The Pearl Symbolism Analysis

Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. While reading a story, symbols may not become clear until the very end, once the climax is over, and the falling action is covered. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” there are multiple examples of symbolism that occur throughout the story.

Symbolism is used in many ways and writers use symbolism to “enhance their writing.” It can give their work “more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.” In literary work the actions of the characters, words, action, place, or event has a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. The reader needs to look see the little things like a dove symbolizes peace, or like the red rose stands for romance. Mostly everything can have a symbolism meaning to it. For instance the flag symbolizes freedom and the stars represent the states. Even some signs are symbols like when a beaker has a skull with a bones placed like an ‘x’ behind it symbolizes that it’s toxic or bad. When people see the red light when driving that’s

Symbolism is commonly used in many books, movies, etc. To put it simply, symbolism is when some sort of object or idea is used to symbolize feelings or emotions. For instance, bad weather can be used to symbolize a character’s feelings of sadness. In the novel “Tangerine”, symbolism is used many different times, but a prominent example in the novel is when Mr. Donnelly, a side character in the story, uses an imaginary porcelain plate to symbolize a local record he broke. As seen on Pages 274 and 275 in “Tangerine”, “So whenever I thought about the record, which was often, I imagined a fine porcelain plate…

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.

In the novel, The Pearl, John Steinbeck uses symbolism to convey the ubiquitous theme that evil can manifest itself in many forms. In the beginning of the parable, Kino and Juana encounter a deadly scorpion threatening their young son, Coyotito. Kino “begins to approach the hanging box, the ‘Song of Evil’... in his ears”. This scorpion is the first of many hosts of evil throughout the book. It represents an endangerment of family and destruction of security.

     John Steinbeck uses symbolism to give alternate meanings to his short story “Chrysanthemums.'; A symbol is a device used to suggest more than its literary meaning. He uses these symbols to look further into the characters and their situations. The character Elisa has a garden, which is more than just a garden, and the chrysanthemums that she tends are more than just flowers. There are actions that she performs in the story, which also have other meanings.

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.

Symbolism is defined as the artistic use of imagery and indirect suggestion to portray mystical or non-literal meaning. An object representing something else is given an entirely different meaning that is much deeper can be considered a symbol. Allegory can be used as a device to aid in character development if used correctly by the author. In two works of literature Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin and in Zora Neale Hurston’s, Sweat, this can be appreciated and seen by the reader.

Pearl is an evident symbol that sends multiple messages in the book. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne symbolism is quite evident throughout the text. In the case of Pearl, Hester's Daughter, she symbolizes many things in the text. Pearl forces Hester to deal with her sin and learn to cope with the consequences she faces resulting from what she did. Pearl helps send the message of the importance of forgiveness and consequences. She symbolizes the sin that Hester has committed and the shame Hester has to face. Pearl also symbolizes the connection between Dimmesdale and Hester and the guilt that Dimmesdale has to face for hiding his secret sin for so long.

Alfred Whitehead, an English mathematician and philosopher, once said, “Symbolism is no mere idle fancy or corrupt degeneration: it is inherent in the very texture of human life.” In almost every story, there is some form of symbolism being used. Sometimes it is used in the characters, the setting, certain objects, the weather patterns, etc. Not only does symbolism have a great effect on the story itself, but it affects how the story is perceived. “Young Goodman Brown”, “The Minister’s Black Veil”, and “The Birthmark” are all full of many forms of symbolism. The themes of these stories are shown through the symbolism of the characters, their traits, and the objects.

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.

“I was already missing before the night I left, just me and my shadows and all of my regrets. Who am I? Who am I when I don’t know myself?” Pearl is used as symbolism throughout the entire story. Pearl is the physical representation of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin.

When writing, authors can employ many literary devices. One of the many literary devices is symbolism. Symbolism sets the theme and makes the reader question. The symbols can help stress the theme of the story.

In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolism enhances meaning of the plot through the different functions of Pearl’s character. First, Pearl symbolizes the natural result of her parents’ sin. Pearl’s description in chapter 6 tells a lot about her character. “The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law had been broken; and the result was a being, whose elements were perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder” (62). Later in the next chapter, Pearl is described as “the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment” (69). Another way Pearl symbolizes the natural result of her parents’ sin is through her connection to nature. During the forest scene when Hester and Dimmesdale plot their getaway, Pearl follows the river, listening to its song and signing along (129). As she walks through the forest, Pearl communes with nature as a fellow “playmate of the lonely infant” (140-41). Since Pearl is the result of an unrestrained act of nature, she becomes one with nature around her.

     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'.