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Discuss symbolism in the novel the pearl
The pearl by john steinbeck essays
The pearl by john steinbeck essays
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Literary Analysis Essay: “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck
In the novella, “The Pearl” written by John Steinbeck, a poor Hispanic man named Kino and his family find a pearl of great value. The family believes that the pearl will benefit them greatly and change their son’s future for the better. Kino and his family soon discover that what may have been a symbol of goodness and hope would become a symbol of evil and death. At the end of the story Kino learns a valuable lesson, which is that things may not always be as grand as they appear to be.
From the very start of the story, there are strong examples supporting the theme that things may not always be what they appear to be. The first time the pearl is associated with evil is when the doctor and the priest show up at Kino’s home. When both the doctor and the priest appear with intentions of getting their hands on the pearl Steinbeck describes how, “The music had gone out of Kino’s head, but now, thinly, slowly, the melody of the morning, the music of evil, of the enemy sounded, but it was faint and weak.”(27) Shortly after the priest leaves
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An example of Kino’s newest behavior is when he physically attacks Juana to get the pearl back. “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, he kicked her in the side.”(59) In the beginning of the story Kino believed that the pearl would bring him and his wife closer. He believed that they would get married and their son would go to school and they would be a happy family because of the pearl. Unfortunately, things don’t go as Kino had planned them and the pearl causes Kino to act hostile towards his family, which results in the start of them growing apart. Kino is starting to value the pearl more than he values the safety and happiness of himself of those closest to
Kino found one of the most valuable and precious pearls in the world and being convinced of its worth was not going to be cheated by only minimally upgrading his condition of life. Instead he wanted to break the fixed life and role that he and his family had and always would live. Kino refuses the maximum offer of fifteen hundred pesos that would easily ease his and his family’s pain and suffering for the coming months. Kino is then determined to trek to the capital to find a fair and just offer. Kino continues determined through the mountains after an attempt at the pearl, his canoe destroyed and his hut set a blaze. Continuing to put his family’s life on the line. It eventually takes the death of his beloved son Coyotito to make him realize he needs to stop being so greedy, no matter how hard he tries and to shut his mouth and know his role.
Many people worship the value of a sparkling pearl, but I, however, despise it. How one small object can determine the fate of man, I do not know. Nevertheless, it is clear to me that this pearl has brought evil upon my family and I will have no more of it. A while back, Kino discovered a valuable pearl and thought it had signified the end of our troubles. Sadly, his prediction was overcome by evil and we are now living lives even worse than before.
John Steinbeck’s novella, The Pearl, is written as a parable, which allows the reader to interpret its themes in their own way. It can take place in any time period, with any setting, and using any protagonist. The themes Steinbeck used throughout his book are universal and can applied to anyone’s lives. Its contrasting portrayal of good and evil creates a clear understanding of themes such as greed, illusions, and humanity and reason versus animalism and instinct.
Kino overall symbolizes clearly good and innocent. Kino is thought of as 'a wise, primitive man' who is hungry for fortune because of the great pearl, which he discovers and later in the story he becomes 'an angry, frightened, but resolute man, determined to keep what he has earned'. He is a young diver who lives in a small village on the coastline of Mexico. In the beginning of the story he has come to o...
Throughout The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, the themes of greed and prejudice are greatly expressed, from the beginning with the unjust doctor to the suspenseful end of the supposed ‘Pearl of the World.’ It is amazing, that even in a timeless story as this one, these harsh realities still haunt their world. It could take place yesterday, today, or tomorrow, but the point is that one cannot revert the world to one way of thinking, that is why greed and prejudice still exist. One can try as hard as they want but there are going to be those who are stubborn, of hard will, and those who believe their thoughts are right. I want to show that these themes go far beyond this parable and apply to the world we live in.
He is driven by greed, so much so that he could even see dreams form in the pearl. Kino is the head of a modest household and until he finds the pearl he lives a satisfied life with all he needs for his family to be happy. As soon as Kino finds the pearl he starts to want possessions he never wanted before. He dreams of education for Coyotito, marrying Juana in a Catholic church, purchasing new clothing for his family, and getting a harpoon and a rifle for himself. “It was the rifle that broke down the barriers . . . for it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (Steinbeck 32). Located within a small poverty-stricken community, a pearl diver named Kino finds “the Pearl of the World” and becomes suddenly rich, he begins to want items that he thought were impossible before. As Kino thinks more and more of what the pearl can do for him, he starts to think that it will raise his social status as well. This is only the beginning of Kino’s greediness, for the more he gets, the more he will want, and this begins to dehumanize him. Kino focuses on the wealth of the pearl and causes him to change his values about life. In the beginning, Kino is only focused on his family, once Kino finds the pearl he becomes more focused on the pearl, rather than his family. Kino cares a lot more about losing the pearl rather than something bad happening to his loved
Readers can tell from the statement that many of the people Kino encounters after finding the pearl become bitter “friends”. At this point, Kino and Juana begin to realize that the pearl is bringing bad luck upon them. They are taken advantage of by the doctor and he decides to visit them after knowing they have the pearl. “This pearl is like a sin”(56). Juana begins to realize the pearl is bringing them bad luck, but Kino still trusts that it’s a gift. Readers can also assume that people are trying to take the pearl when Kino is suddenly attacked during the night. “Blood oozed down from his scalp and there was a long…”(56). Readers can now confirm that the pearl has changed and now represents evil. The pearl also begins to destroy Kino and Juana’s relationship as they have different opinions on what to do with the pearl. After Kino wakes up and follows Juana when she wakes up and walks out, readers know he has started to lose full trust in her. “He rolled up to his feet and followed her silently as she had gone” (58). Through the symbolism of the pearl and what it brings upon Kino and Juana, the author emphasizes how the pearl is not what it first appears to be, which was
For example, when Juana argues with Kino about the pearl, she tells Kino, “The pearl is like a sin” (38). The pearl is compared to a sin using a simile and reveals how Juana truly feels about the pearl as it connotes evil, envy, and greed. This supports the fact that the pearl converts Kino and that it isn’t benevolent. In addition, when Juan Tomas tells Kino to leave the pearl, Kino tells Juan, “The pearl has become my soul” (67). Kino is shown to have an obsession with the pearl and that it controls him. His commitment to the pearl connotes obsession, delusion, and compulsion. The pearl and it’s hold on Kino is why he is dehumanized as the book progresses
...the root of all evil, and that the true root of all evil is actually greed. The reason this could be considered true is because money is essentially an object that created by people. It is not the money that can be seen as evil, it is the greed people possess to obtain money. Even if money did not exist greed would still be around, it just would not be powered by money. But in this particular setting the evil is in fact money. Furthermore, Steinbeck displays how the love money can be good in some cases but it also has a downside to it. Money creates a sense of jealousy, immoral, and in extreme terms just plain evil. Kino's discovery of the pearl could have brought him an unending amount of wealth and happiness but instead, it led to the death of his son and enabled him to kill a man unjustly.
The pearl symbolizes many different things. To Kino, at first it symbolized happiness and hope. On page 39 in chapter 3, it has stated, "So lovely it was, so soft, and its own music came from it- its music of promise and delight, its guarantee of the future, of comfort and security. Its warm lucence promised a poultice against illness and a wall against insult. It closed a door on hunger." Kino sought happiness and riches, and as he was desperate he was blind to the greed that was enveloping him. All he saw was impossible hopes and dreams in the pearl. In other words, to him, the pearl guaranteed money and the comfort of a tranquil life.
Most of the evil in The Pearl shows up after Kino gets the pearl. Kino goes from being a righteous man to being a murderer and the assaulter of his wife, Juana. She even goes so far as to say, “Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones. Let us- let us throw it back to the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil,” (Steinbeck 56). Kino and his tribe, more particularly Juana, have this misconception that the pearl itself is evil, but an object cannot be evil. No, an object does not possess the power of good and evil morals. It is not the object that it is evil it is the people. It just so happens that the object brought out the true nature of evil that has always existed within man. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned,” (Romans 5:12 NIV) Kino saw it as wealth and as his one chance to be more than what the people of the town has said he is. It was the love of money that brought out the evil in Kino. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs,” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV). Unfortunately, it is the love of money that brings out the evil in Kino, because Kino is a good person with a good
For example, Kino was given the chance to get rid of the pearl many times. He could have given the pearl to the doctor or priest. He also could have sold the pearl for the 1,500 pesos the pearl buyers offered. That itself is a large sum of money. Kino should have been grateful and taken the money. The voices of reason were with Kino throughout most of these events. Steinbeck mentions, “Perhaps, some argued, perhaps it would have been better if Kino took the one thousand five hundred pesos.” (53) One voice(s) of reason was his neighbors. They said that Kino should have taken the money. Kino’s brother Juan Tomás was also there to provide reason. Juan repeatedly stated that Kino should get rid of the pearl as soon as the chance pops up. The biggest voice of reason was Kino’s wife, Juana. Not only did she try to reason with Kino, she also tried to get rid of the pearl herself. Juana states in the story that Kino needed to get rid of the pearl as it is evil. One night she tries to take the pearl and throw it in the ocean. If Kino had just let it go, the pearl would have been gone, and their troubles would have
The Pearl is a parable, a story that has a moral, written by John Steinbeck. The novel is based on a poor Indian family who live in a small village outside of La Paz, Mexico along the Gulf of Mexico. The family consists of: Kino, a fisherman and pearl diver; Juana and their infant son Coyotito. Kino’s people live a life of poverty so when Kino finds “The Pearl of The World” the villagers and town’s people all want to get their hands on the pearl for themselves; Lap Paz became filled with greed. This novel like all others is focused on a major theme; the theme of a literary work is defined as a central idea, concern or purpose about life that a writer wishes to convey. There may be several themes identified in a literary work; however, in John Steinbeck’s novel The Pearl the author uses an occurrence in nature–the pearl to develop one of the most essential universal themes in literature, which is humanity’s struggle with greed.
American literature plays a vital role in society, providing entertainment while displaying themes that related to common problems during the 1940s. One of the novels that reflects some of these major problems is The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck. This novel is based on a story that Steinbeck heard on his trip to La Paz, Mexico in 1940. He describes this story in his book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Steinbeck tries to show the difficulties that many people faced in Mexico. In particular, The Pearl examines the social and cultural inequalities between the Mexicans and the Europeans, illustrates how longing for materialistic goods can result in destruction, and demonstrates how a man’s actions can influence his family’s dreams.
John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver who lives in Mexico with his wife, Juana and his baby boy, Coyotito. One day Kino finds a huge pearl worth a great deal of money. Kino dreams of being rich and buying all that he wants after he sells the pearl. The one thing that Kino doesn't realize is that there are many people who will do anything to steal the pearl from him. No one ever suspects the pearl's power todeceive, corrupt, and destroy. Hence, The Pearl depicts the ultimate battle between good and evil.