John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is a short-length book. It could be called a novella. Considering how famous Steinbeck is because of The Grapes of Wrath, the novella The Pearl is expected a punch in so few pages. Steinbeck doesn’t fail to deliver upon that expectation. The significance of this story makes itself manifest when something changes in a person’s life. This change is quite significant to the point of not only impacting an individual’s life, but the lives of others as well.
The statement that “let one man step out of the regular thought or the known and trusted pattern, and the nerves of the townspeople ring with nervousness and communication travels over the nerve lines of the town” (Steinbeck 40) gives the reader pause, especially with the analogy of the town to one entire human body. This passage suggests that socioeconomic status changes unnerve people and become newsworthy information. If there weren’t, according to the narrator, then people can disappear and never be heard of” (41). The possession of the large pearl forms a significant part of the story, starting at the end of chapter two (19-20), and then leaving Kino’s possession at the end of the story (89-90). On the one hand, people are scared of change. On the other hand, Kino’s wish for his son to know “what things were in the books and what things were not” (27) shows that parents might want their children to have better lives than they had. However, this is only one example and should not be generalized. Some parents might want to preserve traditions, and career trajectory is one arena where that can be done.
When something momentous happens to a person, other people can act differently towards him or her. For example, the doctor refused to treat the baby when he was offered little fortune (11-12) but he changed his tune when Kino possessed the large pearl (21-22 and 29-30). In fact, Steinbeck wrote that “[a]ll manner of people grew interested in Kino – people with things to sell and people with favors to ask” (23). However, this interest can have negative effects; Kino’s life is put at risk upon discovering and owning the huge pearl (37-38 and 72-73). Even Juana’s and Coyotito’s lives were put at risk because of that pearl, although the text is not explicit about “the trackers” (74) and their wishes (73-74). No matter what the intention is towards Kino and his family, many people desire to use the pearl for their own gain.
The pearl also changed Kino, the one who discovered it (19). He is sensitive to the melodies surrounding him, which are not actually musical but they have irresistible rhythms. For example, he is aware of “the Song of the Enemy” (6). As irresistible as the melodies are, they might need to be resisted such as “the music of the pearl” (89), which is described as “distorted and insane” (89). This description contrasts with a previous description of it as “secret” (19) and “beautiful, rich and warm and lovely, glowing and gloating and triumphant” (19). This difference shows a need to interpret life correctly because mistakes can be devastating such as “Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away” (89). The pearl is irresistible for Kino, which is why he doesn’t realize its negative effects until the end (89).
Finding a pearl of a large size (22) can change many, but it also reveals people’s dark sides. This book shows that handling any form of change is a challenge.
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