The Pearl Literary Essay

The novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a parable in which the actual pearls purpose is to have each reader interpret it as they see fit. The meaning of the pearl is never unequivocally explained in the novel. The main characters in this novel are Kino, a father and husband, Juana who is Kino’s wife and Coyotito, their son. There are many moral lessons taught by this story, as I interpreted it. Throughout the novel from the start of finding the pearl and their house being invaded, Juana urges Kino to dispose of the pearl saying “Throw it away, Kino… It has brought evil. Kino, My husband, it will destroy us all.” (Ch.3 pg.37) Kino specifically says to his wife that he is a man and therefore

After the death of Kino's son he was no longer happy and he probably never will be. The pearls purpose was to provide for Coyotito. Kino was going to give his son an education so he could have a decent life when he was older. Therefore without Coyotito the pearl had no value to Kino.

Money is the supreme power of the world. Its immeasurable power and limitless influence has hacked into our society today, ruining our political democracy, our capitalistic economy, and our chances at achieving the American Dream. Money is handled differently between the rich and the poor. Money in the hands of the poor is spent on essential items necessary for survival, and since money is not abundant in the hands of the poor, every single penny is cherished as a gift from God. However in the hands of the rich, money is used to acquire more money. The urge to succumb to greed influences the rich to use any and all means necessary to grow their wealth, to grow their power, to grow their long lasting influence. We look up to the rich with awe for their ability to achieve the American Dream, but what we are blindfolded from seeing is the true rise to stardom, their true pathway to success. Not all, but some have achieved the American Dream through immoral acts and satanic deeds, swindling the desired ones from their exit of poverty or their chance to enter into reality. In the end of The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald revealed to us the true Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald teaches us that not all people achieve the American Dream immorally, giving the example of Jay Gatsby

There are many metaphors that can be found within The Pearl. But specifically, the description of the beach at the beginning of chapter 2 is a metaphor for Kino’s town, and the people in it. It is very similar to the metaphor of the Pool in Cannery Row, which will later be discussed in this essay. Steinbeck gives his readers a clear image of “the water’s edge [which was] a rubble of shell and algae... little lobsters popped in and out of their tiny homes in the rubble... the sea bottom was rich... the poison fish, lay on the bottom...” (Steinbeck, Page 18) This is a very powerful description of the ocean front which Kino lives near. Steinbeck clearly is metaphorically describing what life is like in this town. The land of the town can be described with “shell and algae” and the “little lobsters popping out of their tiny homes” are the poor people in this town, they live “in the rubble.” But once you dive down deeper, readers see the “rich” ocean bottom where the “poison fish lay on the bottom,” those poison fish are the wealthy of the town. Again, such powerful, metaphorical language was used by Steinbeck in order to describe the town. He sympathizes with the poor because of the language he uses when he describes their homes, tiny and in

I think it was good to get rid of the pearl by thourghing it in the back into the ocean or selling it but selling it is best in my opinion than they can have a nice place to live and have good food to eat I think if kino had kept the pearl it would of been stolen and kino and juana would have to go into hiding and coyotito would be able to go to school the pearl brought evil to kino and juana it was good to get rid of it but it would of brought wealth to them if kino and juana sold it. But I still think kino should of went to the capital to sell the pearl he should of done that at the beginning of the book then they wouldn’t have to run away from their home and then kino would not killed the trackers and coyotito would of not died. Then could

Only when Coyotito dies in the cave does Kino realize that the pearl is making him a different person than

”(Steinbeck, 59). Kino acted in such a way to the woman that he had loved more than anything else in the world because of the pearl. The pearl made him so greedy that he cared more about it than his own

The previously poor Kino was overcome by the thoughts of greatness that the pearl held when he could see the wealth in the pearl and the happiness it would

The Pearl Essay “The Pearl”, by John Steinbeck, tells the story of a poor named Kino who has found a magnificent pearl that is worth a great deal of money. Though his hope was for the pearl to make life better for him and his family, fate was not on his side. Throughout the book, the pearl symbolized many different things to Kino. In the beginning, it symbolized a brand new life for Kino and his family. But as the story goes on, the pearl symbolized Kino’s only hope to survive and by the end the pearl symbolized a curse.

In the very beginning of the book, Kino hears the “The Song of the Family” and has breakfast peacefully with his loved ones (Steinbeck 2). Kino is a peaceful, ordinary, innocent young man who has a special bond with his family. When Kino finds his pearl, he decides what he will do with the money. He decides that he would like “new clothes”, “a rifle”, “to be married in the church”, and for his son, Coyotito, to go to school (Steinbeck 25-26). Kino is a loving individual who cares about his family and wants the best for them.

Kino has many hopes and dreams for his life after he finds the pearl. He knows it could be his savior if he utilizes it correctly. First of all he needs to pay the doctor to cure Coyotito because the doctor refuses to even look at him until he can be paid. When Kino looks at the pearl he can picture a new life of wealth. He sees Juana and him getting married in a church, Coyotito being baptized, his family wearing new clothes, owning a harpoon and a rifle, and Coyotito to school. Kino’s neighbors talked about the pearl’s value and what they would do with it if they had found the pearl. They all had noble ideas including: sending it to the pope as a gift; buying masses for his family “for a thousand years” (43); distribute the money among the poor in the town; and give

Kino’s brother, Juan Thomas, asks Kino what he will do with his fortune. Kino responded saying he will probably use it for a wedding in a church. He claims that he will send Coyotito to

sell the pearl in order to pay for a doctor Coyotito needs, but the pearl buyers

John Steinbeck's purpose in writing the parable The Pearl is to inform readers that receiving a mass amount of wealth without working for it could be a curse. While Kino was looking into the pearl, he noticed, “Evil forces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light of burning” (Steinbeck 89). This shows that the pearl caused evil events such as his house burning down. This matters because it shows how Kino found the pearl with luck and it ended up being a curse for him since his house burned down. As Kino looked into the surface of the pearl, he recognized, “Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away” (Steinbeck 89). This reveals that with the possession of the pearl, misfortunate incidents occur including

Juana loved Kino regardless if they were poor or rich. The book states, " In the pearl he saw Juana and Coyotito and himself standing and kneeling at the high altar, and they were being married now that they could pay. He spoke softly, "We will be married – in the church," (Shmoop Editorial Team). It shows how Kino and Juana were not even married yet, due to lack of money, but they were still in love. Even before Kino found the "Pearl of The World." Regardless of the situation, Juana still loved and supported Kino, and trusted his judgment and decisions. Kino probably thought that by having money to send his child to school, he'd "buy" Coyotito's love. In the book, it says," In the pearl he saw Coyotito sitting at a little desk in a school, just as Kino had once seen it through an open door. And Coyotito was dressed in a jacket, and he had on a white collar, and a broad silken tie. Moreover, Coyotito was writing on a big piece of paper. Kino looked at his neighbors fiercely. "My son will go to school," (Shmoop Editorial Team). The quote illustrates how hopeful Kino was that his son was going to go to school, learn to read, teach his people how to do the same, and how Coyotito would be very thankful and loving towards his father for giving him that opportunity. Just as you cannot buy love, you can't buy family and friends