What Is John Steinbeck Illusion Vs Reality

In The Pearl, Kino’s pearl can be seen to represent dreams and the consequences of those dreams. When Kino discovers a large and expensive Pearl, he begins to imagine all of the things he can now afford, and becomes obsessed with obtaining his dreams as shown in The Pearl, “‘This Pearl has become my soul,” said Kino, “If I give it up I shall lose my soul’” (67 Steinbeck) Kino’s hope to become rich, and have a better life took him over, and he could no longer settle for what he previously loved. When people have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, they forget that they were once satisfied in their previous life because they have the opportunity to improve it. Near the end of the book, as Kino had fled from his reality in an attempt to sell his Pearl, “He looked into his Pearl to find his vision… but he saw only a huddled dark body on the ground with shining blood dripping from its throat.” (71 Steinbeck) The pearl provided Kino with the opportunity to pursue his dreams, and because he was unable to throw away the Pearl and settle, he lost his house, his canoe, and his baby son. His hopeless pursuit of his dreams caused him to scorn his once happy life, and return to his home in misery.

The novel The Pearl explains “There are only good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and no in between anywhere”(Steinbeck 1). Kino the main character in the pearl by John Steinbeck does not realize what he has and loses it all. Furthermore, Steinbeck tells a story about a poor man kino and his wife Juana and their baby Coyotito.This story takes place in a small fishing village in La Paz Mexico.Throughout this story kino finds a pearl that changes his and his family life forever.For this reason kino’s character changes from a protective husband to a marriage partner who is equal in standing. His change in character is indicated by his thoughts and actions.

In the novella, The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck, a pearl diver named Kino is eager to find a pearl to help his son, Coyotito, after he was stung by a scorpion. After the doctor refuses them treatment, Kino coincidentally finds ‘The Pearl of the World’. Originally, it was just supposed to help them with the payment for Coyotito's treatment, but it leads to other happenings. People start hating Kino, and are jealous of his pearl. Trackers try to hunt him down in the mountains to kill him and get the pearl, but that’s not what Kino has in mind. Coyotito is accidentally shot in the head, and that starts a fire in Kino. Anger-filled, he kills the trackers. As Kino and Juana arrive home, they are described to be different people, and it's all

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.

Typically, everyone loves a good story about a hero that beats the villain, gets the love of the town, and his dream girl. But The Pearl is different. The Pearl follows a plot diagram which is a chart that outlines the progression of the story. The hero's journey takes the concept of plotting a story a little further and deeper. In John Steinbeck's novella, The Pearl, Kino a regular town man turned hero follows the hero's journey. In this essay the 3 different stages of Kino's journey on his way to heroism, will be thoroughly addressed.

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.

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.

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)

Steinbeck describes the setting to the reader through the description of Kino using imagery and personification. The figurative language gives the story a mysterious tone. As “the moon crept through the holes” Kino soon relies that Juana is trying to discard the pearl. The tone is created by the personified phrase to allow the reader to feel Kino

“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.

In the story “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck the character Kino struggles with greed. The author uses symbolism, motif, and irony. The pearl is the symbol in this story, the irony is the death of Coyotito, and the number three is the motif. All of these techniques lead to the theme or moral of the story.

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.’

At first, Kino’s friends and family are happy for him for finding the pearl, but once the people started thinking of what they could gain from the wealth of the pearl, it corrupted them with greed. Greediness takes over the town’s people in the village by them realizing what the pearl can do for them. Influential people, like the town doctor, the pearl dealers and even the town's priest all are consumed with greediness for the pearl’s wealth. “The news came early to the beggars in front of the church, and it made them giggle a little with pleasure, for they knew that there is no almsgiver in the world like a poor man who is suddenly lucky” (24). All of these people with high moral values fall victim to greed when they try to steal the pearl from Kino.

In The Pearl, the pearl that Kino retrieves from the depths of the ocean initially represents hope, or a brighter future to its owner Kino, because it has a high monetary value, Kino and society believe. In addition, it also showcases that God might be looking favorably at Kino and his family. “Kino lifted the flesh, and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence. It was as large as a seagull’s egg.

In The Pearl by John Steinbeck proves that things are not always what they appear to be (illusion vs reality). People are not always the same .All doctors are not trustworthy, all priests are not selfless, and all magnificent things are not good. In this short novel, the illusion and the reality of the “cursed” pearl, the selfish doctor, and the manipulating priest will cause a devastating tragedy.Author and rationalist, Sanal Edamaruku, once said “For those in love with an illusion often refuse to accept reality.” The definition of illusion is “something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality” (dictionary.com). Illusions can be tempting, and at the time you may not even realize that an illusion is not a reality.