John Steinbeck Thesis Statement

Kino in The Pearl creates the theme of greed and power can make one’s downfall. In the book Juana (Kino’s wife) hears evil music with the pearl and fears it will tear apart the family and the village. So she sneaks out in the early morning with it and tries to get rid of it to free her family from evil but gets caught in the action by her husband who goes savage. “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake…”(page 58-59) This shows how greed and power can make one’s downfall because the greed of the pearl and the idea of what riches it could bring to the family and the whole village which makes Kino fill with rage when he sees Juana trying to get rid of

First, Kino’s call to adventure with Coyotito being savagely stung by a scorpion and Kino having to find money for the doctor to pay for Coyotito’s medical treatment, second,Kino’s allies that will be by his side no matter what and lastly the examples of how Kino is truly a tragic hero. In John Steinbeck's novella, The Pearl the text gives many hints and clues that the novel follows the pattern of a Hero's Journey. This essay will cover the 3 main aspects of Kino's Journey which eventually leads to his ultimate sacrifice. My claim is significant and relevant to The Pearl because without the three main aspects to Kino’s Journey, the novel would not be the award winning, captivating book that it

3. What happens to Kino’s boat? Cite an example from the text to prove Steinbeck’s commentary that “the killing of a man was not so evil as the killing of a boat.”

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.

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

Throughout the story, Steinbeck displays Kino’s animalistic and childlike traits in various ways. An example would be Kino howling at the discovery of the pearl, similar to a wolf howling to the moon (pg.

Just like in real life, the characters in literature tend to be faced with very tough decisions in one way or the other. During these times, our decisions can turn us into heroes or make us look like big fools. The choices can thus affect our lives positively or negatively. ‘The Pearl’ is a 1947 novella by John Steinbeck where he tells the story of Kino, a pearl diver. Through the story, he tries to explore the nature of man of evil, greed, and defiance to the norms of society. He tells the story of how Kino found and lost the pearl. In this paper, the argument will be made from the point of Kino as a hero.

     John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is a Novella, which is longer than a short story and shorter than a novel. The story is about a poor mexican family and the father Kino, whose occupation is diving for pearls off the Baja peninsula. After retrieving the pearl the family becomes wealthy and content and soon after the father turns into a criminal. This shows how greed and aspiration can demolish innocence. Steinbeck's motive for creating the book was to show the reader that the cause of all this stress and chaos is because of poverty. As illustrated in The Pearl, people call for desperate measures when poverty

The author shows a continuous moral in the story. The author suggests that greed in the root of evil. The author states , “For Kino was a well- liked man; it would be a shame if the pearl destroyed him.” This phrase also foreshadows future events and conflicts in the story.

“And to Kino the secret melody of the maybe pearl broke clear and beautiful, rich and warm and lovely, gloating and glowing in triumph.” (Steinbeck 20). This is one of many memorable quotes from John Steinbeck’s classic, The Pearl. While this story is composed of only eighty-seven pages, the author packs the book with more meaning and teaching than many authors have been able to in hundreds. Set in a small village in La Paz, Mexico, the tale deals with many topics, themes, and issues.

The works of John Steinbeck have been used universally on scholarly account because of his ability to establish themes in his writing that are relevant to life. The Pearl, is one work that contains issues as ideas that are still significant to this day. One theme, such as greed, is displayed throughout the course of the novel. As each character develops, their intentions with the pearl become evident to the reader. This theme is seen through many of the characters who are eager to obtain the pearl. In The Pearl, the theme of greed is shown through the doctor’s intentions, Kino’s attitude, and Juana’s discontent of the pearl.

Steinbeck uses the Pearl as a symbol to communicate the theme greed is not a good thing by making it almost corrupt Kino, making him very greedy for wealth. Throughout the book The Pearl, Kino is doing things that are influenced by the pearl, starting with heading to the capital to eventually killing a man, all for is greed. Right before Kino attempts to sell the pearl in his hometown, he is not blinded by anger at being cheated. When his brother indirectly suggests he go to other places to know the true price of the pearl, Kino refuses. “’How can we know what is a fair price, if we do not know what the pearl buyer gets for the pearl in another place.’

This quote shows the greed in Kino is getting greater and greater. The reader can tell this because Kino is willing to hurt the person who he loves the most, and who loves him the most, just to keep his pearl safe.

In The Pearl by John Steinbeck the pearl symbolizes hope because it gives hope to Kino and his family to have an education so they can acquire more money and live a better life. Steinbeck writes “In the pearl he saw they were dressed, Juana in a shawl stiff with newness and a new skirt…”(steinbeck pg 25). The pearl is declared by the neighbors and Kino as the “Pearl of the world”, Kino believes that it could be worth a lot of money, a lot of money kino doesn’t have and that gives them hope for them in their lives to give them clothes and a house. On page 27 he writes “And my son will make numbers, and these things will make us free because - he will know and through him we will know” (steinbeck pg 27). The pearl could potentially pay for an

To start off, the fashion in which the writing is presented is loaded with symbols which have potential in leaving readers such as I confused and set off to what is going on. For instance, Steinbeck’s use of songs to display emotions is unneeded because it makes understanding complicated and raises unnecessary questions on the subject of what its presence serves within the story. In addition to the awful writing style of this novel, The Pearl beholds an annoying and disappointing storyline. It seems that of every page you flip, discluding the finding of the pearl, Kino’s life becomes more and more miserable and I expected it all to pay off in the ending but the novel left me with disappointment by giving the same negative influence. Steinbeck never seemed to think of his characters as people but as creatures who are buffeted by terrible circumstances. This brings me to my next example, The Pearl has a terrible moral sense. It seems as if the author is trying to say “do not try to improve it only leads to failure, be happy with where you are”