In John Steinbeck's Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Pearl, the author portrays a realistic storyline as well as many life-lessons. In Steinbeck's opinion, the job of the writer is to expose "our many grievous faults and failures" in an attempt to improve ourselves, and meanwhile also to celebrate our strengths. He thinks that the writer, while knowing that man can never be perfect, must believe in the perfectibility of man. In The Pearl, Steinbeck uses his incredibly realistic characters to bring out the strengths and weaknesses of humankind. Among others, Steinbeck speaks of man's weaknesses through the doctor. The doctor, greedy and selfish, is only concerned with himself and money. He poisons and then cures Coyotito, just for the money, regardless of possibly hurting the baby. Also, the doctor tries to steal the pearl from Kino during the night. The doctor shows us how money (and the desire for money) can corrupt someone so that person will do anything for it. Also, the character Kino, while possessing many strengths, has a great number of weaknesses. After finding the pearl and putting all of his hopes and dreams in it, Kino refuses to listen when Juana tries to convince him that the pearl is evil. Ironically, but not unpredictably, the pearl brings many hardships to the family. Finally, in his madness over the pearl, Kino beats Juana when she attempts to throw the pearl back into the sea, and he ends up killing a man. Kino's pearl has become a part of his soul, and he doesn't listen to his wife Juana, his brother Juan Tomas, or even to his instincts, who all sense that the pearl is evil. Throughout the book, Kino is so confident in his abilities that he fails many of the things he tries to do. At the end of the story, Kino realizes that what he has been ignoring for so long has been right the pearl really is evil. On the other hand, Juana portrays the greatness and courage of humankind. During the story, she is always a strong character. For example, when Coyotito gets stung by the scorpion, Kino crushes the scorpion while Juana makes the more sensible choice and helps Coyotitio. Even Kino admits that "she could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself." Juana knows that the pearl will bring evil to her family, and tries to destroy it even when she knows Kino is against it. All through this novel, Juana guides Kino and tries to help him make the right decisions. All in all, Steinbeck has done a very thorough job of exposing man's weaknesses and highlighting man's strengths. Through the characters of Kino, Juana, and the doctor, we see the fallibilities of human nature, as well as the potential for greatness.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are three characters that show person vs fate in a negative way. The book ends by George shooting Lennie at the end. George will turn into the average migrant worker because he does not have Lennie any more. Also, Crook's future is bad because of segregation. Finally, Curley's wife will not make it to Hollywood because she is married to Curley. With Lennie’s death it makes it very hard for george to try to achieve the American Dream.…
- 514 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Lennie was a “a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders” (2). He worked hard, but was always doing something wrong which caused trouble. One day Lennie’s actions ended up hurting him. This altered his life forever. Through the character of Lennie, John Steinbeck illustrates in Of Mice and Men how a character’s actions can cause shocking outcomes.…
- 521 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In The Pearl, the pearl represents greed. After finding the pearl, Kino as well as the other characters become greedy because they want the power they believe the pearl contains. The events that take place evoke the reader’s emotions by changing the way the reader feels about a character due to their choices. This helps the author to convey the point that money and power leads to greed.…
- 533 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
“ Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values. ” In the short story, “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”, by Walter Dean Myers explores the values of Greg Ridley, a fourteen-year-old boy who wants to play basketball but can’t because of his low grade in math. John Steinbeck’s novel, The Pearl, is about Kino and his family, who are poor, but when he finds the pearl he thinks that it will help him and his family ,but that soon changes when he goes to sell the pearl and as he becomes corrupt with greed. In both the “Treasure of Lemon Brown” and The Pearl, the main characters experience conflicts that change their views of what is important in life.…
- 496 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Frederick Douglass states, “Without a struggle, there can be no progress.” He means that after people go the through the difficult times in their life, they will change, either evolve or regress. In John Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men”, the author presents George’s development by having him go through an experience of despair during the Great Depression, the co-dependence between George and Lennie , and Carlson’s cruelty in the story.…
- 234 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Within the Pearl John Steinbeck uses quite a few techniques to show the cause and effect of such misfortune and imperfection. John Steinbeck evokes themes of the destructive power of greed, wealth, racism, and the loss of innocence and contentment within the Pearl by showing it through the dialogues and characterisations of individuals, for example the Doctor, by looking at the dialogues and characterisation of the Doctor, readers can easily figure out that he is…
- 678 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In this article Thomas Scarseth tells about how John Steinbeck how the theme of greatness despite defeat throughout the novel, Of Mice and Men. Scarseth explained that real life does not have happy endings, and that other books have happy endings. The low class characters using vulgar language, and use of sexual conduct sometimes draws readers away. Most readers that like reading enjoy the book because of how Of Mice and Men relates to the hardships of life. Other point Scarseth brings up about Steinbeck’s themes is that everyone is created equal. Showing that you have to work to become something more than average. This leads to Scarseth saying everyone in the book is both good and bad, neither purely one. This leads to gruesome situations, based on good intentions. Scarseth finally tells us that the whole point of the book is good intentions gone bad, making situations go from bad to worse.…
- 1006 Words
- 5 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Kino decides to vend the pearl for fifty thousand pesos; nonetheless, the highest bid was only fifteen hundred pesos. He makes his way to the city to get a higher offer. Unfortunately, the pearl only brings to him unhappiness. On his way to city, Kino is attacked by evil men who attempt to take away the pearl. Being unsuccessful, the evil men destroy Kino’s canoe and as well as the house.…
- 401 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In chapter 2, he saw ambition in the pearl and in the chapter 3 and 4. But mostly in chapter 5 and 6 the pearl started to become evil because of what the pearl did to their family. In chapter two on page 16 it says “Juana goes over to check on Coyotito and finds that the swelling of his shoulder has gone down. Kino clenches the pearl and howls.” Kino clenches the pearl and howls because he is looking for hope for the sake of Coyotito. In the chapters of 2-4 he is seeking for hope but never finds that hope at the end. All he finds in the pearls are troubles and…
- 696 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The world is full of greedy people, the Pearl written by John Steinbeck gave a great example of greed. Kino seeks to find a pearl to hoping to find a pearl of sufficient value to persuade the doctor to treat the poisoned Coyotito. Thus, Kino and Juana set forth in search of a pearl. The rowed and came upon a bed of oysters with canoes near them. Kino then dove into the water to collect oysters in search of a pearl. To Juana’s surprise Kino found a huge oyster and inside was a gleaming pearl. This is what they were both hoping for but this is where everything started to go south.…
- 630 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
John Steinbeck is an esteemed writer often noted for his accurate portrayals of the dejected state of the middle-class during the time known as the Great Depression. This hopelessness and downcast moods because of poor economic times is exhibited greatly in John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men. By meticulously combing literary elements like tone, foreshadowing, and symbolism, Steinbeck demonstrates the constant mental and emotional warfare humankind faces. This conflict and turmoil is caused by two distinct and contrasting natures of humankind: cruelty, and hope. However, Steinbeck uses these literary tools to specifically emphasize the perpetual victory of mankind’s cruel side.…
- 1200 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Dreams build ambition, but when a dream becomes deferred, a person’s personality and mentality can change. In both John Steinbeck’s novels, Of Mice and Men and The Pearl display the tragic results of one’s dreams not being achieved is presented. Evidence of the tragedy and disappointment of unfulfilled dreams is expressed through George and Lennie, Kino, and Crooks. Unfilled dreams manifested into George and Lennie, Kino, and Crooks and is revealed through their actions.…
- 638 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the beginning he saw the pearl as this great thing that would help his family live on and be happy. "Our son must go to school. He must break out of the pot that holds us in," he said this with hopes of using the pearl for Coyotito’s schooling and giving him a better future with that knowledge. Toward the end of having the pearl he becomes insane and insecure. Juana realizes that the pearl is evil and says to Kino, "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 in the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil!” Kino then starts taking into consideration of Juana is saying and becomes more into the thought that the pearl is really evil. Kino believes different things about the pearl from the beginning to the end, he goes from seeing it as hope to destruction and…
- 603 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Set in La Paz, Mexico, Kino is content with his small family and house made of brush. However, when his only son Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, Kino sets out to find a pearl grand enough to pay the doctor who has refused to help. In an ancient clam, Kino stumbles upon the largest pearl anyone in La Paz had ever seen. Dubbed “the Pearl of the World” everyone suddenly became interested in Kino and his family. When his brother, Juan Tomas, asks what the future holds, Kino sees images of Coyotito in school and a real marriage for Juana and himself reflected in the pearl’s surface. Even Coyotito’s wound seemed to be healing. However, joy and opportunity dragged paranoia and thievery along for the journey. Kino began to distrust everyone and everything. His new personality resembled an impenetrable shell through which no one could break, not even Juana. At the pearl market, Kino was told that his prize was a monstrosity only worth 1,000 pesos. Knowing that he could get much more, Kino decided to make the trek to the capital for a fair bid to be made. Throughout the story, at least three…
- 1771 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
In this classic novella, which established him as one of the world’s most celebrated writers, John Steinbeck tells the story of two friends in 1930’s California. John Steinbeck wrote a naturalistic novel that dealt with three powerful and universal themes, imperative in the latter success of the novel. These themes were the value of dreams and goals, hopes and friendship. The novel also illustrates the importance of moral responsibility, and veracity of social injustice. His book Of Mice and Men is a story of two men living during the Great Depression in California. This is a book of defeated hope and the harsh reality of the “American Dream.” Steinbeck’s naturalistic and unrefined style of writing is helpful because of its ability to connect with his readers. The three strong themes in the novel are important because they depict human life in an interesting way, which can be understood. Of Mice and Men is a universal story because people everywhere can relate to the dreams, pleasures, and struggles of the characters.…
- 746 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays