Steinbeck's The Pearl

In Stenibeck’s The Pearl, Kino is faced with multiple struggles. Steinbeck presents one struggle in particular that is shown throughout the novella. Steinbeck introduces the struggle of social inequality. This struggle leads Kino on an adventure full of many other smaller struggles. He presents this struggle throughout the story through symbolism, Kino’s village, Kino’s interactions with other characters, and makes it obvious that the struggle still exists in today’s world. Steinbeck uses symbolism to show inequality between classes and also portrays this issue through Kino’s interactions with others. In chapter 1, Kino’s son Coyotito was stung by a scorpion and needed a doctor’s treatment to survive. Kino was reluctant because he knew he was not equal with the higher class but his wife Juana was persistent in saving her baby. They traveled through the city in search of the doctor’s help to only be turned down at the gates because of their social class. The doctor says, “’ Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’? I am a doctor, not a veterinary’” (Steinbeck 11). The doctor refuses to treat the baby because of the social class they belonged to and because he himself saw that social class as ‘animals’ not human beings. Therefore, Coyotito, only a small baby, is turned down the help he needs because of a constant struggle between the classes, something that he was born into and cannot help. Steinbeck also uses symbolism to show this struggle. The huts that Kino and his community live in are very small and have nothing to offer. The prosperous city that the upper class lives in has many things to offer including churches, roads, and doctors. This is made to show that Kino’s people, much like their huts, have little to offer compared to the upper class. Kino’s village is small and secluded, much like how their say in their lifestyles are. They are stuck in social injustice and have no way of escaping or creating a new lifestyle. The

Cited: Calia, John. Personal Interview. 20 December 2012. “Occupy Wall Street” Wikipedia.com. 20 December 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_wall_street Steinbeck, John. The Pearl. New York. Viking Press. 1947.