the pearl john steinbeck book review

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by John Steinbeck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 24, 1947

Steinbeck's peculiarly intense simplicity of technique is admirably displayed in this vignette — a simple, tragic tale of Mexican little people, a story retold by the pearl divers of a fishing hamlet until it has the quality of folk legend. A young couple content with the humble living allowed them by the syndicate which controls the sale of the mediocre pearls ordinarily found, find their happiness shattered when their baby boy is stung by a scorpion. They dare brave the terrors of a foreign doctor, only to be turned away when all they can offer in payment is spurned. Then comes the miracle. Kino find a great pearl. The future looks bright again. The baby is responding to the treatment his mother had given. But with the pearl, evil enters the hearts of men:- ambition beyond his station emboldens Kino to turn down the price offered by the dealers- he determines to go to the capital for a better market; the doctor, hearing of the pearl, plants the seed of doubt and superstition, endangering the child's life, so that he may get his rake-off; the neighbors and the strangers turn against Kino, burn his hut, ransack his premises, attack him in the dark — and when he kills, in defense, trail him to the mountain hiding place- and kill the child. Then- and then only- does he concede defeat. In sorrow and humility, he returns with his Juana to the ways of his people; the pearl is thrown into the sea.... A parable, this, with no attempt to add to its simple pattern.

Pub Date: Nov. 24, 1947

ISBN: 0140187383

Page Count: 132

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1947

GENERAL FICTION

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A LITTLE LIFE

by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.

Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.  

Pub Date: March 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8

Page Count: 720

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015

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by Hanya Yanagihara

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PERSPECTIVES

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

by J.D. Salinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1951

A strict report, worthy of sympathy.

A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen ) has a compulsive impact.

"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….

Pub Date: June 15, 1951

ISBN: 0316769177

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951

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by J.D. Salinger

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• Common Sense Says
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Common Sense Media Review

Beautiful folk tale explores good and evil in human nature.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Pearl is Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck's interpretation of a Mexican folk story in which a poor pearl diver's life is changed by the discovery of a very large gem. This short novel makes an excellent introduction to literary criticism, as the author's use of symbolism…

Why Age 12+?

The story centers on Kino's discovery of the precious pearl and his efforts to s

Thieves attack and try to rob Kino a number of times in The Pearl, and he strike

Any Positive Content?

The Pearl is based on a Mexican folk tale that the author first heard around 194

In the novel, the pearl itself symbolizes man's nature -- his propensity toward

Though the story suggests that Kino is tempting fate by trying to better his fam

Products & Purchases

The story centers on Kino's discovery of the precious pearl and his efforts to sell it in hopes of bettering his family. The Pearl is full of thieves, cheats, and violence, all surrounding the money that an entire community imagines to be attached to the pearl.

Violence & Scariness

Thieves attack and try to rob Kino a number of times in The Pearl , and he strikes back violently. The author describes Kino stabbing and killing a robber, and much more violence involving knives and guns occurs later when trackers pursue Kino and his family into the mountains.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Educational Value

The Pearl is based on a Mexican folk tale that the author first heard around 1940. Though it creates a well-formed, fictional world of poor pearl divers living on corncakes and beans in brush huts in Baja, California, it is foremost meant as a parable for human nature, for good or bad. As a teaching tool, The Pearl , makes an excellent introduction to literary analysis, as middle- and high school-aged students can easily understand what the pearl comes to represent for Kino and his family.

Positive Messages

In the novel, the pearl itself symbolizes man's nature -- his propensity toward greed, and the struggle between good and evil. The moral of this retold folk tale seems to say that no good can come from man's desire for money or even from a desire to change his lot in life. It's a dubious, and some would say un-American message, but even so, Kino and Juana's love for one another is beautiful and just as valuable as the pearl.

Positive Role Models

Though the story suggests that Kino is tempting fate by trying to better his family, he is a loving, devoted husband and father, and Juana is a wonderful wife and mother. The relationship between husband and wife is thoroughly unmodern, but their love for each other and for their son, Cayotito, is a beautiful thing.

Parents need to know that The Pearl is Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck's interpretation of a Mexican folk story in which a poor pearl diver's life is changed by the discovery of a very large gem. This short novel makes an excellent introduction to literary criticism, as the author's use of symbolism is fairly simple for teen readers to analyze and understand. However, the message put forth by the book -- that man invites evil by trying to better his situation -- invites a lot of questions. Also, gender roles in the book are very old-fashioned, as the story offers a portrayal of poor, uneducated Mexican people as simple folk who live unquestioningly, as generations before them have lived.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say (6)
• Kids say (23)

Based on 6 parent reviews

Great book but not for every audience or teacher

Brandon's review, what's the story.

A pearl diver named Kino and his wife, Juana, live with their only child, Cayotito, in a brush hut near the sea in Baja, California. Cayotito becomes ill, but Kino and Juana do not have the money to pay for a doctor's care. Kino prays that he will find a pearl large enough to exchange for the money to get Cayotito the help he needs. When he finds the \"pearl of the world,\" however, evil forces threaten him and his precious family.

Is It Any Good?

Steinbeck's retelling of this Mexican folk tale, The Pearl , is beautiful and lyrical. The author uses evocative language to describe Kino's world and his emotional journey. In this novel, every feeling and every important part of Kino and Juana's world has a "song" that the characters "sing" to each other and hear in their hearts -- the song of evil, the song of family, the song of hope. It's a simple story, told with power and poetry by one of America's all-time greatest novelists.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the moral suggested by The Pearl -- that a man lets evil in by trying to change his life. Was Kino wrong to keep the pearl? Is Kino a good man? What, if anything, should he have done differently?

What does the pearl represent in the book?

Gender roles in The Pearl are very old fashioned, with Juana baking corncakes and tending Cayotito while Kino dives for pearls. How do you feel about the husband/wife relationship here?

Why do you think this book is considered a classic, and why do you think it's required reading for so many students?

Book Details

• Author : John Steinbeck
• Genre : Folklore
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Penguin Group
• Publication date : February 28, 1993
• Number of pages : 96
• Last updated : June 11, 2015

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What to read next.

Of Mice and Men

The Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck's Ghost

Classic books for kids.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck, a Book Review

Initial thoughts on the pearl by john steinbeck, the pearl i first read the pearl in high school in jamaica. while learning high speed learning taught by lydia danner she used this book for us to read and tested on. since that time, i've read the pearl again., first published in 1947, the pearl is a novella written by john steinbeck, an american author. other well-known books by john steinbeck include the grapes of wrath , of mice and men , and east of eden ., continuous learning is a part of life. if you’re not a reader, you can find a synopsis of many books from readitforme that you can listen to. click the link to join. this is a great way to learn the latest thinking on many topics. and it is a great way to learn which books to buy and devour..

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SummaReview – Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

What is The Pearl by John Steinbeck About?

In  The Pearl  by  John Steinbeck , the strong imagery brings the story to life, and the reader is able to foreshadow.

“It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives the luck away. You must want it just enough, and you must be very tactful with God or the gods. But Juana stopped breathing.”

Juana starts praying because she doesn’t want her son, which is her firstborn, to die. But instead of praying for healing, she prays that they will find a pearl so that they may hire the doctor to cure her baby. In the mean time, she makes a poultice of sea weed and applies to the sting. Kino takes his most prized possession, his canoe, and they go out to sea, hoping to find a “pearl” valuable enough to solve their problem.

While searching underwater for oysters that may contain the “pearl”, Kino spots,

“a very large oyster living by itself, not covered with its clinging brothers. The shell was partly open, for the overhang protected this ancient oyster, and in the lip-like muscle Kino saw a ghostly gleam, and then the shell closed down. His heart beat out a heavy rhythm and the melody of the maybe pearl shrilled in his ears….Slowly he forced the oyster loose and held it tightly against his breast.”

Kino returns to the surface of the water and goes into his canoe, and with prodding from his wife, he opens up the oyster shell and discovers,

“The great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence. [And] it was as large as a seagull’s egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world.”

Before Juana and Kino return to the town, everyone has already learned about their good fortune. All the vendors are thinking of wares to sell them and others are thinking of what they can get from them. The two naively believe that others will share in their joy, but most people are envious and wish them harm. The doctor who previously refused to examine Coyotito comes to their shack telling them that he was away when they had come to see him earlier in the day.

Several attempts are made to steal the pearl, and when Kino tries to sell it, the pearl buyers try to cheat him. Kino decides to go into the Capital to sell the pearl there. His decision goes against the grain because his people have never stood up to the oppressors.

Since Kino found the pearl, it appears that evil is following him. To break the circle of evil, Juana tries to throw away the precious stone but Kino follows her and takes it from her. He also hits and kicks her violently for going against his wishes. Moments later, he is attacked and in the struggle he kills someone.

They leave the only home they have ever known, but are followed by three trackers. They never seem to get a break, and in the end, Kino kills the trackers and accidentally kills his son Coyotito. Juana and Kino return with a heavy heart, and great sadness, and he tosses the pearl back into the sea.

As I mentioned before, I first read The Pearl by John Steinbeck while I was in high school. But I forgot most of the story. The story left a big hole in my heart. What struck me is that instead of asking for healing for Coyotito, Juana asks that they find a pearl. When her wish is granted, she doen’t give thanks for her good fortune. Kino changes after he finds the pearl, and his heart hardens, and that is also shown in the way he starts to treat the puppy.

The natives in Kino’s community are a very superstitious people, and Steinbeck does a good job of showing us. Now that he has the pearl, Kino is very fearful and it’s very poignant that Juana asks him who he fears, and he responds everyone. If you expect bad things to happen to you, that’s exactly what will occur – a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I felt great sorrow for Juana and Kino because all they wanted was a better life for their family. When his brother, Juan Tomas asks him what he will do now that he is a rich man, Kino asks for things we take for granted. Things such as laced up shoes, education for his son, to get married to Juana and some new clothes. Kino recognizes that education and the ability to read, gives more options and that’s what he wanted for Coyotito.

A significant aspect in the story is that Kino does not think of his community. And how he might improve the lives of others. All he is thinking about is how he can improve the life of his family. The biggest themes in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl   are greed as a destructive force and the oppression of native peoples. The nature imagery captivates the reader, and adds credence to the story.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck (Full Movie)

Final Thoughts on The Pearl by John Steinbeck

I recommend The Pearl  by John Steinbeck because it’s another timeless classic that is still relevant today with deep lessons. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. If you enjoyed this post, please share it.

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About the Author  Avil Beckford

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Book review: “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck

On the very first page of The Pearl , John Steinbeck signals that this short, tense novel is a parable. 

In the context of the story, he explains that it is a story told often by generations of local people. 

“And, as with all retold tales that are in people’s hearts, there are only good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and no in-between anywhere.”

In other words, the story of Kino, Juana and their baby Coyotito is, like the Jesus parable of the Good Samaritan or his one about the Pharisee and the Publican, shorn of realism.  It is a fable that has a lesson. 

Sometimes, the lesson of a Jesus’s parable is clear; other times, it isn’t.  Steinbeck writes of The Pearl that “perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it.”

The Pearl of the World

The 30-000- word story of The Pearl is clear enough.  Kino, the fisherman in the Mexican town of La Paz (Peace) on Baja California, along the Gulf of California, one day dives and finds a great and beautiful pearl — the Pearl of the World.

This happens the day after Coyotito has been stung by a scorpion and the poison is spreading through his small body.  So, the pearl seems a great boon.  It is enough to get the doctor who usually ignores poor families such as Kino’s to come out twice to see the baby — certainly with the expectation of a rich payment from the proceeds of the family’s sale of the pearl.

Kino dreams of buying a real house and a rifle for himself, and of paying the priest to marry Juana and him and to baptize Coyotito, and of sending the boy to school so he can escape the life that Kino and his forebears have lived for centuries.

“Out in the estuary a tight woven school of small fishes glittered and broke water to escape a school of great fishes that drove in to eat them.  And in the houses the people could hear the swish of the small ones and the bouncing splash of the great ones as the slaughter went on.”

“Like a sin!”

With the doctor’s ministrations, Coyotito is out of danger.  But, that night, in the deep dark of the couple’s hut, someone sneaks in to try to steal the pearl.  Kino drives the intruder away, drawing blood with his fishing knife but suffering a bruised forehead.  Once she knows Kino is alright, Juana boils over:

“This thing is evil.  This pearl is like a sin!  It will destroy us.  Throw it away, Kino.  Let us break it between stones.  Let us bury it and forget the place.  Let us throw it back into the sea.  It has brought evil.  Kino, my husband, it will destroy us.”

After this, the pearl becomes a magnet for violence, greed and pain.  The story of the Pearl of the World becomes a tragedy for Kino, Juana and Coyotito.

The lesson?

And what is the lesson?

Is it that the pearl was evil because it led Kino to think above his station?  I don’t think so.  The bad things that happen aren’t any doing of his.

Is it that the pearl was evil because it incited covetousness in Kino’s neighbors?  Not at all, none of those neighbors was involved in the efforts to take the pearl away from Kino.

Is it that the pearl was evil because the middle-class and rich — who, in the usual way of things and of La Paz, lord it over poor people such as Kino and think of them and treat them as animals — lusted for the richness that the pearl would bring?

Now we’re onto something.

In a society of such stark inequality — in other words, in a society like modern-day America — those with power and riches lust for even more.  Those who are poor and unsophisticated are easy prey.

Can a reader of The Pearl imagine this story in a modern-America setting? 

I think it would be very easy to imagine.

Patrick T. Reardon

Written by : Patrick T. Reardon

For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.

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Readers' High Tea

Based in Romania, reading all over the world. Mostly fiction, some memoires and a little bit of poetry.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck (book review) – exploring human nature and greed

Most times I venture myself into reading fairly long books, with many characters and complex plots. At one point I was asking myself: why don’t I read smaller books? Is it because I don’t hear much about them? Or maybe I just avoid buying them, thinking they’re not interesting enough? With these questions in mind, I picked up “The Pearl”, a 90-page book written by John Steinbeck.

The Pearl is a short novel (also called novella) that explores human nature and greed, “ a haunting and timeless tale of the dangers of unexpected wealth ” ( Penguin.co.uk ). Being first published in 1947, the story is considered to be one of Steinbeck’s most popular books and has been widely used in high school classes in the US.

The Pearl in a nutshell

The touching novella tells the story of Kino, an Indian pearl diver, who was living together with his wife Juana and their newborn son Coyotito. One day, the very poor family was “blessed” when Kino discovered a very valuable and beautiful pearl, called by the others “the Pearl of the World”. The pearl was seen by Kino as a way of escaping from their simple and poor life, bringing social status and access to knowledge.

As a consequence of having the pearl, the whole family went through life-changing events that in the end led to the conclusion that wealth does not only bring potential happiness but also troubles in one’s life.

Songs as cultural element

I enjoyed the rapid pace of the story and the explicit way of portraying the characters with respect to the main element of the story – the pearl. Another interesting aspect was that internal “songs” were used as a metaphor for feelings and instinct. Kino was hearing different types of songs – songs of evil, songs of the family, and others – depending on the situation he was facing. These songs were always in the background of the story, anticipating the coming events.

Inspiration from Mexican folk tale

After I finished reading the book I found out that Steinbeck was inspired by a Mexican folk tale from La Paz – Baja California Sur (Mexico). He first began writing the story as a movie script, which the author turned into a short story called “The Pearl of the World”, published in an American magazine in 1945. Steinbeck expanded the story to the length of a novella and, two years later from the first publication, the novella was published under the name of “The Pearl”. The movie inspired by the first version was released as a co-promotion with the book itself.

To conclude, I think “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck is a good example to showcase that short books can offer valuable life lessons, despite the limited number of pages. What comes to my mind when I think about “The Pearl” is a Romanian quote saying “ strong essences are held in small bottles “.

If you’re curious how the book’s covers are illustrated around the world, check out this post:  Book covers around the world: The Pearl by John Steinbeck .

How about you, do you usually read short books? I am looking forward to hearing your recommendations!

If you would like to buy books or other (non)bookish things, please consider using one of these links: Amazon | Waterstones | Carturesti . Thank you!

‘Till next time … happy reading!

Images from overdrive.com | theplanetd.com

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• About the Book

In this short book illuminated by a deep understanding and love of humanity, John Steinbeck retells an old Mexican folk tale: the story of the great pearl, how it was found, and how it was lost. For the diver Kino, finding a magnificent pearl means the promise of a better life for his impoverished family. His dream blinds him to the greed and suspicions the pearl arouses in him and his neighbors, and even his loving wife cannot temper his obsession or stem the events leading to the tragedy.

For Steinbeck, Kino and his wife illustrate the fall from innocence of people who believe that wealth erases all problems. Originally published in 1947, THE PEARL shows why Steinbeck’s style has made him one of the most beloved American writers: it is a simple story of simple people, recounted with the warmth and sincerity and unrivaled craftsmanship Steinbeck brings to his writing. It is tragedy in the great tradition, beautifully conveying not despair but hope for mankind.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

• Publication Date: January 8, 2002
• Genres: Fiction
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• ISBN-10: 0142000698
• ISBN-13: 9780142000694

Book Review: The Pearl by John Steinbeck (1947)

The Pearl by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck begins with one of the most picturesque, idyllic scenes in literature: a pearl diver, Kino, awaking at dawn, gazing lovingly at his wife Juana and their baby son Coyotito, listening to the sounds of the sea. The reader can, then, perhaps catch a glimpse of the “music of the family”, a melody that flows through the harmonious landscape, a melody that constitutes Kino’s peaceful life before the pearl.

Everything begins when Kino and Juana see a scorpion crawl down into Coyotito’s hanging box. Desperate to save their baby by obtaining money to pay the doctor, Kino happens to find a great treasure in an oyster underwater. Kino then begins to hear the “music of the pearl”. Although alluring and happy at first, it is slowly merged with the “music of evil” as things start spiraling downward. Violence, hatred, and deceit enter his simple life, all rooted in greed. About halfway through the novella, it is already clear that Kino has lost more than what he can regain with the pearl. Yet what is it inside humans, represented by Kino, that spurs them to keep going, in pursuit of something luring and foreign that has cost them so much already?

The ability to be content, the ability to restrain oneself in the possibility of more wealth, is incredibly difficult to gain. It is in human nature to constantly seek more, a desire depicted beautifully through the story of Kino and his family. It was alarming to witness the speed at which the young man’s life fell apart, as he clung to the dreams that the pearl reflected for him, trying to convince himself that the pearl could help him gain back happiness.

Steinbeck’s writing had a way of drawing me into Kino’s life, thus inciting emotions such as terror and grief as that life was slowly and sweetly destroyed by the pearl. To make this effect even stronger, after you read the final page, go back and read the first page of the novel again. In terms of the scenery, it is really not different. But everything else has changed. Simply yet powerfully written, The Pearl is a novella deserving of all its accolades, full of symbolic and haunting warning against the darkness of human nature.

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FictionFan's Book Reviews

Reviews of books…and occasional other stuff., the pearl by john steinbeck, abandon hope….

OK, Steinbeck writes beautiful prose, I grant you. But oh my, he’s depressing! He’s the kind of guy that would look at a birthday cake and see it as a symbol of encroaching mortality. The only good people in Steinbeck’s world are the poor and ignorant. Give them wealth or knowledge and they are instantly corrupted by the evils of discontent and greed. I’m not sure what exactly his political philosophy was. It’s always suggested that he leaned, at least, towards communism, but (I speak of the philosophy, not the actuality, here) communism is exactly about trying to lift the poor out of poverty and ignorance. In this bleak little story, I’m guessing he’s maybe trying to say capitalism is A Bad Thing, but it comes over more as if we should all just stay wallowing in our ancestral dirt since any attempt to rise out of it will inevitably lead to tragedy. As I say, depressing – the kind of antithesis of the American Dream.

In length, it falls somewhere between short story and novella, but the limited number of characters means there’s plenty of time for us to grow to care about what happens to the little family, while the simplicity of the fable-like story allows Steinbeck room to play to his major strength, of describing nature and man’s place in it in with great beauty and emotional resonance. In a very short space, he creates a clear picture of the lives of the villagers, largely unchanged for centuries, but with the modern capitalist world encroaching ever nearer. We see the bottled up resentment of these peasants, victims of wave after wave of invaders, each out to exploit. We see the outward deference that forms a thin veneer over their feelings of helplessness and bitterness. And we see how easily one event can break that veneer, releasing all the pent-up hostility of the oppressed for their oppressors.

I don’t exactly know why Steinbeck always annoys me so much. I always say it’s because he’s emotionally manipulative and I realise the vagueness of that, because of course all fiction writers hope to manipulate their readers’ emotions to some degree. I think it’s that he treats his characters so cruelly to create that emotional wrench. If they have a flash of joy, you know they’ll quickly learn to bitterly regret it. If they have momentary hope in their heart, they will soon be forced back to their natural despair. If they feel love, then you can be about 99% certain the object of that love will die, horribly. Dead dog syndrome taken to extremes, and somehow it all leaves me feeling angry and a bit soiled.

Despite that, I admire his prose, and I find it fascinating that such an anti-capitalist should be so revered in America, a country that, when it judges a man’s worth, is more likely to be considering his bank balance than the content of his character. A country where “socialist” is seen as the vilest insult you can hurl at someone, and yet Steinbeck is taught in schools. Why, I wonder? And I wonder too how much Steinbeck’s utterly joyless depiction of the apparent pointlessness of attempting to seek a better life for oneself and one’s family plays subconsciously into the American distaste for socialism. Just once, I’d like to see one of his characters succeed in improving their lot – not to become a fancy billionaire President with three wives and a porn-star mistress, perhaps; we can’t all achieve the American Dream – but to have a child grow up healthy and happy and educated and able to lead a productive, moral life. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, in Steinbeck’s grim view of the human condition, it is.

A great writer I wish I could love more, but I fear our view of the world is too different for that to ever happen. I shall continue to drink from my half-full glass while Steinbeck and his poor characters die agonisingly of thirst. East of Eden next. Must make sure I get in extra chocolate supplies…

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60 thoughts on “ the pearl by john steinbeck ”.

I read this decades ago and it is really only a feeling of sadness and loss of hope that remains in my memory, and of unfulfilled beauty. Sometimes sad times are rich reading because they honour and even uplift the depth of human experience, but here it’s more a sense of punishment for over reaching.

Yes, that’s it exactly! I do believe there’s a lot of bad in the world but I also believe there’s good, and I just wish Steinbeck would show that occasionally too, even if he still wants to go for a tragic ending. It’s the grinding hopelessness of it all that irritates me – hope is such an essential part of what it is to be human. Grrr! He makes me angry! 😉

If I’d read your review before reading The Pearl recently I might not have bothered! You’re right in calling Steinbeck a glass half empty sort of fellow. Life is hard and then you die. Might need some chocolate now…

Hahaha – yeah, I bet he was no fun at parties! I just want his characters to have a little bit of fun occasionally, or have some random good thing happen to them without it then being snatched immediately away. I feel characters should form a union so they can go on strike when authors treat them this badly…

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That’s such a funny idea! I’ve read a few books/short stories recently where the characters have been aware they are fictional and in one case, that they were stereotypes, but none of them thought of forming a union 😂

I suspect there’s an alternative universe where all the characters have banded together and are plotting revenge… 😱

I’ve not read Steinbeck for years and I should definitely get back to him, but I do remember having the reservations you mention. Such a powerful writer, but although I like his work I can’t adore it.

I do love his prose, but not his attitude to life. If it really was all as hopelessly miserable as he paints it, what would be the point? Even in tragedies I like their to be bit of hope and a bit of kindness along the way…

I think I’ll pass on this one…and just have the extra chocolate 😁

Hahaha! A wise decision! 😀

I don’t think I’ve read any of his short fiction, and only a couple of his novels. I can cope with misery in short fiction, so this sounds tempting. Nice review. Hope you’ve got quality chocolate in to accompany the novel.

I still haven’t read a lot of his stuff, mainly because it makes me so angry! Certainly the prose compensates for some of the misery, so it’s worth reading – hope you enjoy it if you give in to temptation! Hahaha – I think for East of Eden I’ll need to buy in bulk… 😉

I know what you mean, FictionFan, about Steinbeck’s way of writing without much hope. Optimism and a positive outlook are not really a part of his stories, are they? And, yet, he writes so effectively, so that you get drawn into it all. For me, that’s his greatest strength. And I do like the way he develops characters. That said, though he’s not one you read for uplifting stories…

Ha! No, I don’t imagine he was always looking on the bright side of life! I do love his prose and he’s a great storyteller, but oh, I wish he didn’t make everything seem so bleak! There’s lots of badness and misery in the world, of course, but there’s surely also goodness and occasional moments of joy. Grrr! He makes me so angry! He’s so lucky he’s already dead… 😉

I’ve never quite been able to completely warm to Steinbeck’s writing, probably for the reasons you have described here. I appreciate him intelectually, and find myself becoming invested in his characters, but there is a missing link somewhere which has so far prevented him from becoming one of my favorite writers. It is a while since I’ve read him though, so I might give this a try sometime. You have really made me think about emotional manipulation within writing. I think you are right, every author is doing this on some level, but are some perhaps more overt than others?

Yes, I love his prose – sometimes it’s truly sublime – and I always find his stuff very readable. But oh, he makes me so angry – he’s so horrible to his characters! I reckon characters ought to form a union so they can go on strike if authors treat them too badly. Maybe they could also sue for emotional trauma…

The only other author I can think of who had the same effect on me is Rohinton Mistry – I felt exactly the same about how he treated his characters to manipulate the reader’s emotions. I felt he used them like puppets rather than people, and again, found myself getting angry rather than heartbroken. He also killed a dog just to make us all feel worse – a fictional dog, of course! Grrr!

Lovely, thoughtful review, FF! I’d not thought of Steinbeck in quite that way before, but I can see your points. I’m surprised I don’t have a cat named Steinbeck! 😂 Wonderful review, my friend! I actually still need to read this book!

Oh no, don’t call a cat Steinbeck! It would end up grumpier than Grumpy Cat! 😉 Thank you! It’s definitely very readable despite my criticisms, so go ahead… but remember to stock up on chocolate first. You’ll need it…

😂 I love that! I do have a moody, brooding Hemingway though…….

Yeah, but at least when he gets moody, he can go to parties and get drunk with the lost generation… 😉

At least you made it through this book. Now I don’t have to, having read your review, 😉 Of Mice and Men was enough Steinbeck for me!

Of Mice and Men was the first one I read, ways back in school, and it had exactly the same effect on me as this one – great prose, heartbreaking story, and made me angry at how he treated his poor characters! I don’t think Steinbeck and I would have been friends… 😉

Is it possible to admire to admire ability and not appreciate the achievement? If so, that’s Steinbeck for me. Beautiful words, yet so depressing.

Yes, that’s exactly how I feel too. I think his prose is wonderful, but I can’t love him as much I’d like to – it’s so annoying! But maybe East of Eden will be the break-through… or maybe not! 😉

I was slightly scared when I saw you’d reviewed this – and with justification. Of course the review itself is up to your impeccably high standards, FF, but I am clinging desperately to my Steinbeck bubble, in which the beauty of his writing transcends the bleakness of his characters’ lives, and I just knew you would continue to chip away at that.. I continue to NOT read him despite saying how much I want to; I need to bite the bullet. One way or t’other, at least then I’ll know which side of the fence I sit. It’s painful perched here on the top of it 😣

Haha – I’m sorry! 😉 I must say that the majority of people do seem to find that the prose and characterisation transcends the misery, but he steps on my optimistic toes and I end up angry at him every time. Of course life is horrible and miserable and bleak and awful… but not all the time!! Sometimes it’s fun or contented or even just dull! If there is no hope, can there really be despair?? Grrr… where’s the chocolate…?? 😉

I remember reading East of Eden, and I fear your impression of Mr. S. won’t be changing much. Still, he does have a way of wringing emotion out of a story and that, I suppose, is what we consider valuable. But gee, kicking the poor and downtrodden when they’re already suffering feels like overkill to me. I’m voting for LOTS of chocolate!

Hahaha – oh dear, I can’t say I’m surprised! His prose is wonderful and he’s excellent at describing misery, but can’t his poor characters be allowed just a little bit of hope occasionally? Or even fun?? I think I’m going to have to get the chocolate delivered in bulk… 😉

I feel sure I read Steinbeck in school at some point (Of Mice and Men, maybe?), but I know I never read this one. I don’t think I’ve even seen any film adaptations of his work. I read depressing stuff when I need to (for book club) and usually am glad I did in the long run, but I’m just not up for anything like this right now. Have you read any Wallace Stegner?

I read Of Mice and Men at school and felt exactly the same way about it as about this one – loved the prose, broke my heart over the characters, got angry at Steinbeck! There ought to be a law against character abuse, I think… 😉 I tried to watch the film of The Grapes of Wrath but it just had all the misery with none of the beautiful prose, so I didn’t make it through the whole thing. No, I haven’t heard of him. Is he good? Is he… miserable? 😉

We read Big Rock Candy Mountain in our book club and from what I know about The Grapes of Wrath, would liken the two. Another Stegner that many tout (and I have sitting in my TBR pile) is Angle of Repose. In answer to your question… miserable. 🙄 Angle of Repose might conveniently get buried in said pile.

I’ve had a little look at the blurbs and they do sound a bit Steinbeck-ish. Haha – I don’t know that I could take more misery till I’ve recovered from this one, but I’ll bear him in mind then for the next time I’m feeling too happy… 😉

Haha, I like the birthday cake analogy! I don’t mind reading depressing books though and your mixed review hasn’t discouraged me from reading more Steinbeck.

Having worked in a world, where money are plentiful, I can confirm that people are greedy and easily get corrupted. 🙁 Of course that can hardly be blamed on capitalism, you see corruption under communism as well. I have also traveled in many poor and relatively uneducated countries, on balance I don’t see their moral standards being any better or worse.

Ooops, sorry, now I sound as negative as Steinbeck, actually I am a quite positive person. But I don’t suffer any false illusions about the human species…

Haha! I had this vision of me clapping my hands and saying “Yay! Chocolate frosting!” and Steinbeck, in a voice like Eeyore’s, replying “One year nearer the tomb…” 😉 I do love his prose and can quite see why other people love him but I fear he makes me so angry!

Yes, all agreed. BUT… there are also people who are generous and kind, and make sacrifices to help others. And there’s laughter and joy sometimes… and hope!! I do hate the idea that all rich people are automatically bad and all poor people are good – I reckon people are more complicated than that, whatever political system they live under. Thank goodness! I don’t take an overly rosy view of life generally speaking, but Steinbeck’s so pessimistic he brings out my inner optimist as a kind of protest…

Steinbeck’s subjects and themes are about the down and out and marginalized and make for realistic reading, so I guess there is no hope for the optimist!

Too bad we don’t live closer, I bought some excellent chocolate yesterday 🙂

Oh, no, there’s always hope for the optimist!! Haha – I do agree he chooses subjects more suited to misery, but then does he have to make them even more miserable?? Grrrrr! 😉

Ooh, now I’m jealous! I do however have a chocolate doughnut awaiting my urgent attention… 🍩 😀

I may have mentioned this to you before, but since you’re so familiar with Steinbeck, if you ever get to California you must go to the Steinbeck Center. http://www.steinbeck.org/ It is in the heart of the area of many of the people and subjects he wrote about and they do a great job of telling the story of his life.

Oh, thank you! Unfortunately I doubt if I’ll ever go to California – I seem to be more and more reluctant to travel with each passing year – but I’ll enjoy having a look around the website, and maybe it will help me to appreciate him more! 😀

This was a book chosen for one of those One Read One Community things about 15 years ago and I HATED IT. For the unrelenting despair you mentioned. I did like East of Eden, so who knows? Hopefully you”ll get along better with that one.

Well, that’s good to hear – maybe East of Eden will be the one that finally lets me love him the way I’d like to! Yes, this one is utterly depressing and really, what’s the point of it? I don’t mind feeling bad for characters in a book, but I hate when it feels as if making me feel bad is the only point… Grrrr!! Where’s the chocolate??

I read this at school and it put me off reading anything else by Steinbeck for years! I did read East of Eden recently and loved it, though, so I’ll be interested to hear what you think of that one.

We were given Of Mice and Men at school, which I loved and hated at the same time and for the same reasons as this one – great prose, heartbreaking story, made me angry at Steinbeck for the way he made his characters suffer. That’s good – Laila also said she loved East of Eden, so maybe it’ll be the one that finally wins me over! 😀

I really liked all the Steinbeck books that I’ve read – until I got to The Pearl. I can’t imagine why he felt the need to do a rewrite on a traditional tale, which I’m sure is what he did.

I haven’t read much of his stuff yet – just Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath – but I must admit this one seemed depressing even for Steinbeck! I don’t know what he was trying to do, but he seemed to be saying that we might as well all give up and go jump off a cliff since there is no hope in the world… gah! I’d rather push him off a cliff… 😉

I definitely don’t enjoy reading books than have unremitting misery piled upon the characters (although for what it’s worth, I still remember reading this story in school unlike many other well known authors 🙂 – however I grew up knowing older family members who survived unremitting hardships in their early lives, where any good thing literally disappeared, overshadowed by everything else life threw at them. Hence I feel Steinbeck is portraying lives more like these, ones without benevolent social systems, which makes me at least respect his bleak books.

I know what you mean – even although he annoys me, I do find his characters unforgettable. It’s not so much that he portrays miserable lives that gets to me – I think it’s important to do that. It’s just that I think it’s very rare, even for people in real poverty and oppression, to never have any moments of joy or to have no gleam of hope. My father spent six years at war in his youth and while there were plenty of horrors he preferred not to talk about, he was happy to tell stories where funny things happened or where he had a good time with his army friends. I just always think Steinbeck only shows the bleak bits…

Well, I like Jean Rhys, Richard Yates and Kafka, so unremittingly bleak is OK with me. But yes, I have to admit that Steinbeck can be really hard going at times. I suppose he is showing the cruelty of a society with few if any safety nets, but I never thought of it in terms of emotional manipulation. I suppose it is, really. Maybe he was writing like that to make the public of his time more aware of the injustices?

I do think he always had a political agenda, but I always feel as if somehow he doesn’t offer any answers, or even hope. I’m not devoted to the idea of happy endings, but if there’s no possibility of one, then I find the tragedy seems lessened, if that makes any sense – if life is so unremittingly awful, is death really so bad? And I’d love him to show a rich person who’s good occasionally – there must be some… 😉

Really interesting questions about why Steinbeck is so revered. I happen to love his writing, but you’re right, there’s a socialist bent to it… maybe it’s ok in literature because it’s not “real”? I read The Pearl in junior high here in Canada and don’t recall if we touched on the political aspect.

It just seems so odd to me since the Americans are so anti-socialist – they almost seem to think of socialism and communism as being the same thing. Maybe because his books aren’t overtly pushing a socialist message? Although they’re definitely anti-capitalist, I’d say…

extra chocolate supplies are always a good thing! I’ve never read Steinbeck (yikes!) but I know what you mean, there are those particular writers who just can’t have happy characters, as soon as something good happens you know it’s going to get ugly soon. I think chocolate IS the only answer in those cases.

We were forced to read Of Mice and Men at school, but I never read anything else till very recently. He is a great writer, but too depressing for my taste. Bad things happen in the world, of course, but good things happen too!! Sometimes there just isn’t enough chocolate to compensate… 😉

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So I read this when Pearl was a baby because of her name and, yikes! I feel like it is one of his very bleakest stories (though I may have been extra sensitive). That is an interesting question as to why Steinbeck is so revered in a country that think socialism is a dirty word. I’ve never thought of him as a particularly socialist writer and he certainly isn’t taught as such in Canada. (Not like Orwell, for example.) I wonder how schools approach him in the US?

I haven’t read much of his stuff but yes, this was bleak even for him! Ha, I’m reading a book called Mother of Pearl at the moment, and every time I pick it up it reminds me of you… 😀 I know he was suspected of having communist leanings, but I don’t really see it in his writing either, though he’s definitely anti-capitalist. But Americans think anyone who feels people have a right to food or healthcare is basically a commie… 😉 It would be interesting to sit in on one of those classes…

I just discovered there is a new translation of a Middle English poem called Pearl and I feel like I should read it. But Mother of Pearl might even be better!

The Steinbeck book I read this year, Winter of Our Discontent, was interesting because it was much more capitalist leaning but also in a pretty negative way. At that point he seemed fairly resigned that capitalism ruled and everyone was at least a little terrible.

So far Mother of Pearl is excellent but I’ve been distracted by Britain’s political meltdown this week so haven’t been reading much!

I always wonder if he was that much of a misery in real life or if he turned into the life and soul of the party once he’d written his thousand words for the day… 😉

Wikipedia tells me he was also a war correspondent and married three times…so I’m concluding that he might have been a bit of a misery.

Hahaha! I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for him now… almost! 😉

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Themes and Analysis

By john steinbeck.

'The Pearl' by John Steinbeck is a short novel beautifully told in oratory style and laced with many lessons for readers and topics for critics.

Article written by Israel Njoku

Degree in M.C.M with focus on Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

‘ The Pearl ‘ by John Steinbeck explores themes like greed and exploitation to give insight into ethical issues facing humanity in the context of ethnic and economic divisions. It also has symbols that further drive the themes of the story and is written with a lyrical flow that makes it a delight to readers .

Some of the themes in ‘ The Pearl ‘ by John Steinbeck are greed, exploitation, and fate. And these are discussed here.

The discovery of the pearl triggered greed in Kino. He used to be a contented family man, totally loving of his wife Juana and his son Coyotito and would do anything to protect and provide for them. But as he discovers the pearl, it rouses a desire in him for money and status. All of a sudden, everything becomes subverted to this new-found desire for money and status, including his family’s safety.

This driving greed almost magically transmutes him into a brute and a criminal, capable of manslaughter. As a result, he becomes a wanted man and is on the run for his life, dragging his family along, whose prior simple and quiet life he had upset by his implacable ambition and greed. It is also on account of the pearl that he has the course to abuse his wife for the first time. And all because his wife had seen the destructive potential of the pearl and attempted to get rid of it so that she could have her once peaceful and quiet life back.

In a way, it is not so much that the pearl is innately a destructive influence. Rather, it is Kino’s greed that perverts what might easily have been the natural salutary utility of the pearl, corrupting it into something ugly and malevolent. He had the opportunity to exchange the pearl for a modest price and continue his simple life with his wife, but his ambition was beyond what the buyers offered. In the upshot, he loses his only son and is constrained to get rid of the pearl as his wife had earlier suggested.

We also see greed in other characters , like the doctor and the priest, who suddenly begin to give Kino attention because of what they stand to gain from the acquisition of the pearl.

Another theme that runs through the novella is the working of fate in the affairs of humans. In the story, the human beings are seen to be initially taking charge of their own lives and destiny, and negotiating their daily survival and sustenance as best they can. But on the other hand, some other equally key aspects of their lives are not strictly within their power to control.

Take the sea, for example. The lowly pearl divers and fishermen depend solely on the sea to be able to eke out their daily living and be able to provide for their families. But what each passing day will bring and whether the sea will yield them anything worthwhile for all their striving and effort is entirely out of the purview of their power to control.

It may happen that after a long day of strenuous striving, the sea yields nothing, or it may yield something utterly not commensurate to the effort that one had invested. And even when fate seems to be favourable and yields a fortune, as in Kino’s finding a huge pearl, there is still no guarantee that this fortune will not be, in turn, fated to ruin the life of the character who has found it in other unforeseen ways.

Exploitation

The theme of oppression and exploitation is the other key theme in the story. This manifests in several ways, for example, in the career of the doctor. His relationship with Kino and his kind is purely exploitative and predatory. It is for this reason that he refuses to treat Coyotito even though he can see that the poor child is in danger of death from a scorpion’s venom. And all because Kino cannot afford to pay for the medical treatment the boy so urgently requires. But the moment Kino finds the pearl, the doctor quickly switches and declares the sick boy his patient, and visits Kino’s brush house himself to treat him.

However, his real interest is not really in treating the boy but in the possibility of getting a share of the money that Kino’s pearl promises to bring. The same thing applies to the priest as well as the pearl dealers and all the attackers who try to steal the pearl from Kino.

Analysis of Key Moments

• Kino enjoys a peaceful morning with the monotonous routine of his family as his wife Juana prepares breakfast and his child Coyotito rocks in his crib. But the peaceful morning is disrupted as a spider stings Coyotito.
• Juana tries to suck the venom from the scorpion sting as neighbours gather around them while Kino crushes the Scorpion in rage.
• Juana decides that they must take Coyotito to the doctor, and all the neighbours and beggars in the town join them as they walk to the doctor’s house. But on getting there, the doctor refuses to treat Coyotito because Kino does not have any money to pay him.
• Kino and his family return home, and as they take their boat out to hunt for pearls, Juana gets some medicinal seaweed and places it on Coyotito’s wound while she prays that Kino would find a pearl that would make them rich enough to afford the doctor’s services.
• Kino’s venture yields a big beautiful pearl, and they are happy. The news of Kino’s pearl travel across town, neighbours troop in to visit him, and he shares his grand plans about what he will do with the fortune he makes from the pearl.
• The doctor, who had hitherto refused to treat Coyotito, visits Kino’s home and offers his services without any prompting from Kino. Even the priest visits Kino and urges them to bring gifts of thanks to the church.
• Kino’s home is attacked by a thief that night, but Kino, in his alertness, strikes the thief with his knife, and the thief flees.
• The next morning, Kino goes to sell the pearl, but the pearl dealers offer him a price that is far less than what it is worth. Sensing that he is being cheated, Kino refuses to sell the pearl and returns home with it.
• That night, Juana tries to throw the pearl back into the sea because she believes it will bring an evil that will destroy their family. But Kino gets to her before she completes the task and beats her viciously.
• Another set of thieves attacked Kino’s home again. Kino kills one of them and tries to escape with his family, but they realize that their boat has been destroyed. The thieves set Kino’s home ablaze, and Kino hides with his family at his brother’s house.
• At night, Kino flees with his family with hopes of getting to the capital, selling the pearl at a profitable rate, and beginning a new life.
• But enemies follow Kino’s tracks and try to hunt him down. The trackers set up camp at some point, and Kino decides to attack them. But before Kino can strike, Coyotito cries in the distance, and the trackers shoot at him thinking it is a Coyote.
• Kino kills the trackers but is left with his wailing wife and his dead child.
• Defeated, Kino and Juana, return to their small town, and Kino casts the pearl back into the ocean.

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language            

John Steinbeck’s style of writing in ‘The Pearl’ is rather oratorical. That is to say that the general rhythm of the narrative makes it sound as if the story is being told orally. This is probably not surprising since, as has been observed, the story is modelled after an ancient Mexican parable, and a parable originally is a short didactic tale passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another. It is this oral feature that the novella imbibes. As a result, its style is conversational, the flow repetitious with a certain monotony of rhythm, giving the general aura of a tale being told around a campfire.

One way in which this writing style is observed is in the frequent occurrence of the conjunction ‘and’ in the course of the narration. For example: ‘Kino held the great pearl in his hand, and it was warm and alive . . .’ ‘Kino looked into his pearl, and Juana cast her eyelashes down…’ and so on. In this way, the author cuts down on the use of the gerund form, colons, and lengthy sentences in general, thereby retaining the ordinary repetitive style of a parable. Also, the relatively short length of the novella rebounds to the general oral bent of the narrative. But it is altogether a simple and unambiguous style.

The tone is moralistic as there is that overriding sense of a repudiation of greed and all the ills that come with it by the narrative voice. And by that same token, a reader is sucked into that same mood whereby he perceives the unfolding sequence from the narrator’s general point of view. The tone also gets despondent, particularly when it dawns on the characters that all the pearl can ever breed is evil, strife, envy, and avarice of murderous dimensions. It is probably in such a state of mind that Juana implores Kino to get rid of the pearl.

One of the dominant figurative languages in the novella includes personification. For example, the narrator uses the expression ‘the wind cried’ at one point, thereby infusing the wind, which is ordinarily a non-sentient entity with a capacity for feeling and emotiveness.

Imagery is another figurative language that features in the novella. This is seen, for example, in the manner in which the narrator captures Kino’s reaction when he is roused from sleep to discover that his wife Juana is sneaking out of their brush house with an end to going to the sea to get rid of the pearl since he has refused her plea to get rid of it. This is how it reads:

And rage surged in Kino. He rolled up to his feet and followed her as silently as she had gone, and he could hear her quick footsteps going toward the shore. Quietly he tracked her, and his brain was red with anger. Chapter V, pp 31

In the quote above , In one breath, the reader perceives Kino’s anger as a rage surging and a substance that gives a certain touch of redness to his brain.

Analysis of Symbols

The pearl itself is easily the single important symbol in the novella. It is difficult to delimit its meaning and significance to just one thing only. When it is first discovered by Kino, it is clearly considered to be a fortune. To that extent, therefore, it is a representation of divine providence in the life of Kino and his family. And going by the order of the incidents in the novella, it, in a way, also represents a divine compensation to Kino for the misfortune of the scorpion sting which had befallen his child, Coyotito, prior to the discovery of the pearl.

But on the other hand, the pearl becomes a corrupting influence, infecting the owner, as well as all the other people who hope to gain something out of it, with murderous greed. Thus, it is as much a symbol of good fortune as it is a symbol of a fall from a state of innocence to decadence.

The Scorpion

The scorpion in the story is a symbol of arbitrary misfortune and evil. Coyotito is a mere baby when the scorpion stings him, and it is significant that while the scorpion crawls up towards the child, he innocently giggles at it and reaches out to grab it. In other words, the child’s innocence and seeming gesture of cordiality towards the scorpion does not stop it from stinging him and leaving him poisoned with its lethal venom.

That is a veritable image of the relationship between good and evil. It evokes the old problem of what exactly might be the trigger or rationale of evil in the order of things in the first place. Evil seems to be an irruptive phenomenon, without any real reason or motivation, something commonly explored in the tragic sequence in art.

The boat in ‘ The Pearl ‘ symbolizes a cultural essence and a delicate heritage to be preserved. Kino’s boat was passed down from generation to generation until it got to him, and he cared for it with utmost care and pride. The destruction of the boat is seen as a worse evil than the killing of a man because a boat cannot protect itself, and a wounded boat cannot heal.

Why did Juana want to throw away the pearl?

Juana wanted to throw away the pearl because she believed that the pearl had an inherent evil that would upset the peaceful order of their family life and destroy them all.

What is the climax of ‘ The Pearl ‘?

A climax is the highest point of tension in a story. The climax of ‘ The Pearl’ by John Steinbeck is the shooting of Coyotito by the trackers and Kino’s subsequent attack on them.

What does the doctor symbolize in ‘ The Pearl ‘?

In John Steinbeck’s ‘ The Pearl,’ the doctor is both a character and a symbol. The doctor symbolizes, decadence, imperialism, greed, and wickedness. He is also a symbol of the exploitation of the colonialists.

What is the moral of the story of ‘The Pearl’ ?

One of the morals of the story is the dangers of greed. There are also lessons about injustice, luck, and exploitation. However, the author expressly states at the beginning of the narration that it is at the discretion of the reader to draw their own morals from the story.

What does the rifle symbolize in ‘The Pearl’ ?

The rifle symbolizes power in the story. The use of the rifle and the application of the power it symbolizes changes with whoever possesses it. For Kino’s neighbours and kinsmen, they perceive the rifle as a tool of oppression which the colonialists used to subdue them. For Kino, when he began to have grand designs for himself and his family, he began to perceive the rifle as a symbol of protection and luxury.

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About Israel Njoku

Israel loves to delve into rigorous analysis of themes with broader implications. As a passionate book lover and reviewer, Israel aims to contribute meaningful insights into broader discussions.

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John Steinbeck | 3.94 | 189,664 ratings and reviews

Ranked #12 in Mexico , Ranked #44 in Nobel — see more rankings .

Rankings by Category

The Pearl is ranked in the following categories:

• #62 in American Literature
• #89 in Poverty

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Book Review

• John Steinbeck

Readability Age Range

• Viking Press

Year Published

The Pearl by John Steinbeck has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Kino lives in a village by the sea with his wife, Juana, and baby son, Coyotito. As the story opens, Kino is feeling joy and satisfaction with his life. Though he is poor, he lives near family and is respected by the other villagers. He often hears what he calls the Song of Family in his head and recalls the songs of his people from generations past, experiencing a profound sense of peace.

One evening, he and Juana watch helplessly as Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion in his bed. The town doctor won’t call on people in their poor area, so the couple takes the baby to the doctor’s home. He refuses to see them unless they can pay for his help. In desperation, the couple gets in the canoe Kino’s father passed down. They sail out to an area known for pearls, and Kino dives deep to bring up a bucket full of oysters. To their astonishment, Kino discovers a large, opulent pearl, the likes of nothing his village has ever seen. At the same moment, they look at the baby and realize his health seems to be improving.

Word spreads immediately about Kino’s great luck in finding the Pearl of the World. The doctor pays an unsolicited visit to help Kino’s son, although the couple wonders whether his medicines are a trick. Kino tells friends and family what he plans to do once he sells the pearl. He and Juana will have a wedding ceremony in a church, get better clothes and send their son to school. But as night falls on the village, Kino begins to hear a new song drowning out those he’s heard before. It is a song of darkness and evil. Nervously, he buries the pearl in his house. That night, he thwarts an intruder coming to steal the pearl. Meanwhile, the villagers speculate about Kino and how fortune may change him. Many are jealous.

The next day, with many of the townspeople following, Kino and Juana go to sell the pearl in town. The pearl buyers in town all work for one man, unbeknownst to the villagers. They know Kino is coming, and as instructed, each tells him the pearl is worth almost nothing. Kino calls their bluff and tells them he will take it to a larger city to sell it. This will mean he must journey 1,000 miles into unknown territory. He’s afraid, but he is driven by the prospect of fortune.

Juana sees how the pearl is changing Kino. She tells him it is evil. She even digs it up in the night and heads for the sea with the intent of throwing it back. Kino wakes up and follows her, hitting and kicking her to reclaim the pearl before she can return it to the water. He leaves her on the beach in the night and is attacked while heading home. He inadvertently kills the man who has tried to steal his pearl.

Returning from the beach, Juana finds the pearl and decides to abide by Kino’s wishes to keep it. They realize now that Kino has committed murder, and they will have to flee. They return to the village to find their hut is on fire, and they hide out with relatives until they can leave on foot early the next morning.

Kino continues to hear the songs of evil and grows increasingly afraid, mean and suspicious. Trackers follow the couple as they flee. Kino knows the trackers are about to find them, so he makes a plan to attack them and steal their gun. Just as he prepares to strike, he hears them say they’ve heard a cry. One man suggests it’s a coyote pup. Kino attacks them just as one tracker shoots at the coyote, and mayhem ensues. Kino kills the men, then hears another wail. It is the cry of death.

The story ends by noting the townspeople all remember Kino and Juana’s return to the village. They both look broken, failing to acknowledge familiar people or places. Dazed, they walk to the water’s edge. Juana carries what readers learn is their dead child, presumably shot by the tracker who thought he was silencing a coyote pup. Kino pulls out the pearl and throws it back in the water.

Christian Beliefs

The narrator once describes Kino watching something with the detachment of God. Another time, the narrator refers to something being as remote and removed as heaven. Kino, Juana and their people are Catholic. Several townspeople speculate that if they had found the pearl, they would have given it to the Pope as a gift or used it to buy Masses for the souls of family members for 1,000 years. The doctor believes, if Masses can pay a person’s way into Heaven, his wife is there. Juana tells Kino the pearl is evil, like a sin. The village priest gives an annual sermon about how God gives people a certain place in the universe and may punish them for leaving their station. The priest makes an example of men who left town to sell their pearls in the big city and never returned. People often tell each other to go with God before a journey.

Other Belief Systems

Although Juana says “Hail Mary” prayers and prays to God during their trials, she whispers ancient magic phrases in the same breath. Several times, the narrator suggests that something was from God, or the gods, or both. The townspeople believe Kino had great luck in finding the pearl, and luck is often mentioned in conjunction with God or the gods. The narrator suggests that if Kino’s plans to sell the pearl in the big city fail, the townspeople will say God punished Kino for rebelling against the status quo. Kino notes that the gods aren’t happy with men who succeed through their own efforts. He fears the gods will take revenge on him because of the plans he has made. Juana decides to follow Kino as an obedient wife when he reminds her several times that he is a man. This statement from him means, to her, that he is half insane and half god. She doesn’t understand the differences between men and women, but realizes she must be there to pick up the pieces after he acts. Kino confesses to his brother that the pearl has become his soul and that he will lose his soul if he gives it up.

Authority Roles

The villagers recognize the wealthy, corrupt doctor for what he is, knowing of his clumsy abortions, meager giving to the poor, ignorance, cruelty and greed. He refuses to help Kino’s ailing son until he learns about Kino’s pearl. Kino’s older brother tries to warn Kino about the potential dangers of forsaking his community to sell the pearl elsewhere.

Profanity & Violence

The word b–ch is used once in reference to a female coyote.

Several people attack Kino in an effort to steal the pearl, leaving him gashed and bloody. Kino strikes Juana in the face and kicks her when she tries to throw the pearl back in the water. He leaves her wounded on the beach in the dark. Kino kills one of his attackers, who bleeds from the throat. Kino sees the destruction of his boat as evil and violent, since a boat is a man’s way of feeding his family. Unknown people ransack and burn Kino’s house. Kino fiercely attacks and kills three trackers using a knife and a gun. Coyotito dies when a hunter kills, what he thinks is, a coyote pup.

Sexual Content

Discussion topics.

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Book Talk , Classic Novel

The Pearl: Book Review

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Many regard John Steinbeck as one of the best authors to pick up the pen and rightfully so. He captured the experiences of poor Americans and was a voice for them when they were neglected. His novel The Pearl is a beautiful tale and the price of newfound wealth. Find out why you should be reading this short novella!

The Pearl: Summary

Kino, a poor pearl diving fisherman, watches as his and his wife Juana’s infant son Coyotito sleeps soundly. But a scorpion finds its way to Coyotito and stings him before Kino can kill it. The child needs medical attention but the doctor refuses to treat the child because Kino cannot pay the absurd price for the treatment.

To afford paying for Coyotito’s treatment, Kino andf Juana travel down near the sea. Kino dives for oysters in order to find pearls to sell. He ends up finding a large oyster which encompasses a giant pearl that Kino names “The Pearl of the World.”

News of Kino’s discovery travels fast around the small town of La Paz. His neighbors are jealous of his newfound wealth. The doctor treats Coyotito and is promised payment once Kino sells it. But thieves lurk around the corners and try to steal the pearl. Juana believes the pearl will destroy them but to Kino, it is his only hope to start a new life for his family.

First published in 1947, the novel took off and made Steinbeck a celebrity overnight. It is a story with a lot of messages and reminds me of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist . Certain events mean much more than meets the eye and there are life lessons throughout the novel.

The novel was inspired by Mexican folk tale in a pearl-rich region in 1940. Steinbeck was able to take that story and put his own twist and share it with the world. That is why authors and books are important and necessary. Without Steinbeck’s popular novel , we would never have gotten this gem.

I remember first reading this novel in school and thinking about it for days. While it is a short novel, it leaves a big impact. So if you have had the bad luck of not coming across this novel before, then this is a great time to pick it up and give it a read!

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The video trailer for the PEARL interests me the most.

[a lot of authors and readers are quite bewildered by this sort of thing – it appeals to my Spielberg-generation sensitivities and sensibilities].

Right now I am listening to THE DESTROYER by KISS.

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