Marxist Critique Of Capitalism In John Steinbeck's The Pearl

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is a socio-economic critique of the mini-society of La Paz, which is situated at the far end of the Baja Peninsula. The story is a cautionary tale about a fisherman, Kino, who lives a peaceful, rustic life with his wife, Juana, and baby son, Coyotito, on the outskirts of a Mexican town called La Paz-until one dark day, a stray scorpion stings little Coyotito and the family discover the flaws in the system. To try scrounge up the dollars for the doctor, Kino takes to the sea to find a pearl, and-lucky day!!-find one he does. While Kino is dazzled by the pearl and its promise, it ends up bringing nothing but pain, misery, and above all, greed. The novel addresses a struggle between rich and poor. It depicts the reality

As said in “ Steinbeck’s The Pearl as Marxist Critique of Capitalism, “ The gap between the two classes of society becomes more evident when Kino’s son Coyotito is stung by a scorpion and Juana asks for the services of the doctor of the locality. The doctor refuses to save Coyotito’s life at the beginning of the novel because Kino lacks the money to pay him” (Whittaker and Misiska, 276). This represents the inequality in the society and inadequacies of capitalism. As said in The Pearl, “ A wonderful thing, a memorable thing, to want the doctor. To get him would be a remarkable thing. The doctor never came to the cluster of brush houses. Why should he, when he had made more than he could do to take care of the rich people who lived in the stone and plaster houses of the town” ( Steinbeck, 7). Snide and condescending, the doctor displays an appallingly limited and self-centered-mind-set that is made frightening by its unshakeable belief in his own cultural superiority over Kino, and by the power that he holds to save or destroy lives. This goes on to prove what’s said in Starting with Zero: Basic Marxism, “According to Marxism, those with wealth in society also controls the means for making wealth, from factories and corporations to the private schools that

As said in The Pearl, “ The ants were busy on the ground, big black ones with shiny bodies, and little dusty quick ants. Kino watched with the detachment of god while a dusty ant frantically tried to escape the sand trap, an ant lion had dug for him” ( Steinbeck, 3). The ants evidently represent Kino and his race with their unfortunately condition like ants. It can be observe that most of the beings in the novel are pinning after the basic necessities of life. Mentioned in Steinbeck’s The Pearl as Marxist Critique of Capitalism, The living conditions of Kino and his race are not much different from these ants” (Whittaker and Misiska, 275). They are silenced by aristocracy of La Paz to use the remaining of the upper class. This social, and racial divisions result from colonial domination of the local native population. In other words Kino’s people are colonized within a