Research Paper On John Steinbeck

Michael Murray
Mrs. Kennedy
English III AP
20 March 2016
Biography
John Steinbeck decided to become a writer at the age of fifteen years old and did not let anyone stand in his way. Steinbeck is now considered to be one of the best American authors of all time. John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was born on February 27, 1902, to John Ernst and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck in Salinas, California. Steinbeck’s father worked as an accountant and his mother worked as a schoolteacher to provide for the family. Steinbeck was the third of four children. He had three sisters: Esther, Beth, and Mary. His family participated in various community activities, but he did not. Steinbeck stayed in his room and wrote stories and poems (Shillinglaw). In high school,
In The Pearl, the scorpion biblically symbolizes the serpent in Genesis of the Old Testament. Steinbeck uses words from the Old Testament like “fell”, “evil”, and “death” to describe the scorpion. Kino fulfills the prophecy that the serpent (scorpion) would eat dust and be crushed by Eve’s children when he stomps the scorpion in the ground. In the Old Testament, the serpent is considered evil and talks Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and brings evil into their lives. In The Pearl, the scorpion stings Coyotito and brings evil into the lives of Kino and his family. The only difference is that the serpent convinced Eve to eat the fruit. The scorpion stung Coyotito with no hesitation
Kino and his family are characters that are being oppressed. They are being oppressed because of their race. Even with a member of their community facing death (Coyotito), medical attention is denied because they cannot afford to pay the doctor. A consequence of oppression is disruption of the community. An example is when the servant of the doctor does not talk in Kino’s native language. The people in Kino’s community are more likely to accept the way the upper class citizens want them to act rather than revolt against them. Also, without education, the Indian pearl divers cannot rebel against authority without proper knowledge. They cannot afford to pay for an education with the little money that they make. When Kino finds the pearl, he discovers the opportunity of empowering his family with the newly acquired wealth the pearl brings. With the money he thinks he can get with the pearl, he can pay for an education for his son, Coyotito, and give him a chance to rebel against the oppressors. Sadly, Kino is unable to succeed in his mission to do so because of the death of Coyotito