Vive la révolution! There are revolutions and rebellions going on everywhere. You can't throw a rock without hitting a soldier. Yet somehow, Wang Lung and his family seem completely oblivious. What does politics mean to people like them? Is politics going to get food on the table? If not, then these people don't care. Political turmoil becomes an issue for Wang Lung's family pretty much only if it's brought right to their doorstep.
Questions About Politics
- Do the characters in the novel care about politics? Who does, and who doesn't?
- Why are Wang Lung and his family so isolated from the political events happening around them? Do these people ever change?
- The novel occurs about a decade before the China became the People's Republic of China, a communist state. How do you think these political changes will affect Wang Lung' s family?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Politics isn't important to the lives of the characters in The Good Earth.
Even though they aren't aware of them, the characters in the novel are deeply affected by the important political events happening around them.