quote used summary occurs halfway good earth captain chinese revolutionary army played philip ahn apologizes mob time shoot looters among them unit called back front lines course next looter found shot main character film former kitchen slave girl olan for whose portrayal luise rainer yearsold second consecutive best actress oscarbr br the next scene finds olan dutifully delivering bag looted jewels underappreciative husband farmer wang lung paul muni setting motion classic dichotomy mans upward financial mobility direct inverse moral declinebr br for movie dealing subject matter including slavery false accusations misogyny starvation home invasion eating family pets mental retardation infanticide exploited refugees riots civil war summary mass street executions bigamy childbeating adultery incest insect plagues biblical proportions good earth surprisingly heartwarming moviebr br my parting thought form another classic quote olan while putting precious soup bone son admitted stealing old woman back cooking pot husband wang lung angrily tossed dirt floor side hut meat meat