drought continues and everyone in the town is without food or money. O-lan becomes pregnant again, and the family has no food. O-lan has to kill the ox to feed the family. Wangs uncle meanwhile is spreading rumors that Wang Lung has a stash of food. One day the villagers invade their home to get food. The villagers took the little corn and beans they had left. Chapter 9 Wang is very mad at the gods for his misfortune. Everyone was suffering in his family. Out of respect, he continued to feed his father. One day Ching comes to Wang and tells him to move south. The people in the village have started to eat human meat to survive.

O-lan agrees to make the trip to the south after she gives birth. The neighboring farmer Ching, gives the family red beans to eat. O-lan gives birth to a baby girl that night. The baby does not survive. Wang Lung wraps the baby up in an old mat and takes it to the fields. Wang Lung notices the bruises on the babys neck and suspects O-lan killed the baby. Wangs uncle and some men from the town come and offer Wang Lung a small sum for his land. Wang Lung refuses to sell his land. O-lan and Wang Lung sell their furniture for two silver pieces and start walking south. Chapter 10 Wang Lung and his family start walking south. The south region is warm and full of food. They pass by the House of Hwang and see beggars cursing the people within because they still have food to eat and will not share. O-lan and Wang Lung run into a group of people who are going south as well. They are boarding a train called a firewagon. Wang Lung and his family board the train to travel south. Chapter 11 Wang Lung purchases tickets for the firewagon and a small amount of food. He still has a small amount of money left to buy mats and shelter. Wang listens to a man on the firewagon who tells him how to beg for food and shelter and buy mats once they reach the south. The man also tells Wang Lung of the kitchens that will sell meals for one pence. Wang finds out that he can work as a rickshaw driver in the south. Once they arrive in the southern city Wang buys mats for the family and they go to the kitchen to eat. As Wang Lung works as a rickshaw driver for the day, his family goes out and begs for money. Chapter 12

There was enough money to feed everyone. One day Wang takes a foreigner on his rickshaw and gets 2 silver pieces. Wang hears a man say there needs to be a revolution against unwanted foreigners such as himself. He realizes that it is impossible to starve in cites, unlike being out in the country. One night Wang came home and their was a stew of cabbage and pork on the fire for dinner. When he finds out that his sons have been stealing instead of begging he gets upset and refuses to eat the meat. He takes his son outside after dinner and beats him. Wang Lung decides that he must return home to his land. Chapter 13 Spring is approaching and O-lan is again with child. Wang greatly desires to return to his land. His father tells Wang Lung that he too had to leave his land at times, but always returned. O-lan suggested that they could sell their daughter in order to buy their way back to their land. O-lans parents had sold her to return to their home. Wang Lung would not sell his daughter to return to his land. Chapter 14 It is now officially springtime. O-lan and the boys search for food, while Wang works his rickshaw. Wang listens to men talking about what they would do if they possessed wealth. Wang cried out that he would buy land and work to bring good harvests from the land. They rebuke him saying he doesnt understand what can be done with money. One day Wang sees a man being seized by soldiers in the street. He hides in a shop and asks the keeper what is going on. The man tells him they are seizing men for a war. To prevent being captured by the soldiers Wang works at night unloading cargo. With all the things going on in the city Wangs desire to return to his land is strong.

One day, the poor break into the rich mans walls. People are running around like maniacs carrying the rich mans belongings. Wang soon finds himself in the innermost court. He sees a middle age man that is begging for Wang to spare his life. Wang asks for gold and the man gives it to him. He thrust the gold in his bosom and decides they are going back to the land tomorrow. O-lan aware of how the rich hide their wealth, steals a large amount of jewelry from the walls of the home. Chapter 15 Wang bought good seed from the south and buys an ox on the way home from a farmer. When Wang Lung and O-lan return to their home they discover that a band of thieves had been living in their home and destroyed it. His neighbor Ching informs Wang Lung that he thought it was his uncle living in the home while Wang Lung and his family were in the south. Ching tells him that while they were gone his wife had died and he sold his daughter so she would not starve to death. Wang Lung gives Ching new seed and tells him he will plow his land tomorrow. Wang Lung never forgot how Ching had given him beans when he had nothing to eat. Wang Lung goes to town to purchase new farm equipment, household goods and furniture. Wang Lung discovers that his uncle and wife have left the town, but sold all of his daughters for silver. Chapter16 Wang Lung discovers the bundle of jewels that O-lan had taken from the rich mans house in the south. He decides to use some of the jewels to purchase more land from the House of Hwang. H e allows O-lan to keep two pearls. He arrived at the great house and announces to the aged lord that he wishes to buy land from the house. A women comes and sends the old lord away. Wang learns that thieves broke into the house and it

was abandoned. Wang Lung goes to the tea house think about the land purchase. He learns that the old lord is living in the House of Hwang with Cuckoo. Cuckoo was a slave for years, but became the lords mistress after his wife died and the home was pillaged by thieves. The tea house owner tells him that he is sure the old lord will sell all of the property with the exception of the burial plots. Wang Lung returns to the House of Hwang and purchases the additional land in exchange for the jewels. Chapter 17 Wang hires his friend Ching to help harvest and live in his house. His sons help work in the fields along with hired laborers. He no longer allows O-lan to work in the fields because he is a wealthy man. O-lan gives birth to twins, one boy and one girl.

Wang decided to build his fortunes securely so he would not have to move south ever again. He now had six laborers and built a new house for his family and let the laborers stay in the old house. Ching now oversees the other laborers for Wang Lung. Wang was tired of being teased for not being literate and he wants to get his sons in school so that they can help him bargain at the grain house after harvest. He put his sons in a small village school taught by an old man. The school teacher and the old man gives the boys new names. They are named Nung En (elder one) and Nung Wen (younger one). Nung means one who acquires his wealth from the earth.

Chapter 18 On the 7th year from returning to the land, a flood occurs. Wang Lung is not too worried about the flood because his home was built high on a hill and his store room is full of grain. All of the grain merchants in town owe Wang Lung money. He grows

restless because there is nothing for him to do. He has Ching managing the laborers. His father has become quite senile and sleeps most of his days away. His father does not know how wealthy his son has become. Wang Lung looks at O-lan and realizes that she does not look like a wife of a rich man. Nothing seemed as good as it had been to him before. He starts walking into town and visiting the tea house daily to pass time. He sits in the tea house and looks at pictures of beautiful women. One day Cuckoo appears and Wang

Lung learns that she has become the owner of the tea shop. Cuckoo tells him the pictures are of real women that live on the second floor of the tea house. He becomes attracted to one of the women in the pictures that he describes as beautiful as a flower on a quince tree. Chapter 19 The lands remain flooded and Wang Lung still finds himself with nothing to do on the farm. He continues to visit the tea house in the town. Cuckoo tells Wang Lung that he is a wealthy mas and encourages him to choose one of the women to do with as he pleases. Wang Lung gives Cuckoo his money and asks for the beautiful girl holding the lotus flower. Cuckoo takes Wang Lung to her room. At first, Wang Lung is not able to talk to the girl. He stares at her and wonders at her beauty. He returns every day because he becomes obsessed with her. He can no longer work or eat without thinking of Lotus. Wang Lung becomes particular with his clothes, hair, and the way he smells. O-lan comments that he is starting to resemble the lords in the great house. She is aware that he is pulling the silver from the wall. Wang Lung is spending a lot of silver on visiting and

buying trinkets for Lotus. One day, Wang Lung comes home and asks O-lan for the two pearls from her breast. Chapter 20 Wang Lungs uncle, aunt and wife come back to the town in bad shape. Wang Lung feels it is his responsibility to offer them housing and food because they are family. Wang Lung hears his uncles wife tell O-lan of the affair he is having in town. He decides that he can no longer live without Lotus and asks her to arrange a union between them. In anticipation, Wang builds a court for himself and Lotus. He becomes very impatient, but eventually an agreement is made to bring Lotus and Cuckoo to the house. On the day that Lotus and Cuckoo arrive at the house, O-lan was not at the house. She eventually returns to cook dinner and go to bed without acknowledging Lotus and Cuckoo. Wang Lung visits Lotus every night. Chapter 21 There is hostility in the house between Cuckoo and O-lan. O-lan still despises Cuckoo because she served in the lords court when O-lan was a kitchen slave at the House of Hwang. Wang builds a new kitchen for Cuckoo so she can prepare expensive food for Lotus. Lotus befriends the uncles wife and Cuckoo, Lotus, and the uncles wife sit and eat expensive food all day. Wang Lung is not happy that the uncles wife is welcome in the inner court and tells Lotus to stop inviting her. Wang Lungs father discovers Lotus in the house and calls her a harlot. He was angered that his son had taken another woman in his house and started doing mischievous things. The children are curious of Lotus and start sneaking into her court. One day, Lotus discovers the poor fool touching her garments and calls her an idiot. Lotus is

furious and requests Wang Lung to lock them out.

Wang is angry because Lotus has

called his children idiots. The anger melts away, but the love is not as whole as it was before. One autumn day Wang sees the water has receded and he goes out to work the land. Chapter 22 Wang Lung is now free of his love sickness and starts working in the land. He no longer is disturbed by Lotus and her demands. He doesnt care that she complains about his children, his smell or his earth stained clothes. He continues to work in the earth and is happy. The people in the village admire him and think he lives in a great house. Come harvest time Wang takes his eldest son to the market to read and sign documents for him. When walking home Wang decides his son is a scholar and should not work in the fields, he should have a wife. Ching offers his daughter for marriage, but Wang thinks that the daughter of a common farmer would not be good enough for his eldest son. Wang Lung learns from his younger son that the eldest son is not attending school. He is angry and beats the older son until O-lan gets him to stop. O-lan tells Wang that he is acting like one of the young lords of the great house and Wang is secretly proud to hear this, Chapter 23 Wang Lung discusses with Lotus that he is looking for a wife for his son. Lotus tells him of a grain merchant named Liu who talked about his daughters when he came to the tea shop. Wang Lung is hesitant to approach rhe grain merchant. But, one morning the eldest son comes home drunk and Wang learns that his uncles son has been taking his eldest son to an old whore in town. Wang Lung pays the old whore and instructs her to

stop seeing his eldest son. He asks Cuckoo to visit the grain merchant to see if a marriage can be arranged. Wang Lung is mad that his uncles son has led his eldest son to drinking and visiting prostitutes. He goes to his uncle and tells him and his family to leave his house. The uncle opens his coat and shows Wang Lung the red cloth. Wang Lung now realizes that the uncle is a member of a group of thieves called the redbeards. Wang Lung decides that his family is probably in less danger with the uncle living in the house and decides to let the family stay. Wang Lung continues to work in the fields to escape from the problems in his house. There is a plague of locusts which he and his laborers must fight off in the fields. Wang Lung is able to save his best fields. Chapter 24 Wangs son tells his father that he cant learn any more from the village teacher. He asks to go south so that he may become a scholar. Scornful of his sons looks, Wang sends his son into the fields to work. Later Lotus tells him that his elder son is pining to go to a southern school, but Wang quickly dismisses the idea. One night O-lan tells Wang that his elder son is spending time in the inner courts while he is away. She thinks it would be good to send him away to the south so that he would no longer be a burden. Wang csnt believe his elder son would go to the inner courts. Wang pretends to leave for the village the next day, then sneaks back to watch the house. Just as O-lan had said, his son was entering the inner court to visit Lotus. Wang Lung beats his son and sends him south.

Chapter 25 After the eldest son leaves, Wang feels relieved. Wang decides that his second son should seek a jog as a grain apprentice. He sends Cuckoo to ask the grain merchant if he will meet with Wang. Liu agrees to apprentice Wangs second son and betroth his son to Wangs daughter. Wang Lungs daughter complains of the pain in her feet to her father. She tells her father that Olan insists that she keep her feet bound. If her feet do not remain bound,

her future husband wont love her. Wang is shocked by O-lans comments, and sad because he knows what she says is true. Wang Lung needs someone to manage the fields, so he decides to keep his youngest son home. This chapter ends with a doctor telling Wang Lung that O-lan will die soon. When the doctor leaves, Wang Lung goes into the kitchen and weeps. Chapter 26 O-lan is lying in bed and is unable to do any work. Wang realizes what a big presence she was in the house, because no one knows what to do without her. Wangs father is restless because O-lan can no longer comfort him. Wang is always thinking about O-lan. He keeps a fire burning in her room to keep her warm. Wang Lung goes out and buys a coffin for O-lan and his father. Close to the New Year O-lan becomes better and asks that the girl betrothed to her older son should come to live at the home so she can properly teach her how to prepare for the New Year. The maid comes with a servant and O-lan is comforted because there is a woman to tend to her. At O-lans request, the elder son is brought home from the city for his wedding.

Shortly after the wedding ceremony, O-lan dies. Then Wang Lungs father dies within days of Olan. Wang Lung had O-lan and his father buried under a date tree on a high hill in his fields. Chapter 27 Ching tells Wang that a flood like none ever is coming. Soon villages become islands. Day after day it rained. Wangs home is safe because it was built on a hill. Because he was a wealthy man, he had plenty of money and grain stored to take care of his family during the flood. Because of the flood there was no harvest that year , people were starving and left without homes. Wangs nephew is back from the war and hanging about the house. Wangs elder son starts complaining about his cousin. The cousin is peeping at his wife and she feels uncomfortable with him in the home. Wang Lung explains to his son about his position with the uncles family, that he dare not ask them to leave. Elder son suggest that they buy opium for the uncles family to keep them harmless. Wang Lung got upset when he found the cousin molesting his daughter one night. He takes his thirteen year old daughter to live with Liu for protection. On the way back, he purchases six ounces of opium. Chapter 28 He gives his uncle the opium and tells him that his father used to smoke it when he was in pain. The uncle greedily takes the opium and soon the whole house smells of it. Wang does not mind, because it brings him peace. People start returning to the village when the floods stop. They need to rebuild their lives and need cash. Wang Lung starts loaning money at high interest rates. While other

men are selling their daughters and land for money, Wang Lung buys six more slaves for his house. The elder son is still restless because he feels the uncles son is peeping at his wife and at Lotus. He suggests that they move inside the village walls. Wang Lung is hesitant, but agrees when the son mentions that they buy the House of Hwang. The second son agrees, they should live under the same roof. Chapter 29 Wang quickly gets the move under way. His elder son arranges renting the house while the second son helps Wang move. Lotus, Cuckoo, the slaves, elder son and his wife, and their servants move to the House of Hwang while Wang Lung, the youngest son, the poor fool, the uncles family, and the laborers remain in the old house. Wang asks Ching to look for a maid to be the wife for his second son. Ching finds a maid three villages away and Wang Lung signs the papers. Wang Lung is relieved and will be content after his youngest is wed. Wang has so much land, he starts to renting his fields out for villagers to farm. He has very little left to do at the old house, so he moves into the House of Hwang with the rest of his family. He leaves his uncles family in the old house. They are very little trouble now because the uncles son left and joined the army, and the uncle and aunt sit peacefully and smoke opium all day. Wangs eldest son and daughter have the first grandchild, a baby boy. Ching, Wang Lungs good friend dies when a new laborer hits him accidentally with a flail. Wang buries Ching right outside the wall of the family burial plot.

Chapter 30 The second son is soon to be married. The eldest son feels that the house needs more tables, chairs, and bowls for the second sons marriage. He also feels that the commoners need to leave the outer courts, because they need space for their family. Wang tells him to do what he likes, as long as he is not disturbed. Soon the house is full of decorations, and the commoners are kicked out of the outer courts. The outer courts are fixed up and decorated. In the village he is no longer known as Wang The Farmer, but is called Wang The Rich Man. Wang Lungs sons are all complaining to Wang. The elder son is spending too much money an is upset that second son is managing Wangs financial affairs. The youngest son is unhappy working the land, so Wang hires him a tutor Winter comes and it is the coldest one in years. Wang buys a pair of coffins for his uncle and uncles wife. They are like dry sticks because they have smoked opium for a long time. The uncle dies and is buried next to Wangs father. The uncles wife moves into the House of Hwang. Chapter 31 The war has moved closer to their village. One day a group of soldies are passing and Wang Lungs nephew recognizes his uncle. The nephew leads his fellow soldiers to the House of Hwang and they hang out in the outer courts. The nephew is allowed in the inner courts because he is family and his mother is still alive. The women are afraid of the cousin and they devise a way to keep the nephew occupied. They allow him to have a slave of his choice. The nephew picks Pear Blossom, but Wang Lung is able to encourage his cousin to take another slave after Pear

Blossom begs to be saved. Lotus never forgave Wang Lung for allowing Pear Blossom to remain in the inner courts after she would not obey her. who is very scared of the cousin. The nephew and his fellow soldiers eventually move on. Chapter 32 The house is repaired after the soldiers leave. Shortly after, the uncles wife died from her opium addiction and her sons slave gave birth to a baby girl. This slave eventually wed the laborer that accidentally killed Ching. Wang Lung is now about sixty-five years old and has 5 grandsons. Hopefully, the third son will wed, and he can live in peace. The two sons and their wives are constantly bickering at each other in the house. The second son thinks the eldest spends too much money and the eldest is mad that the youngest has control over the money. Soon his two sons wives start bickering and anger brews in the house. Loyus accuses Wang one day of looking at Pear Blossom with desire. Wang Lung had not done so, but starts to notice how attractive and young she is. Wang Lung is feeling a lonely and considers how young and beautiful Pear Blossom is. Chapter 33 Wang Lung could not get Pear Blossom out of his mind. He thinks that she would be a good match for his younger son, but secretly wants her for himself. He asks Pear Blossom if she would like to marry his youngest son. She is reluctant of the thought and she says she prefers old men. Wang then picks her up, and carries her into his own courts. Wang tells no one of the affair at first. He then calls his sons in one at a time, to talk with them about his relationship with Pear Blossom. The second son doesnt care about the affair, but the eldest one is envying Wang Lung. The third son comes in and is angry

that his father has Pear Blossom within his court. He tells Wang Lung that he is leaving and becoming a soldier. Chapter34 Wang Lung loves Pear Blossom. But their relationship becomes more like that of a father daughter. She takes care of Wang Lung well, and feels safe in his inner court. He trusts Pear Blossom and asks that she take care of the poor fool when he dies. She agrees to feed poison to the poor fool in the rice bowl when the time comes. Wang is elderly now and spends most of his time laying around. He occasionally visits Lotus and his sons courts. They all are very courteous, but he feels like an outsider in his sons courts. He stops visiting the courts and relies on Cuckoo to inform him of what is happening with his family. Every spring Wang goes with a servant to the old earthen house to be with his land. Wang Lung watches the laborers work the land, because he no longer can. He has his elder son pick out a durable coffin for him and plans to live out the rest of the days in the old earthen house.