Analysis of John Stienbeck’s "The Pearl"
Analysis of John Stienbeck’s "The Pearl"
The author of The Pearl is John Stienbeck. John Stienbeck was born in California in 1902. He began his career of writing at before he was 32. His first three books were unsuccessful and he had to look for other income. He started picking fruit to survive. That shows that he was not born into a rich family or a plentiful time. He was born during the time of the great depression, which was the time line of his best selling book, The Grapes of Wrath, which he received a Pulitzer Prize for. He wrote The Pearl in 1945. He died in 1968 in New York.
The Pearl is a story about a pearl diver and his wife. It takes place in Californian coast. That is something that is related to John Stienbeck because California, where he was born, has a very strong Spanish influence. The book is fiction but has a lot of fact behind it. The book refers to several aspects of Hispanic villages. A good example is the distinction of the rich and poor class. It shows how that rich and poor are brought together for evil though which is the main idea of this book. It shows that evil is overpowering.
“…And he looked into the shining surface for his rifle, but only saw a huddled dark body on the ground with shimmering blood dripping from its throat.” (Page 93) This quote shows the main topic of the story. The main character sees evil in the pearl yet he is so captivated by it he can’t throw it away. John Stienbeck message is that evil overpowering. He shows the destruction of nice people by greed and hate. It is a strong message.
I think that John Stienbeck accomplishes his purpose of demonstrating that evil is over powering. In the end of the book the main character, Kino, accidentally kills his son. He loves his son but out of hate he shots at a man and misses and hits his son. His hate and greed over rule his sense of right and he makes a bad mistake. His would have normally chose his son over wealth but his judgment is fogged. It is a tragic ending.
I believe that this is a powerful. Its theme is reinforced and pounded until the reader realizes the power of the evil. I liked this...