The Pearl By John Steinbeck Literary Analysis

“Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining”

Due to human nature, we tend to seek out the best materialistic things. We work hard to earn more money to get newer and nicer things and sometimes this greed can get to even the best of us. When reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck I found that Steinbeck proposed many universal themes that are highly relatable to my life. Many themes and symbols have been cleverly weaved within Steinbeck’s novella allowing the reader to connect to Kino’s experiences. All things considered, Steinbeck’s symbols can clearly relate to my life through shared experiences with manipulation, chaos, and over obsession. Growing up, every child sees their father as a role model with intentions to helps us, but like the doctor, my father

Kino’s village unwillingly plummeted into hell when they were consumed by the promise of wealth and bared all of its negativities. “The neighbors were tumbling from their houses now, and they watched the falling sparks and stamped them out to save their own houses” (33). This exemplifies the chaos that was brought upon them. Steinbeck continues by saying, “He could hear the squeal of children and the shouts of the neighbors” (33). Likewise, I found my Achilles’ heel six years ago. That was when my mother had a brain aneurysm that remodeled my life drastically. Not only was my lifestyle renovated, but the everyday tension between my friends and family changed. Much like how the pearl dismantles Kino’s community, my relationship with friends and family began to diminish. I began distancing myself, sealing myself away from everything but music. This was a common occurrence. Consequently, I found myself drifting away. Eventually, I began to feel lost, spacing out during boring school lectures, and family time. In the same way, Kino feels lost

Obsessed by his dream, Kino grows blind to greed, fear and selfishness. He loses himself. “His brain was red with anger” (31). Steinbeck goes on to say, “Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared” (31). Though an extreme case of lack of control, this demonstrate just how distant Kino becomes. Furthermore, the journey away from his humanity and ethics continues to worsen as the story progresses. Eventually, he is characterized as an animal and outcasted from his home. Music had a comparable effect to me and my life. As I learned new songs, expanded my horizons, and tackled new challenges, I became engulfed in music. Although this may seem like a good thing, music became my pearl. I squandered many opportunities, and regret it upon reminiscence. There have been countless times where I have used music as an escape from family, friends, and obligations. Just as Kino separated himself from his family, I recognized my parallel wrongdoings. Nevertheless, I found it hard to control holding back. Playing instruments became a default setting when socially interacting seemed hard or I faced a task that I am compelled to complete. Despite all of the negatives, music brought many positives like increasing self confidence and earning that feeling of accomplishment. Moreover, music was not the only positive experience for I flourished in varied aspects due to the