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Essay on Symbolism in the Pearl by John Steinbeck
Analysis of the Pearl by John Steinbeck
The pearl by Steinbeck essay
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Appearance vs. Reality is one out of the several themes John Steinbeck consolidates in the novella, The Pearl. It is a parable that teaches ones moral by incorporating human characters. Where as in The Pearl, it illustrates the life of a poor Native Indian name Kino and his dramatic life change after the founding of The Pearl of the World and the message is to tell people that greed and avarice can devastate ones destiny. There are numerous elements which concerns the different view points of the presence versus existence throughout the story.
To begin, one of the perfect examples from novella is the pearl itself. It starts to appear in the story as something precious and valuable and everyone wants to have possess of it. While as in reality, it has deform the lives of people. “..the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence. It was as large as a sea gull’s egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world.” (19) The pearl gave Kino hopes at first, to be marry at the church, dress in new refine clothings, buy new har...
The Monroe Doctrine reflected the concerns and ambitions of a fledgling nation that was brave enough to declare its sovereignty on the world stage. The Doctrine, in stating that European powers ought not to intervene in America’s affairs, established the US as a world power, although one that had inadequate, hemispheric aspirations. However, these aspirations would extend, and in future years the Doctrine would substantiate its usefulness for interventionists, as well as protectionists. Being conceivably the most distinguishable and the most revered as regards principles of diplomacy, the doctrine’s influence on the popular imagination was so great that it described the limits of standard decisions on policy, in turn influencing the choice of preferences that US Presidents had for most of the last two centuries.
Primarily, the United States foreign policy behind the Monroe Doctrine was introduced by President James Monroe in the midst of many Latin American countries gaining their independence from Spain. The doctrine stated that attempts by European countries to colonize or interfere with states in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as acts of aggression and U.S. intervention would be necessary. The Monroe Doctrine set the precedent for various foreign policies that would result in U.S. involvement in Latin America.
Another interesting aspect the reader might recognize in these stories is the theme of acceptance and integration to something either known or unknown to them. Most of these stories deal with having to change who they are or what they would become like Nilsa, the boy, and others, they have all had to choose what they wanted for there life and accept the fact that if they did not take serious measures they would not be integrated into society prosperously.
The Monroe Doctrine was delivered to the Congress by President James Monroe on December 1823. The Monroe Doctrine helped the United States make sure that they had no interference with the western expansion. The Doctrine was a statement that the American continents were free from future colonization by any European powers. which means that the United States would not interfere in Europe 's affairs, and Europe would not interfere in American affairs. The Monroe Doctrine was the final stage and the framework for our freedom and independence. The Monroe Doctrine was the closest to Manifest Destiny would come to
...the United States from the minute it was written and will most likely continue to adhere to U.S. foreign policy. Although the Monroe Doctrine is not a law, the Presidents of both the past and the future have and will continue to use it when making decisions that will in turn alter Americans lives.
This address set forth an American written policy on European intervention in the Western Hemisphere, and would soon become one of the foundations of United States policy in Latin America (Allison). President James Monroe made this declaration in his seventh annual address to the Congress of the United States on December 2, 1823. The Monroe Doctrine affirmed the two main policies of non-colonization and non-intervention (Monroe). These notable declarations asserted that European nations could no longer colonize the American continents, and that they should not interfere with the newly independent Spanish American republics (Bolivar). Monroe specifically warned European powers against attempting to impose a monarchy on independent American nations but added that the United States would not interfere in existing European colonies or in Europe itself (Monroe). Previous presidents, especially Thomas Jefferson, had vaguely hinted at these practices influencing Monroe’s decision (Jefferson). By separating Europe from American nations, Monroe was trying to preserve the existence of a distinct Western Hemisphere, and more specifically the United States’ interests in it (Monroe to Jefferson). He opposed the European political system of monarchy believing that no American nation should adopt it, and felt that its presence anywhere in the Western Hemisphere endangered the peace and safety of the still young United States. He also believed that the United States, alone, should complete the colonization of North America and that European nations in North American would restrict it (Erikson). Despite his strong assertions, however, Monroe did not suggest any means to assure the policy, and he knew the United States could not ensure it alone, so the debate of rallying for British support became a great debate Monroe’s
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'.
On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe articulated his seventh annual message to Congress. This message presented Americans with a statement that changed the way the Western Hemisphere would be view and how international affairs toward the new Latin colonies would be handle from this point forward. It addressed European nations in particular and stated that “the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet nations” The Monroe Doctrine was initially designed to protect the Latin colonies but later President Theodore Roosevelt extended the Doctrine to include the United States would be the policing powers of the Western Hemisphere, this became known as the Roosevelt Corollary. Roosevelt stated that the United States had a “morale mandate” to ensure that other nations used appropriate attitudes toward Latin America. Roosevelt felt strongly in about the conduct of other nations and further stated: “It is not that the United States feels and land hunger or entertains any projects as regards the other nations of the Western Hemisphere save such as are for their welfare. All that this country desires is to see the neighboring countries stable, orderly, and prosperous. Any country whose people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship. If a nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters, if it keeps order and pays its obligations, it need fear no interference from the United States. Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the U...
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is the main character who commits the sin of adultery and bears a child. Most readers pay attention to Hester because of her sinful act and the hardships she endures. Her hardships are very important, but the fact about how her daughter, Pearl, has to go through them with her is also crucial to the story’s plot. Pearl is a very complex and important aspect to the story. Even though her mother committed a sinful act of adultery, Pearl still looks up to her mother with love and grace. Pearl recognizes characters and their significance in her and her mother’s life. There are some points in the story where Pearl is considered a child of the Devil simply because she is the result of a sin. Pearl continuously finds ways to defy the image of being an evil child. Throughout the story, Pearl illustrates an “elf-like” intelligence and a maturity that children do not normally have. Pearl gives her mother the hope she needs to carry on in her life with her head held high and the ability to wear the scarlet letter, “A”, with confidence.
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.
One of the first foreign policies in the twentieth century was the Roosevelt Corollary. This policy asserted U.S. authority to intervene in the affairs of Latin American nations; an expansion of the Monroe Doctrine. Also known as the cornerstone of American foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine was the first time the United States had declared their own foreign policy without following the foreign policies of other countries. The doctrine declared that we (the United States) “are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European power” (Out of Many Pg. 765), meaning the Western Hemisphere was to be closed off to further European colonization and that the U.S. would not interfere in the internal affair of European nations. The Roosevelt Corollary, however, was an amendment stating that the United States of America was the superior culture, and Roosevelt wanted to spread value and influence in Latin America and keep the Europeans out. President Roosevelt was very fond of the West African proverb, “Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far.” Throughout his presidency and the Roosevelt Corollary, the president used the “big st...
The foreign policy that bears Monroe’s name, perhaps the most enduring to represent his legacies. It wasn’t known as the “Monroe Doctrine” until 30 years after the delivery. At the congress annual message in 1823, Monroe warned Europe and the rest of the world, to stay out of America's acquisition. The message holds a strong statement and is not to take lightly, it was the early U.S. policy.
The Scarlet letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The plot focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, has an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale, which means they are adulterers and sinners. As a result, Pearl is born and Hester is forced to where the scarlet letter. Pearl is a unique character. She is Hester’s human form of her scarlet letter, which constantly reminds her of her sin, yet at the same time, Pearl is a blessing to have since she represents the passion that Hester once had.
If you were given a million dollars, what would you do? Spend it in a short amount of time? Or save it responsibly for the future? Many would say the latter, confident that they will accomplish that. But for a few, it doesn’t turn out that way. In the book, The Pearl, a family, Kino, Juana and their child, Coyotito, go through various hardships after they have found a pearl, eventually losing everything they had loved. With three examples from the novel, I will explain what the pearl in the book symbolizes.
The pearl in The Pearl by John Steinbeck shows traits of the characters in their worst moments, but the pearl mostly showed the trait “greed” in Kino because of how his life was before he almost got wealthy. The greed and coveting overtook his mind and personality and changed him who he was as a person. The author showed this throughout the book in many different ways. Steinbeck uses the symbol of the pearl to show the power of greed through Kino’s constant list of desires, his hunger for money, and his constant violence.