The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Pearl by John SteinbeckThis is a sm ein truth(prenominal) village where kino and his family as well as relatives live in. The people living in this village scram similar houses as kino gums house. The reader can tell that the people living in this village be as well as very poor and therefore atomic number 18 probably uneducated. Further much, this village serves as a contrast to the town that the fertile people live in. Since the people are poor and uneducated, the rich people leave alone be qualified to take advantage of them easily. The setting contributes to the theme of the social class since it demonstrated the inequality amidst the rich and the poor. Since kino gum is very poor, so when he discovers the pearl, people should feel happy for him, right? It is not this case in this invention. People want to steal the pearl scour though they are already very rich. Thus, this setting clearly helps to demonstrate the tendency of human beings to be greedy and cruel e ven to those who have already suffered for a long period of time.Gray gemstone mountain A mountain north of La Paz where gum kino and his family run to in order to carry from the trackers. The mountain is very lofty, and there is a spring and a sh everyow cave on the top where Kinos family hide in. Since all animals seek to go to the high place when they are hunted or pursued, the mountain gives the readers a sense of what it is like when hunting and being hunted. The setting itself in like manner creates a suspenseful and try mood when the novel is at its climax.6. Plot outline (brief) Kino, Juana, and their baby Coyotito live in a humble brush house by the sea in the village of La Paz. On one morning, a scorpion stings Coyotito. Kino and Juana thence rush him to the heal in the town nearby. When they arrive at the front of the doctors house, they are rejected by the doctors servant because they cannot afford the medication fee. Kino then decides to dive into the ocean and lo ok for pearls so he can pay the doctor money. Later, Kino finds the largest pearl that has ever existed on Earth. subsequently hearing about Kinos discovery, the doctor comes to Kinos house and cures Coyotito toward the evening. Before going to bed, Kino hides the pearl under his sleeping mat. Later in the night, he is awakened by an intruder looking for the pearl inside his house. A violent struggle follows, and Kino is injured during the fight. The contiguous morning, Kino and Juana goes to town to sell the pearl. After realizing that the pearl dealers are trying to cheat on him, Kino decides to sell the pearl in the capital instead. In the middle of that night, a group of men attacks Kino again in an attempt to steal the pearl. During the fight, Kino chance evently kills one of the men. Kino and Juana then decide to flee. After they find out that Kinos canoe is undo and their house is burnt, Kinos family hides in Juan Tomass house until night comes. At night, Kino, Juana, and Coyotito leave for the capital. They rest after a long move and are about to continue again when Kino finds out that three trackers are following them. Kino decides that they must go up the gray stone mountain and attempts to mislead the trackers by creating false trails. After they find a cave at the top of the mountain, Kinos family decide to hide inside of it and wait for a chance to bilk. Slowly, the trackers make their way to the top of the mountain. The trackers are preparing to sleep when Kino decides that he must attack them before the moon rises so he will not be seen. As Kino prepares to attack, Coyotito lets out a gentle scream, waking the trackers. Then, one of trackers fires his rifle at the cave Juana and Coyotito are in. The moment he fired, however, Kino attacks and quickly kills all of the trackers. Later, Kino finds out Coyotito has been shot. The next day, Kino and Juana travel back to their town. They walk to the ocean as the townspeople watch in silent enthra llment. At the shore, Kino takes out the great pearl and tosses it back into the ocean with all his might.7. Major themes of the workWealth brings trouble and causes the loss of sinlessnessKino transforms from a happy, contented man to a greedy savage criminal after he finds the pearlWealth causes ambition and greed, which destroy man large-mindeds purityGreed transforms the pearl from a symbol of good luck and hope to a symbol of destructionKinos greediness leads him to act violently toward Juana and eventually to his passwords conclusionPeople become jealous and want to obtain Kinos newfound pearl in both legal and illegal waysThe greed and jealousy of all the people destroy the peace and happiness that Kino has knownSteinbeck points out that human beings have a tendency to be jealous of other people. roughly people are envious of the wealth of others, and many will try to take a portion of that wealth by using any method. Therefore, it is very important for us to not to be t oo greedy and ambitious.The roles of fate (destiny) and luckForces beyond human control (like fate and destiny) can completely channelise an individuals life either for the better or the worse at any momentKino and Juanas lives are changed when the scorpion (symbol of wicked fate) bites CoyotitoTheir lives then change again when Kino discovers the pearl (symbol of beneficial fate)Even though Steinbeck points out that fate and other forces do play a role in shaping human life, he also suggests that it is not fate, but human emotions and desires in the forms of jealousy and greed that ultimately leads to the novels devastating tragic ending.Cruelty of Humanity and the Social ClassesThe doctor cruelly refuses to treat Coyotito since Kino does not have moneyThe pearl buyers try to cheat on the ignorant Kino so that they can make more moneyThe trackers and other unknown invaders are willing to kill Kino in order to become wealthyThe poverty and lack of education prevents the working-cl ass from enjoying the benefits of the higher-classThe upper-class members take advantage of the tear down-class because they are more educatedIn showing how the pearl affects other people, Steinbeck points out that most people have a cruel nature. We might do harm to others in order to achieve our own personal goals. Furthermore, Steinbeck also points out that there is an inequality between the higher-class and the lower-class, since the better educated higher-class will always take advantage of the uneducated lower-class.8. Symbols in the bookThe PearlThe pearl constantly appears throughout the novel. When the pearl is scratch line discovered in Chapter 2, it represents possibility, good luck, and a symbol of divine assistance. Kinos discovery of the pearl fills him with hope for a better-quality life. It seems to be an event that serves as a relievo to the disaster of the scorpion bite.Once the town learns about the pearl (Chapters 3-6), however, the pearl begins to make everyo ne to become greedy. The pearl becomes less symbolic of all the good involvements that it represents and now interprets greed, ambition, desires, and cruelty. Juana and Juan Tomas also begin to see the pearl as a dangerous threat. Kino begins to dedicate all his efforts and possessions to protecting the pearl toward the end of the novel. The pearl therefore comes to symbolize the destructive nature of greediness.The scorpionThe scorpion that stings Coyotito in Chapter 1 represents evil and the annihilation of honor and purity. Even though the scorpion only appears once in the novel, the process of the destruction of innocence that it represents occurs constantly throughout the plot. For instance, Kinos innocence is destroyed by his ambition and greed, and the colonists destroyed native peoples beliefs and traditional ways of life.Kinos canoeKinos canoe represents his pride, a means of making a living, and his connection to his cultural tradition. The canoe appears twice throughou t the story. The first time is when Kino uses it to find the pearl. Kinos races culture is deeply spiritual, so it is important that Kino uses his canoe to discover the pearl, which is granted by a heavenly power that has nothing to do with human behaviors or actions. The second time it appears is when Kino attempts to escape by using the canoe. However, he finds it already destroyed. This is very important because Kinos ownership of the pearl leads directly to the destruction of his canoe, and this is an event that symbolizes how Kinos greediness and ambition have destroyed his traditional way of life.9. Other significant imageryThe stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the lower time, and the early pigs were already beginning their ceaseless turning of twigs and bits of wood to see whether anything to eat had been overlooked. Outside the brush house in the tuna clump, a bevy of petty(a) birds chattered and flurried with their wings. Chapter 1, pag e 5Steinbeck portrays the natural world as a kingdom that reflects the human world. This imagery mirrors the natures peaceful innocence the same innocence that Kino has at the beginning of the novel. However, hiding inside that innocence is the tendency to be greedy. The pigs in this quote are greedy in a sense that they are trying to find anything that they can possibly find to eat.The gray oysters with ruffles like skirts on the shells, the barnacle-crusted oysters with little bits of weed clinging to the skirts and small crabs climbing over them. An accident could happen to these oysters, a grain of sand could lie in the folds of muscle and irritate the flesh until in self-protection the flesh coated the grain with a layer of smooth cement. But once started, the flesh continued to coat the foreign body until it fell free in some tidal squabble or until the oyster was destroyed. Swarms of fish lived near the bed to live near the oysters thrown back by the searching men and to ni bble at the glistening inner shells. Chapter 6, page 85The descriptions of the sea emphasize the fact that life is a struggle for existence in which only the strongest will be able to survive. The fish can only eat what the men left behind. So if the food is not enough for them, they will die. This struggle can be seen in the conflicts between natives of Kinos race against the oppressive colonists. Also, this quote suggests that oysters must die in order for a pearl to form. Again, Steinbeck points out that every time something is gained, another thing is lost. Kino, with his newfound pearl, has lost his innocence.Beside this tiny stream, wherever enough earth collected for root-hold, colonies of plants grew, wild grape and little palms, maidenhair fern, hibiscus, and tall pampas grass with feathery rods increase above the spike leaves. And in the pool lived frogs and waterskaters, and waterworms crawled on the bottom of the pool. Everything that loved water came to these few sha llow places. The cats took their prey there, and strewed feathers and lapped water through their bloody teeth. The little pools were places of life because of the water, and places of killing because of the water, too. Chapter 6, page 85This imagery suggests that there are two sides to almost everything. The pool is a place of birth for plants and other animals. However, it is also a place of death since predators look for prey here. Steinbeck also applies this principle to the pearl as well. Kino is able to afford the doctor and have his son cured because of the pearl. However, his son ultimately died because of the pearl, too.10. Significance of title of work The title of the novel is very symbolic and represents the themes of the story. The way the pearl is described throughout the novel reflects the changes that Kino, the main protagonist, goes through. At first, the pearl is a simple and gorgeous object of nature. Once it becomes intertwined with ideas of material value, greed , and desire, however, it becomes dangerous and destructive. The pearl is an item of natural splendor and rectitude that draws out the wickedness innate in men.11. Authors techniques that are important to this work One of the special techniques that Steinbeck used in this novel is the way he makes all the characters to seem very realistic. In order to develop the characters that he was creating, John Steinbeck studied the culture, traditions, and the thinking of ancient races like those depicted in the novel. As a result, the novel and its characters are very realistic and believable to the readers.For exampleBeware of that kind of tree there, he said, pointing. Do not touch it, for if you do and then touch your eyes, it will blind you. And beware of the tree that bleeds. See, that one over there. For if you break it the red blood will flow from it, and it is evil luck. Chapter 6, page 76In this quote, we can clearly learn what Kinos cultures traditions are and what the people of his race think and believe in. One thing we can tell just by looking from this example is that Kinos race thinks that if a tree bleeds, then it is bad luck. This shows us that they are superstitious and might believe in some kind of religion.