John Steinbeck’s novella, The Pearl, is filled with literary devices. The main character, Kino, lives in a coastal town in Mexico where he does not have much money. In the story, Kino finds the a perfect pearl, “The Pearl of the World”, and becomes a rich man. He hopes to marry his wife, Juana, in a church, educate his son, Coyotito, and buy a rifle. Kino is given many offers, because everyone wants his pearl. However, Kino turns them down thinking the pearl is worth much more. Kino’s greed begins to get the best of him. John Steinbeck uses the motif of music, the motif of nature, and imagery to convey the theme; greed changes people and makes them do evil deeds.
The motif of music occurs periodically throughout the entire story. Kino often
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There are many comparisons to animals in The Pearl. These comparisons help the readers understand Kino better and figure out how he changes. Steinbeck says, “Kino looked down at her [Juana] and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake”(59). Kino hurt his wife because he wanted to keep the pearl so badly. He was greedy.The author compares Kino to a snake and a ferocious dog. These are two vicious and evil animals. By comparing Kino to a snake and ferocious dog, the author reveals greed can make a person vicious or evil. It changes people and how they act. Later, after Kino kills a man he and his famiy have to flee the town, Steinbeck wrote, “there came a rush of exhilaration; some animal thing was moving in him so that he was cautious and wary and dangerous”(69). Kino wanted to keep the pearl, and his family, safe so he had become very dangerous and animal-like. Kino wanted to sheild his family, but he was also greedy and wanted to keep the pearl protected. The story says, “And Kino ran for the high place, as nearly all animals do when they are pursued”(76). Kino is continually compared to an animal in order to show how he has changed and become more animal-like. The author continues to compare him to an animal to further emphasize the theme, greed changes people and makes them act …show more content…
The imagery Steinbeck uses helps the readers understand the theme. Steinbeck wrote, “and then he held the great pearl in his hand. He looked into its surface and it was gray and ulcerous. Evil faces peered from it into his eyes…. And the pearl was ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growth. And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distorted and insane”(89). There are numerous excellent literary devices in this section of imagery. When Steinbeck metions Kino seeing evil faces in the pearl, he indicates the evil pearl causes dreadful things. A malignant growth is dangerous and fatal, much like the pearl. The author states the pearl is gray and ulcerous and ugly. In the book, the pearl represents greed. When Steinbeck describes the pearl this way, he says the same thing about greed-- it is evil, dangerous, ulcerous, and ugly. The text also says, “Every man suddenly became related to Kino’s pearl, and Kino’s pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone…. The news stirred up something infinately black and evil in the town”(23). Everyone who heard about the pearl longed to have it. They all wanted the money. They were filled with greed. The pearl, and the greed of other people wanting the pearl, had caused evil and darkness to come about in the town. The story said, “Greedy fingers went through his clothes, frantic figures searched his, and the pearl, knocked
“He who wants everything everytime will lose everything, anytime”- Vikrant Parsai. This famous quote supports the theme of “Greed and materialism left unchecked, can lead to immoral behavior such as violence” in the book, The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Kino and Juana find the pearl of the world while Kino gets a little too obsessed with the pearl. Juana tries to hide it and make everything better, but everything backfires on her . Kino goes crazy about what Juana tries to do to help him and does things no one would ever imagine.With this in mind, all the readers will look at how greed is expressed through characters,and even Kino himself and symbolism.
“You had become so wrapped up in the pearl’s worth, that you were willing to hurt me, your own wife, in order to protect it! Greed surely played a role in this, as no right-minded man would ever assault his wife for the fun of it.” Kino spoke softly, unable to meet my gaze, “I am a man. I must never show weakness.” I didn’t believe Kino’s excuses, and I am pretty sure he didn’t either.
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
John Steinbeck’s novella, The Pearl, is written as a parable, which allows the reader to interpret its themes in their own way. It can take place in any time period, with any setting, and using any protagonist. The themes Steinbeck used throughout his book are universal and can applied to anyone’s lives. Its contrasting portrayal of good and evil creates a clear understanding of themes such as greed, illusions, and humanity and reason versus animalism and instinct.
For example, when Juana argues with Kino about the pearl, she tells Kino, “The pearl is like a sin” (38). The pearl is compared to a sin using a simile and reveals how Juana truly feels about the pearl as it connotes evil, envy, and greed. This supports the fact that the pearl converts Kino and that it isn’t benevolent. In addition, when Juan Tomas tells Kino to leave the pearl, Kino tells Juan, “The pearl has become my soul” (67). Kino is shown to have an obsession with the pearl and that it controls him. His commitment to the pearl connotes obsession, delusion, and compulsion. The pearl and it’s hold on Kino is why he is dehumanized as the book progresses
In the novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck, the symbolism of the pearl is of utmost importance. The meaning the pearl embodies is especially significant in relation to the underlying parody: the wretchedness that emanates from the acquisition of wealth. According to the narrator, “it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (25). Ultimately, through the use of figurative language, the narrator reveals the inherent malignancy of avarice. Although, the pearl initially symbolizes good luck and godly intervention, its symbolism transforms to represent the malevolent essence of wealth.
The Pearl is a parable, a story that has a moral, written by John Steinbeck. The novel is based on a poor Indian family who live in a small village outside of La Paz, Mexico along the Gulf of Mexico. The family consists of: Kino, a fisherman and pearl diver; Juana and their infant son Coyotito. Kino’s people live a life of poverty so when Kino finds “The Pearl of The World” the villagers and town’s people all want to get their hands on the pearl for themselves; Lap Paz became filled with greed. This novel like all others is focused on a major theme; the theme of a literary work is defined as a central idea, concern or purpose about life that a writer wishes to convey. There may be several themes identified in a literary work; however, in John Steinbeck’s novel The Pearl the author uses an occurrence in nature–the pearl to develop one of the most essential universal themes in literature, which is humanity’s struggle with greed.
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
If you were given a million dollars, what would you do? Spend it in a short amount of time? Or save it responsibly for the future? Many would say the latter, confident that they will accomplish that. But for a few, it doesn’t turn out that way. In the book, The Pearl, a family, Kino, Juana and their child, Coyotito, go through various hardships after they have found a pearl, eventually losing everything they had loved. With three examples from the novel, I will explain what the pearl in the book symbolizes.
...rtly utilizes conflict throughout the narrative to illustrate the fact that greed was the cause of those conflicts. Steinbeck describes Kino as a loving man, but the pearl awakens such dark greediness in him, that he is corrupted to the point where he beat his wife to make sure the pearl is saved. This conflict with his wife is a direct result of his greediness, and his unrelenting greed leads to his son’s death. John Steinbeck is able to convey the theme that insatiable greed is the precursor to agonizing misery, through the use of various elements of fiction that include characterization, symbolism and conflict. Through these elements of fiction, Steinbeck creates a dark, tragic story that warns of the consequences of greed in a world where everyone is looking out for themselves and their capacity for evil and greed is far outweighs their capacity for benevolence.
The Pearl is a novel written by John Steinbeck. This novel illustrates many messages, but the most profound message would be of greed. Greed had seemed to be the focal point of the story, and it enabled the reader to reach a moral message and understanding of the dangers that greed play in human life. When asked to analyze the quote by Mahatma Gandhi, which says, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”. This quote resonates with the message of the novel and allows us to dive deeper into the story and message it presents.
In The Pearl by John Steinbeck, greed overrules family morals and causes permanent damage to relationships. Steinbeck uses motif to present the damage and changes greed can bring to people. The changes made to an individual from greed are very impactful. Kino explains how he would feel without the pearl, "This pearl has become my soul.
“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.
Most of the evil in The Pearl shows up after Kino gets the pearl. Kino goes from being a righteous man to being a murderer and the assaulter of his wife, Juana. She even goes so far as to say, “Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones. Let us- let us throw it back to the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil,” (Steinbeck 56). Kino and his tribe, more particularly Juana, have this misconception that the pearl itself is evil, but an object cannot be evil. No, an object does not possess the power of good and evil morals. It is not the object that it is evil it is the people. It just so happens that the object brought out the true nature of evil that has always existed within man. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned,” (Romans 5:12 NIV) Kino saw it as wealth and as his one chance to be more than what the people of the town has said he is. It was the love of money that brought out the evil in Kino. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs,” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV). Unfortunately, it is the love of money that brings out the evil in Kino, because Kino is a good person with a good
John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver who lives in Mexico with his wife, Juana and his baby boy, Coyotito. One day Kino finds a huge pearl worth a great deal of money. Kino dreams of being rich and buying all that he wants after he sells the pearl. The one thing that Kino doesn't realize is that there are many people who will do anything to steal the pearl from him. No one ever suspects the pearl's power todeceive, corrupt, and destroy. Hence, The Pearl depicts the ultimate battle between good and evil.