Symbolism in The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Novels were created to show a very naive view in great depth. The Pearl is a novel in its most complete form. Steinbeck does this by conveying life symbolically. Through symbols, John offers the reader a clearer look at life and it?s content. He shows major imagery in four ways: Kino, music, Coyotito, and the 'Pearl of the World'.
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...
Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s transgressions and even has similar qualities as the sin which she represents. Pearl’s life and behavior directly reflects the unacceptable and abnormal nature of Hester’s adulterous sin. Hester is plagued with more than just a letter “A”; she is given a child from her affair who is just as much a reminder of her sin as the scarlet letter. Ultimately Hester overcomes the shame associated the scarlet letter and creates a sense of family for herself and Pearl. This relationship is integral to the theme of this novel and the development of its characters.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, a sinner, living in a puritan society. As punishment, she is forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest. Her daughter Pearl is the product of her sinful ways, and a constant reminder of her wrongdoing. Pearl’s embodiment of the Scarlet Letter causes her hostile relationships with the world and her mother. However, when Dimmesdale kisses her, he frees her from isolation and allows her to form human connections.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl, is a symbol of sin and adultery in the sense that she leads Dimmsdale and Hester to their confession and the acceptance of their sins. A beauitful daughter of the towns adulturist has somtimes demon like traits. She is also the only living symblol of the scarlet letter "A". In another way Pearl also makes a connection between Dimmsdale and Hester.
To begin, Kino, a brush house Mexican-Indian was poor but satisfied with his life before he found the pearl. Kino lived with his wife and son, which was all he needed. Living off of ancient traditions, when Kino has his pearl the greed begins to creep into him and the music of evil plays in his head and foreshadows what the pearl will lead to. “He smelled the breeze and he listened for any foreign sound of secrecy or creeping, and his eyes searched the darkness, for the music of evil was sounding in his head and he was fierce and afraid”(Steinbeck 35). The pearl, a small yet powerful token, puts Kino on a rollercoaster, that drags his whole family along with him.
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.
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.
In The Pearl , the Mexican fisherman, Kino is very poor, but relatively happy. Kino is very close with his wife Juana, his baby son Coyotito and with the other fishermen. While diving for pearls one day, Kino discovers an extremely old and large oyster. Inside the oyster Kino finds the great pearl. The pearl is worth much and with it comes the promise of a better life for Kino and his family. The life of Kino and his family are changed forever by the greed of other people who begin to want the pearl for themselves. After much hardship, Kino realizes that the pearl could only bring more trouble, and casts the pearl out to sea.
The aspect of the John Steinbeck novels, The Pearl and Of Mice and Men, that is most comparable is how, in both books, Steinbeck denies the main characters of each book, Kino and George and Lennie to change their role in life or to beat fate. Steinbeck’s grim outlook of life was perhaps brought on through his early failures and poverty, because all three of the pre-mentioned characters had opportunities to change their fate or role but failed. The elements of discussion are Kino, George and Lennie, a comparison and a contrast.
This parable entitled The Pearl written by John Steinbeck teaches readers lessons about life and people. Steinbeck uses a universal struggle with greed to embody his innermost idea and concerns about life that he conveys in this novel. In conclusion, John Steinbeck meant for his readers of The Pearl to take away a lesson or message from the struggle of greed and avail themselves to apply the lessons or messages to their everyday lives.
One of the most common and prominent themes of The Pearl is greed. One of the first examples of this is when Kino went to the doctor to beg for treatment, but the doctor responded, "‘Has he any money?’ the doctor demanded. ‘No, they never have money. I, I alone in the world am supposed to work for nothing- and I am tired of it. See if he has any money!’” (Steinbeck 11). Many would consider it unethical to refuse treatment to someone simply because of their poverty. The doctor refusing to cure the ill child shows how greed has corrupted him to the point of having an innocent baby die rather than offering up his services for free. Another early instance of greed was when the news of the pearl “came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church. He wondered what the pearl would be worth” (Steinbeck 21). Even the people of God, those believed to have the highest morals, became materialistic. He who is supposed to be satisfied with just the love of the lord suddenly hungered for more. This greed eventually came to Kino when Juana suggested throwing away the pearl, but Kino replied, “‘No,’ he said. ‘I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We
Kino, Juana, and Coyotito go back to the beach and row out to an oyster bed, where he begins to search for the pearl. As Kino continues to search, Juana takes things into her own hands after being refused by the doctor and sucks the poison out of Coyotito and then puts seaweed on the wound, unknowingly healing him. Meanwhile Kino gathers several small oysters but suddenly comes across a particularly large oyster. He picks the oyster up and returns to the surface. When Kino opens the oyster he discovers the pearl. Word that the pearl has been discovered travel through the town quickly. People in the town became jealous of Kino and his family which eventually leads to a great deal of harm.
The canoe symbolizes Kino’s heritage and his family. It and how to care for the wood had been passed down for generations. When the pearl is brought into Kino and Juana’s life the canoe became broken which shows that there was conflictions within the family. The scorpion shows that bad things happen to the purest things and we don’t really have control over what happens. The scorpion stings Coyotito, the son of Kino, who injects him with its poisonous venom. The couple does everything they could to save their son’s life but in the end, Coyotito’s life is still taken even though it is not taken by the scorpion. Kino’s dreams and the great pearl are things that were too good to be true. The night Kino finds the great pearl, he dreams of many wonderful things that he could do with the money he would get from the pearl. A rifle, a wedding for him and Juana, and an education for Coyotito, but instead of these wonderful things, the pearl brings nothing but havoc into the lives of Kino, Juana, and Coyotito. The pearl did teach the family valuable
While oystering, Kino finds a gigantic pearl. Upon hearing about this great find, the doctor decides to heal the child. Kino becomes greedy, and wants to see how much money he can get for the pearl. Juana thinks that the pearl is evil, and she does not want to have anything to do with it. He decides to sell the pearl for 50,000 pesos, but his highest offer was only 1,500 pesos. He decides to go to the capitol to see if he can get a higher bid. The pearl only brings him unhappiness. On his way to the capitol, evil men try to steal his pearl. When they do not succeed, they destroy his canoe, and burn down his house.
In the beginning he saw the pearl as this great thing that would help his family live on and be happy. "Our son must go to school. He must break out of the pot that holds us in," he said this with hopes of using the pearl for Coyotito’s schooling and giving him a better future with that knowledge. Toward the end of having the pearl he becomes insane and insecure. Juana realizes that the pearl is evil and says to Kino, "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 in the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil!” Kino then starts taking into consideration of Juana is saying and becomes more into the thought that the pearl is really evil. Kino believes different things about the pearl from the beginning to the end, he goes from seeing it as hope to destruction and
In The Pearl, there are many symbolisms that are important to the theme. The pearl that Kino catches is a symbol of many things. The pearl’s symbolism changes throughout the book. In the beginning, the pearl is a sign of hope and the chance to change Kino and his family’s lives. However, as the story evolves, the pearl becomes deadly. The pearl is the surface of greed and evil impulses that everyone experiences. However, many people have different ideas on what the pearl could mean for them, thus creating multiple reactions.The pearl represents a better life, but can also represent greed and selfishness.