Life and death are just two sides of the same coin. Most of the characters in The Good Earth don't see death as such a big deal. Death isn’t some mystical scary unknown place with totally different rules: the characters in the novel don't talk about heaven and hell, for example. Death is part of the normal cycle of life: it's natural, it's supposed to happen, and people don't seem to concern themselves too much with what will happen to them once they cross over. People who die are still part of the family, anyway—ancestors are very carefully remembered and honored in this society—so what's all the moping for? It's just life.
Questions About Mortality
- What are the attitudes of the characters in the novel towards death? Are there any differences?
- On farms, you have to kill plants and animals in order to live. Do you think that is reflected in The Good Earth? How or how not?
- Compare the deaths of different characters in The Good Earth. How do they die? How are they mourned, if at all? Where are they buried? How does this reflect on their lives?
Chew on This
Death is no big deal in The Good Earth.
It's important to try to survive in The Good Earth, because suffering is better than death.