The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a novel that explores human greed. Looking at how the author uses style, character and plot I will show how he has written a powerful tale. I will also look at the way he tells the story and the symbolism of the pearl itself.

The Pearl begins in a small fishing village, the main character is Kino, his baby son Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion, which could easily kill a baby. Kino and his wife Juana take him to the doctor but he says, “I am a doctor not a veterinary” He will only treat Coyotito in exchange for money. Kino and his wife sadly cannot afford to pay the doctor’s fee, but in a desperate attempt Juana tries to treat baby Coyotito herself. Luckily the next day whilst diving for pearls Kino finds the answer to their problems, he comes across the biggest most wonderful pearl in the world, which will easily cover the doctor’s fee if sold. Juana looks at Coyotito’s shoulder with delight as her own treatment worked and the shoulder healed. When Kino goes into the town to sell the pearl no one will give him a fair price for it. News spreads fast and all the pearl buyers had set a price which was far to low, just to

Certainly the main character in the novel is Kino, whose whole personality changes during the course of the book. At the start he is a settled, loving husband but as the story progresses he starts to change, his mind is corrupted by the thought of money and wealth and he physically abuses Juana, which he would never usually do. However as the end of the novel approaches he starts to realise how stupid he has been and how it has cost Coyotito’s life. This change in attitude and ideas throughout the story makes him a very interesting character and his brave, strong, warrior like personality also adds to the excitement of the novel.

The doctor adds a sense of evil to the novel; his selfish and nasty attitude towards the native villagers gives the novel a bit more depth and emotion. This emotion is shown through “the song of evil” and “the song of the family”, these songs are present in Kino’s mind at different points in the book, giving the reader a good understanding of what Kino’s attitude is. These songs also give a very traditional feel to the storyline.

The story is written in a strange way, there are many sentences beginning with the word “and”, which is not common practice, the story line is very simple but effective. All of these factors link to a folktale, a story that has been passed down through generations and has to be easy to remember. The novel is circular in the way that they end up back at the village where they came from and the pearl ends up back in the sea where it belongs. The novel is written with an omniscient narrator.

When Kino finds the pearl he described it as “the great pearl” “perfect as the moon” and “it was the greatest pearl in the world” but as the story progresses again his attitude towards it changes, at the end it is described as “ugly” “grey” “like a malignant growth” and he hears “the music of the pearl” which was “distorted and insane” this contrast of description is very effective and it gives the reader an excellent picture of the pearl and its value to Kino during different points the novel.

18/9/03 The Pearl Critical evaluation

The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a novel that explores human greed. Looking at how the author uses style, character and plot I will show how he has written a powerful tale. I will also look at the way he tells the story and the symbolism of the pearl itself.

Some topics in this essay:
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