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Opium represents the destruction of the wealthy by their own excessive wealth. When Wang Lung meets the Old Mistress at the beginning of the book, he sees that her opium use makes her weak and forgetful. Later, he hears that her need for the drug is draining the family coffers, and eventually it weakens her so much that she dies of fright when the robbers come to the House of Hwang. Opium is quite expensive, so only the rich can afford to become addicted to it in the first place, and then it destroys them.
Later Wang Lung purposely gives opium to his uncle and his uncle’s wife in order to keep them from causing him trouble. Their complete loss of will shows the power of money to wipe out awareness of the world outside of a wealthy person’s house or mind. When Wang Lung moves his uncle’s wife to the house in town, she seems to take the place of the Old Mistress, who was similarly addicted, and thus to foreshadow that Wang Lung’s family will follow the same path of degeneration as the Hwang family.
Opium Quotes in The Good Earth
The The Good Earth quotes below all refer to the symbol of Opium. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5
Quotes
I had but a moment for private talk with the cook under whom I worked before... but she said, ‘This house cannot stand forever with all the young lords, five of them, spending money like waste water in foreign parts and sending home woman after woman as they weary of them, and the Old Lord living at home adding a concubine or two each year, and the Old Mistress eating enough opium every day to fill two shoes with gold.’
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Chapter 28
Quotes
Then Wang Lung’s uncle took it greedily, for it was sweet to smell and a thing that only rich men used, and he took it and bought a pipe and he smoked the opium, lying all day upon his bed to do it. Then Wang Lung saw to it that there were pipes bought and left here and there... and the silver for this Wang Lung did not begrudge because it bought him peace.
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Opium Symbol Timeline in The Good Earth
The timeline below shows where the symbol Opium appears in The Good Earth. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...up at the ceiling. The Old Mistress sits on a dais (raised platform), holding an opium pipe. Wang Lung kneels before her, and when the gateman calls him a fool who...
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Chapter 5
...much money, the Old Lord has many concubines, and the Old Mistress never stops eating opium. A daughter about to get married has a huge dowry and demands all the best...
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Chapter 8
...ever, and the Old Mistress wants the agent to sell land so she can have opium. The Old Lord has taken another concubine, as he desires younger women the older he...
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Chapter 27
...their power. The eldest son has the idea to buy the uncle’s family as much opium as they want. Wang Lung is doubtful, saying opium is expensive, and he needs to...
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...his house. Liu agrees to the arrangement. On his way home, Wang Lung buys some opium.
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Chapter 28
After Wang Lung sends his second daughter away, he offers his uncle the opium, pretending he’d bought it to help his father sleep. The uncle is happy about it...
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...of his uncle’s son. His uncle and his uncle’s wife have been weakened by the opium and no longer make trouble, but their son doesn’t give in to it. He refuses...
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Chapter 30
...cold winter. Wang Lung’s uncle and the uncle’s wife have long lain in bed smoking opium, which has left them weak and ill. Wang Lung brings two coffins to their room...
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...Lung gives his uncle’s wife a room in the house in town, and she smokes opium next to her coffin. Wang Lung can’t believe he used to fear this woman who...
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Chapter 31
...the floor. She’s amazed to see him, and can only think to offer him her opium pipe, but he refuses. Wang Lung is worried he’ll be angry for what Wang Lung...
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