The Good Earth Lesson Plan

Wang Lung’s oldest son mentions that his wife will not breastfeed their son since it will spoil her beauty, and this makes Wang Lung sad, though he cannot figure out why. Why do you think it makes Wang Lung sad? What might it recall for him? Cite evidence from the text.

The mention of breastfeeding calls to mind the image of O-lan breastfeeding her first son. This was a joyful, fulfilling time for Wang Lung. O-lan would let her milk flow, letting the extra milk fall into the earth. It symbolized the purity and bounty of the time when the family was deeply connected to the land. This detail about the son’s wife’s breastfeeding shows that the family now has very different...