Figurative Language In The Pearl

However, the most noticeable of these recurring themes is greed. Greed is portrayed by the author as a destructive thing using the writing techniques of characterization, foreshadowing, and symbolism in The Pearl. One way that John Steinbeck portrays greed is

In the novel The Pearl the author, John Steinbeck, writes about a man named Kino who finds a “Great Pearl” and how greed consumes him and the people around him with murderous feelings towards the beholder of the pearl. A movie was later adapted from the book in 1947 that exhibited many similar characteristics as the book. However, although the book and the movie are very much a like they are also quite different.

Throughout the book there are many themes and the one I chose to use was greed. Greed was present in many instances like; the doctor didn't want to help Coyotito because Kino and Juana couldn’t pay him what he wanted. He finally decided to help after he heard that they had found a perfect pearl and he wanted it for himself. The priest wanted it to help repair and make changes for the church. “It came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church”(Steinbeck 34). The pearl buyers also demonstrated greed because they tried telling Kino that it was worth nothing and that it was too big. Kino was a happy and hardworking father until he had found the pearl. The pearl changed him and it turned mean and greedy. When Juana tried throwing it back Kino fought her for the pearl back left her on the beach. Also, the many attackers who tried taking the pearl away from them, which made it to where they were trying to kill Kino, Juana, and Coyotito so they can get the pearl. The biggest symbol that represents greed was the pearl.(Symbolism in the Pearl)

Of all the symbols that are in Steinbeck’s story, the pearl of the world is the most important because of its direct impact on Kino, Juana, and Coyotito. The Pearl is about a poor diver, Kino, who gathers pearls for a living. Then, on a day like any other, Kino comes to the surface of the sea with a pearl as large as a seagull’s egg. Kino thought it would be a source of wealth, hope, and comfort, whereas it was actually the evil that destroyed their family.

The pearl is no longer a symbol of hope, it has changed to a symbol of his loss. At the end of the story, Kino and Juana are depicted walking back into the town of La Paz. However, they go straight to the Gulf next to each other. There is no supremacy. They have both suffered the same loss and are equals.

The book contributes to his childhood experience being a victim of poverty. Steinbeck believes that “Dreams keep people believing in better living conditions through unrealistic hopes for a bright future, even though their present is totally bleak” (Mendy 913). The Pearl clearly demonstrates what he believes. The characters are written to show these traits of desire to be apart of the middle class society. It also shows that most of the time poor people always think money will make you live an enjoyable life, but that is not always the case. Also in the twentieth century critics were mostly focus on writing about class and society struggles which is another reason why Steinbeck wrote The Pearl. In addition, The book has several references to marxist ideals to society. Steinbeck was trying to convey his support in the marxism system ( Ullah, Khan and Shah 274). The quote “...there are only good and bad things and Black and white things and good and evil things and no in-between anywhere,” shows that the book was written based around a classless society (Steinbeck  3). Those are some of the various reasons why Steinbeck created The

The Pearl written by John Steinbeck is a parable, a story that teaches a moral lesson. The focus of this novel is on a poor Indian family. The family consists of three members: Kino, a husband, father, and fisherman, Juana, his wife and loving mother; and Coyotito their infant son. This indigent family lives in a small brush hut along the Gulf of Mexico by the town of La Paz. One day Coyotito, is bitten by a scorpion; a scorpion sting can be deadly to a baby. Kino and Juana are very worried over the health of their baby; therefore, they hope to find a pearl worthy enough for the doctor’s payment to the doctor to treat Coyotito. With luck on their side, Kino finds a pearl the size of a seagull’s egg; he calls it “The Pearl of the

The pearl's evil infects Kino like a ravaged disease and consumes his mind. He starts off with good intentions, but they become twisted. He wants to sell the pearl and use the money to better his family's lifestyle. He has dreams and goals that each depends on the pearl selling for a good price. Juana sensing the evil and greed coming from Kino attempts to destroy it. Kino beats her unmercifully. "He struck her in the face and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...He hissed at her like a snake and she stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before a butcher." Juana sees through the outer beauty of the pearl and knew it would destroy Kino and herself. Kino's vision from the soul becomes blurred by the possible prosperity the pearl will bring. The evil invades Kino's life as well as everyone he knows and loves.

Biblical references act as focal points throughout Foster’s ‘How to Read Literature Like a Professor’ and are discussed in chapter seven’s ‘...Or the Bible.’ Ideas stemming from themes such as greed, sin, and sacrifice can be traced within Steinbeck’s ‘The Pearl’ as Kino, a poor man, is desperate to reap the riches of “The greatest pearl in the world (pg 34)” and save his only son from imminent death. At first glance the pearl can be recognized as a symbol for greed----Which is true, because Kino goes to severe lengths in order to preserve the pearl’s worth. Consequently, this results in the gruesome demise of his child and the disposal of the pearl. The idea of greed surrounding the pearl also applies to minor characters. An example of this can be identified with the beggars of the church as they heard the news of the pearl, “For they knew that there is no alms giver in the world like a poor man who is suddenly lucky.” (pg 11) However, the pearl’s symbolism goes further beyond a simple theme.

Kino’s desire to gain wealth changes the pearl’s natural beauty and good luck, turning it from a symbol of hope and happiness into a symbol of bad and

The Pearl written by John Steinbeck is a parable, a story that teaches a moral lesson. This novel is centered on a poor Indian family, who live in a brush hut along the Gulf of Mexico and by the village of La Paz. The family consists of: Kino, a fisherman and pearl diver, his wife Juana, and their infant son Coyotito. One day while diving, Kino discovers a great pearl that he calls, “the pearl of the world” (22). The theme of a literary work is defined as the central idea, concern or purpose about life that a writer wishes to convey. There may be several themes identified in a literary work; however, in John Steinbeck’s novel The Pearl the author uses the pearl to develop one of the most essential universal themes in literature, that of

     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'.

To wrap it all up, the type of Good and Evil presented in The Pearl, is not one positive one compared to other situations. Kino could have avoided many problems if it wasn’t for his ignorance. Instead of thinking of reality, he was focused on the future which caused him a big loss and

Kino is beginning to realize how at first the pearl seemed to have brought fortune and good to his family, but it really had only brought evil to the family. By the end of the story, Kino and Juana have lost their son, Coyotito, and they wish things were back to the way they were before they found the pearl. Kino then throws the pearl back out into the ocean where he had found it: “And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared” (90). The music disappearing as the pearl sink back into the ocean symbolizes the evil leaving the family: now that the pearl has left, so has the evil. Kino now understands that their “wealth” has brought nothing but evil and has destroyed both himself as well as his family. Not only does Steinbeck use the motif of music to express the theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a path of evil and corruption, but he also uses the motif of light and dark imagery.

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl follows the story of a Mexican-Indian family who lived in a small village on the coast of the Baja peninsula during the colonial era in Mexico. Kino works tirelessly as a pearl diver to provide for his wife, Juana, and Coyotito, his son. Although he was poor, he and his wife were initially satisfied with their lives. However, Coyotito’s scorpion sting and the discovery of the Pearl of the World opened Kino’s eyes to a much larger world. His simple, peaceful life was marred by the violence and conflict that the pearl brought. The pearl, which incited greed in all who come in contact with it, changed from a symbol of hope to that of chaos and misfortune.