The Pearl2
In John Steinbeck's The Pearl, a destitute pearl diver finds a giant pearl with which hehopes to buy peace and happiness for his family. Instead, he learns that the valuable pearlcan not buy happiness but only destroy his simple life. Throughout the fable, there is aconstant theme woven through the characters and setting which encompasses the struggleamong social classes to become successful. Steinbeck, a novelist known for his realisticdepictions of life, portrays this motif through Kino, the doctor, Coyotito, and the town of John Earnst Steinbeck, author of The Pearl and many other stories, was born onFebruary 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. Both his father, who ran a flour mill, and hismother, a teacher, encouraged him to write once they saw his early interest in literature.Steinbeck began his career by writing articles for his school newspaper and by takingclasses at Stanford University. At the same time, he worked at a local ranch where hewitnessed the harsh treatment of migrant workers. These underprivileged laborers laterserved as the inspiration for many of his novels, including The Grapes of Wrath. The
He dreams of the education the pearlcould provide for his son, but the pearl also makes Kino more suspicious of the peacefulvillagers around him. Kino, a symbol of hard work and ambition, is destroyed by his dreams of a better life. Through the struggles that Kino faces, he reveals the conflicts between the richand the poor. Finally, the pearl costs little Coyotito his life when Kino accidentallythinks his eyes are those of tracers coming to take the pearl. Kino, the protagonist in The Pearl, is an honest pearl diver that discovers thesacrifices that come with the struggle for success. Coyotito, though only an infant, is also a very important symbol of the struggle forsuccess. Located on the coast of Mexico, most of the Indians in this town are merely fishermentrying to feed their families. Even the town of La Paz gives evidence of the strife that costs the life of a child. Finally, Kino returns to La Paz and throws the pearl into the sea. For thepeople, thereis a struggle each day just to make ends meet. Then Kino tries to leave the town, but his fear only causes him to shootCoyotito accidentally. Coyotito teaches the reader how innocent bystanders can suffer, and thedoctor shows what type of people could do such a thing. Because of his poverty, he isrefused treatment for a scorpion sting, and because of his family's wealth he is made sickby a greedy doctor. The town doctor also demonstrates how the struggle for success can corruptpeople. The huts battleto enter the boundaries of the rich, just as Kino fights the boundaries of socialstratification.
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Salinas California,
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Acceptance Essays
