Picture walking down a road and picking up a lottery ticket, then later finding out that it was the winning ticket. That is essentially what happens to the character, Kino, when he finds a great pearl in the story The Pearl by John Steinbeck. In the book Kino and his family soon learn that wealth can drastically change people in a negative way. Author John Steinbeck includes a scene leading up to this in which Kino feels alone and fails to see a thin dog in the pearl to show how power and riches can affect life negatively. When he writes this scene he tries to present a shift in Kino’s values. The conflict in this scene is somewhat person versus person. Leading off, Steinbeck uses multiple tones to show readers how Kino thinks. One of these could be an appreciative tone. The Author conveys how in tune with nature Kino is. This is displayed when Steinbeck writes the line, “A thin, timid dog cam close and at a soft word from Kino curled up… and laid its chin delicately on a the pile”(Steinbeck 3). Then, instead of this happy tone the Author has a bitter tone towards Kino after the scene where when the dog comes up and Kino does not even notice the dog, Steinbeck writes “The thin dog came to him… and Kino looked down at it and didn’t see it”(Steinbeck 28). …show more content…
For example, when Steinbeck writes “Kino closed his eyes again to listen to his music… The song of the family”, he is giving Kino an impression on the reader that makes the reader know that Kino loves his family(Steinbeck 2). Subsequently, In the scene with the dog Kino is characterized as a self-centered person who is only worried about himself because of his lack of observation towards the dog. This is shown in the line, “...the scraping crickets and shrilling tree frogs and croaking toads”(steinbeck 28). The Author used this scene to re-characterize Kino to show how much the pearl is altering his
How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C Foster is a how to do book that teaches children how to become better readers. The novel was written in second person. The purpose of this novel is to inform readers on details that they wouldn’t usually realize in literature. Students who read Thomas C Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor are suppose to gain knowledge of how to identify details of their story that have connections to other literature or have alternative meanings that the author is trying to get across to the reader. Thomas C Foster believes reading his novel can help develop you into a better reader. He believes this because the information that he includes can apply to your reading. When you realize the connections he talks about, it gives you a better understanding of the book you are reading.
In John Steinbeck’s, The Pearl, the village of La Paz is alive with greed. Everyone wants something from the main character, Kino. The doctor wants money for treating Kino's baby. The priest wanted money to fix the church. The townspeople also wanted money. The village is over come by evil from this one man's good fortune. The doctor’s greed over money is revealed when he would not treat Kino's baby because Kino had nothing to pay him with. When the doctor heard of Kino's sudden wealth, he said Kino was his client. The Pearl and its fortune transformed the town into something full of continual desire and jealousy. Everyone was affected and wanted something from the p...
In this novel, various symbols are used to enhance the overall meaning of what the author is trying to inform the reader about. For example, in this novel, one of Steinbeck’s uses of symbolism is in the beginning. “Uh-uh, Jus’ a dead mouse, George. I didn’t kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead” (5). This quote is taking effect after Lennie tries to inconspicuously take out the dead mouse from his pocket. Lennie didn’t murder the mouse, he just likes to pet soft things. Steinbeck has made the mouse the symbol for the soft objects Lennie likes to pet. Once after George demands that Lennie disposes of the mouse, they begin their journey to the new ranch they will be working on. Since Lennie always gets them both into trouble, George told Lennie not to verbalize when they got to the ranch. “He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid” (22). George is making up an excuse to the boss why he is answering the questions that are geared towards Lennie. This quote somewhat informs the reader why Lennie is the way he is. John Steinbeck illustrates his use of symbolism very well in this novel. He also demonstrates another literary device, foreshadowing, in this novel well too.
Many stories in the world have a lot of the same characters. Carl Jung believed that universal, mythic characters called archetypes reside within the collective unconscious of people in the world. Archetypes are important because basically any story you will read will have archetypes in it. The archetypes in The Pearl are important because without the Hero, Ally, or Loyal Retainer archetypes in the book, The Pearl would have no story. This is why John Steinbeck uses many different archetypes in The Pearl such as the Hero, Ally, and Loyal Retainer.
One of the most common and prominent themes of The Pearl is greed. One of the first examples of this is when Kino went to the doctor to beg for treatment, but the doctor responded, "‘Has he any money?’ the doctor demanded. ‘No, they never have money. I, I alone in the world am supposed to work for nothing- and I am tired of it. See if he has any money!’” (Steinbeck 11). Many would consider it unethical to refuse treatment to someone simply because of their poverty. The doctor refusing to cure the ill child shows how greed has corrupted him to the point of having an innocent baby die rather than offering up his services for free. Another early instance of greed was when the news of the pearl “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. He wondered what the pearl would be worth” (Steinbeck 21). Even the people of God, those believed to have the highest morals, became materialistic. He who is supposed to be satisfied with just the love of the lord suddenly hungered for more. This greed eventually came to Kino when Juana suggested throwing away the pearl, but Kino replied, “‘No,’ he said. ‘I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We
During this novel, John Steinbeck purposely adds a vast use of description. Therefore, the reader can follow along using imagery, while they are reading. While the reader is reading the novel, they can focus and be in the moment, while visualizing what is happening in the scene. Also, Steinbeck connects dialogue through figurative language. In the beginning of the book, George describes Lennie as “strong as a bull” (Steinbeck 22). George backs up Lennie saying that he is smart and a good worker. The author uses a simile to deeply describe Lennie’s personality. Overall, the tone of a novel is set by the use of description that is used.
John Steinbeck wanted his novella be an allegory. He has fully accomplished that by making every character, place, animal in the book represent something. Since Steinbeck added a lot of symbolism it gave the reader a deeper understanding and connection to the book. The other characters, animals, and places in the novella symbolized something.
He is driven by greed, so much so that he could even see dreams form in the pearl. Kino is the head of a modest household and until he finds the pearl he lives a satisfied life with all he needs for his family to be happy. As soon as Kino finds the pearl he starts to want possessions he never wanted before. He dreams of education for Coyotito, marrying Juana in a Catholic church, purchasing new clothing for his family, and getting a harpoon and a rifle for himself. “It was the rifle that broke down the barriers . . . for it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (Steinbeck 32). Located within a small poverty-stricken community, a pearl diver named Kino finds “the Pearl of the World” and becomes suddenly rich, he begins to want items that he thought were impossible before. As Kino thinks more and more of what the pearl can do for him, he starts to think that it will raise his social status as well. This is only the beginning of Kino’s greediness, for the more he gets, the more he will want, and this begins to dehumanize him. Kino focuses on the wealth of the pearl and causes him to change his values about life. In the beginning, Kino is only focused on his family, once Kino finds the pearl he becomes more focused on the pearl, rather than his family. Kino cares a lot more about losing the pearl rather than something bad happening to his loved
Readers can tell from the statement that many of the people Kino encounters after finding the pearl become bitter “friends”. At this point, Kino and Juana begin to realize that the pearl is bringing bad luck upon them. They are taken advantage of by the doctor and he decides to visit them after knowing they have the pearl. “This pearl is like a sin”(56). Juana begins to realize the pearl is bringing them bad luck, but Kino still trusts that it’s a gift. Readers can also assume that people are trying to take the pearl when Kino is suddenly attacked during the night. “Blood oozed down from his scalp and there was a long…”(56). Readers can now confirm that the pearl has changed and now represents evil. The pearl also begins to destroy Kino and Juana’s relationship as they have different opinions on what to do with the pearl. After Kino wakes up and follows Juana when she wakes up and walks out, readers know he has started to lose full trust in her. “He rolled up to his feet and followed her silently as she had gone” (58). Through the symbolism of the pearl and what it brings upon Kino and Juana, the author emphasizes how the pearl is not what it first appears to be, which was
John Steinbeck uses similes to build and create powerful characters that touch the hearts of readers. Throughout the story Lennie`s character grows to be stronger and stronger through Steinbeck`s use of similes. When George and Lennie arrive at the farm, George introduces himself and Lennie to the boss. George compliments on Lennie being a hell of a good worker and tells the boss Lennie was “Strong as a bull” (Steinbeck 22). Up till this quote, Lennie is thought to be a huge man, shapeless of face who walked very heavily until Steinbeck`s use of similes help uncover Lennie`s true character. John Steinbeck illustrates Lennie`s body and strength by comparing him to a large, heavy and physically powerful animal such as a bull. The use of similes helps in indirect characterization as well and adds to Lennie`s physical appearance and age. The use of similes in this quote helps to create a more powerful character and bring more ...
John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of a pearl diver named Kino. Kino lives a simple life, and adores his family. At the beginning of the story Steinbeck shows how content Kino’s family is. Everything seems to be going perfect for Kino and his family that is until the discovery of the most wonderful pearl in the world changes his life forever. As the story advances Kino’s newborn, Coyotito gets bitten by a scorpion. Kino’s wife, Juana insists that they take Coyotito to the town’s doctor. Inevitably the doctor refuses to help Coyotito because Kino is unable to make a payment.
The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a classic novella. Steinbeck is a classic author that also wrote The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. “This long story (or short novel) follows five momentous days in the life of an Indian pearl diver living in La Paz, a small port on the Gulf of California,” (Gunn 1) . Kino is the pearl diver, and his son, Coyotito, gets stung by a scorpion, but the doctor will not see him because of race and status. That is until Kino goes pearl diving and finds a pearl the size of a gull’s egg. After that everything changes for Kino, his family, and the whole village. This novella is set up a lot like a parable in which it is an earthly story with an heavenly meaning. This story has many symbols that point to the overlying
In Matthew 26:16 it says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Truly, the question posed in this quote is one that applies to the main character, Kino, in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. Steinbeck composes a narrative, in which the characters are driven by unrelenting greed, resulting in disastrous consequences. Steinbeck is an exemplary author in the genre of tragic, fictional literature. Indeed, Steinbeck effectively utilizes elements of fiction including characterization, symbolism and conflict in order to convey the theme that misery is inevitable when a person’s insatiable greed precedes it. Steinbeck capably uses characterization to show the reader how the characters evolve as the story progresses, while demonstrating how their insatiable greed led to their downfall. Likewise, Steinbeck utilizes symbolism in the story to give seemingly mundane objects a more profound and substantial meaning, that foreshadow the outcome of the characters’ unquenchable greed. Furthermore, Steinbeck effectively uses different types of conflict, namely internal and external, to communicate to the reader the struggles that follow a greedy heart. Through the use of these elements of fiction, Steinbeck is able to show how greed affects these characters and the unavoidable misery that follows. By reading this essay, the reader will understand how Steinbeck uses various elements of fiction to demonstrate the devastating effects of a person’s greed in a world where the evil in people is often far greater than the goodness in people.
American literature plays a vital role in society, providing entertainment while displaying themes that related to common problems during the 1940s. One of the novels that reflects some of these major problems is The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck. This novel is based on a story that Steinbeck heard on his trip to La Paz, Mexico in 1940. He describes this story in his book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Steinbeck tries to show the difficulties that many people faced in Mexico. In particular, The Pearl examines the social and cultural inequalities between the Mexicans and the Europeans, illustrates how longing for materialistic goods can result in destruction, and demonstrates how a man’s actions can influence his family’s dreams.
“It is wonderful the way a little town keeps track of itself and of all its units.” (41) In The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, a poor fisherman named Kino and his family find the pearl of the world and must defend themselves from jealous attackers. They then go on a life changing journey to seek the right payment for their newfound treasure and encounter many obstacles along the way. Through the use of characterization and symbolism, the author demonstrates that greed and obsession lead to downfall. Steinbeck uses the pearl buyers, the aristocrats, and Kino to illustrate this message.