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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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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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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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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THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE
by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2004
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
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FIREFLY LANE
by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2008
Dated sermonizing on career versus motherhood, and conflict driven by characters’ willed helplessness, sap this tale of...
Lifelong, conflicted friendship of two women is the premise of Hannah’s maudlin latest ( Magic Hour , 2006, etc.), again set in Washington State.
Tallulah “Tully” Hart, father unknown, is the daughter of a hippie, Cloud, who makes only intermittent appearances in her life. Tully takes refuge with the family of her “best friend forever,” Kate Mularkey, who compares herself unfavorably with Tully, in regards to looks and charisma. In college, “TullyandKate” pledge the same sorority and major in communications. Tully has a life goal for them both: They will become network TV anchorwomen. Tully lands an internship at KCPO-TV in Seattle and finagles a producing job for Kate. Kate no longer wishes to follow Tully into broadcasting and is more drawn to fiction writing, but she hesitates to tell her overbearing friend. Meanwhile a love triangle blooms at KCPO: Hard-bitten, irresistibly handsome, former war correspondent Johnny is clearly smitten with Tully. Expecting rejection, Kate keeps her infatuation with Johnny secret. When Tully lands a reporting job with a Today -like show, her career shifts into hyperdrive. Johnny and Kate had started an affair once Tully moved to Manhattan, and when Kate gets pregnant with daughter Marah, they marry. Kate is content as a stay-at-home mom, but frets about being Johnny’s second choice and about her unrealized writing ambitions. Tully becomes Seattle’s answer to Oprah. She hires Johnny, which spells riches for him and Kate. But Kate’s buttons are fully depressed by pitched battles over slutwear and curfews with teenaged Marah, who idolizes her godmother Tully. In an improbable twist, Tully invites Kate and Marah to resolve their differences on her show, only to blindside Kate by accusing her, on live TV, of overprotecting Marah. The BFFs are sundered. Tully’s latest attempt to salvage Cloud fails: The incorrigible, now geriatric hippie absconds once more. Just as Kate develops a spine, she’s given some devastating news. Will the friends reconcile before it’s too late?
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-312-36408-3
Page Count: 496
Publisher: St. Martin's
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2007
GENERAL FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP
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