Avarice John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl is an . In The Pearl, a happy family finds a profitable pearl after a scorpion incident and goes through experiences that can’t regress them back to their contented lives. Symbolism helps demonstrate the transformation with ambiguous interpretations that Kino goes through in The Pearl. Irony in The Pearl makes the reader fill up with hope, in the beginning of the story, only for it to shatter in the end. Metaphor helps compare Kino to something that literal language could never apprehend. Steinbeck’s use of symbolism, irony, and metaphor augments the change in Kino as he succumbs to greed and ultimately reveals that humans will always remain insatiable with what they own. The symbolism in The Pearl shows the character development that Kino goes through from the beginning to …show more content…
An example of this is “A rifle he will have a rifle” (pg. 25) and “ he raised the gun and aim deliberately and fired” (pg. 87). This shows the expectation of Kino expecting to buy the rifle with the pearl money but instead the cold hard reality is that he obtained the rifle by having to steal it from a hunter for his family survival. This shows a transformation within Kino because . In addition to “my son will go to school” (pg. 25) and “Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away” (pg. 89). This demonstrates the expectation of Coyotito going to school but sadly the reality is far worse than the expectation, the reality of never even getting the chance to see Coyotito’s future. This emphasizes the irony of the story because Kino’s goal of Coyotito going to school was now unachievable. As a result what has happened to Coyotito and obtaining the rifle in that process could have been avoided if Kino was to accept the final offer of the pearl, other than seeking for more than what was
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.
A fascinating and intriguing novel, The Pearl shares the story of a man named Kino, and how greed can affect his life forever. When Kino finds the “Pearl of the World”, it affects everyone, not just him. John Steinbeck, the author of this novel, uses intricate literary devices in order to give the reader the sense of greed that engulfed Kino and his surroundings. Literary devices such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and characterization all help this story come to life. Kino’s family, his personality, and his town, all changed when one pearl landed in Kino’s hands.
In the novel by John Steinbeck, Kino finds “The Pearl of the World”, but it soon causes him to worry and fear that everyone is out to get him. For example, one situation that illustrates this was when, “Juana, sitting by the firehole,
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
Kino, a family man with a dream, transforms into something not human but quite opposite. Juana and Kino both lived in poverty until coming across the pearl. Though the pearl was a miracle, it soon converts Kino into an animal to a machine. John Steinbeck, the author, dehumanizes Kino using figurative language.
To begin, John Steinbeck used different techniques when writing the Pearl in order to create an altering mood. Three of the main techniques that John Steinbeck uses is symbolizing, foreshadowing, and use of phrasing. For instance, Steinbeck’s work coveys how he uses “unique” techniques that are divergent from many other authors and artists. As mentioned in the text “Kino watched with the detachment of God while a dusty ant frantically tried to escape the sand trap and ant lion had dug for him” (Steinbeck,3). In stating this, it explains the technique of foreshadowing because it is showing the fact that the bigger ant has more power over the little ant and this is showing a foreshadowing effect of slavery. Therefore John Steinbeck portrays
In the book, the pearl represents greed. When Steinbeck describes the pearl this way, he says the same thing about greed-- it is evil, dangerous, ulcerous, and ugly. The text also says, “Every man suddenly became related to Kino’s pearl, and Kino’s pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone…. The news stirred up something infinately black and evil in the town”(23). Everyone who heard about the pearl longed to have it.
Kino can’t see the pearl the same way he does at the start of the novel. In order to convey Kino’s view of the pearl, Steinbeck uses imagery to convey to the reader the results of Kino’s greed distorting
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 conclusion this novel has taken a poor greedy man and has put him through hell. First his son was bitten buy a scorpion and the man is determined to save his baby by finding a great pearl to sell and get money to pay the doctor to save his son. The man has murdered and decides to escape his town with his family. Some trackers, who the man bravely kills, followed the man and his family in the woods. After the battle his sick son, who was the reason he got in the whole mess with the pearl and murdering, died. Overall, The Pearl was filled with action, love, enemies, and family
The pearl, composed by John Steinbeck, highlights the journey of an impoverished family that struggles to save their child while ignoring the evils of their community. Kino, the father, discovers the Pearl of the world, which he desires to sell for maximum profit. However, the greed that follows him and the pearl corrupts the once content and happy family prior to the discovery of the treasure as they struggle to forsake the consequences of their creation. The author expresses changes in the pearl that can distinguish as opportunity, greed, and destruction. Upon unearthing the magnificent pearl, it is seemingly an object of hope.
... at a high price. For instance, by buying a rifle, Kino can show that he has the same goods that the rich have, and so could limit the difference between the two social classes (Johnson 184). However, Kino and Juana have one main dream, and that is to give Coyotito an education. This is important at that time because it would remove the family’s ignorance, and Coyotito would be able to survive in the changing world using that knowledge (Johnson 184).
This leads to change and, eventually, downfall. Before he finds the pearl, Kino “was a well-liked man” (43), and adored by all of his neighbors. Everyone looked up to his kindness and sympathy, but when he finds the Pearl, he changes. The pearl takes control over him, and he becomes too obsessed with getting his money. He loses his many things over it: “now it is my misfortune and my life and I will keep it” (66). The neighbors even suspect, “‘what a pity it would be if the pearl should destroy them all.’” (43) For example, KIno loses his family when he tries to protect the pearl and defies the pearl buying system, and when he mishandles Juana. Loisng his canoe symbolizes thi sloss of his family. He also loses his sanity. he beats Juana and kills four men. He “‘killed a man’” (61) and joins in many fights. For greed, he turns down the salesman`s offer for the pearl and ends with nothing left. Kino has the chance to take the money offered to him and be done, but he is greedy and he wants more. Then, at the end of the book, Kino throws the pearl into the sea, and with it, all the money he could possibly gain. He also lets the doctor treat Coyotito, even with his doubts, and now can not pay him because the pearl is his payment method, which is now gone. He thinks his money is secure, and in his mind, he is a rich man. This is not necessarily true, as readers learn, and because he was so secure, he must now pay for unnecessary
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.