The Pearl
by John Steinbeck
Table of Contents
Discussion Questions
- There is a conventional kind of wisdom in the townspeople, who often disagree with the decisions of Juana and Kino, yet they nonetheless follow the two of them when they go to the doctor and go to sell the pearl. How is the town’s reaction different and/or similar to Kino’s and Juana’s when the two deal with both the doctor and the buyers?
- What are the different ways in which custom and tradition are manifested in The Pearl?
- How do Kino’s and Juana’s reactions to the scorpion and its stinging of the baby show their differences of character?
- Why is Juan Thomas fearful and yet supportive of Kino’s stepping outside of the custom of selling to the town buyers?
- How does Kino’s departure from the sea for the mountains symbolize his rejection of tradition and grace and foreshadow the novella’s tragic conclusion?
