Difference Between Appearance And Reality In The Pearl By John Steinbeck

In the Pearl, John Steinbeck highlights the differences between appearance and reality to develop the idea that what might seem like a satisfying idea at first can also turn into something evil once it begins to develop. Kino finds a great pearl that he hopes will help his poor family, but it ends up hurting them more than helping them. Kino and his wife, Juana, also cross paths with people who appear to be wonderful, but then turns out to be the opposite. The pearl and the priest appear as though they will help the family, but they end up causing more harm to them they should. When Kino first catches the pearl it seems as though it is a blessing, a life saver, and full of opportunity to help them. The reality of it is the exact opposite, the pearl turns out to be a curse, evil, and unhelpful. After Kino is attacked for the first time by the mystery person Juana suggests that they get rid of the pearl. She wants to throw it back into the ocean because it “is like a sin” and she believes that it is going to destroy their family (43). Juana believes that the pearl is evil and she does not want it near her family. To Juana the pearl is the cause of all of the disastrous things that have happened to them within the last few days. This is not what she expected to happen when they first found the …show more content…
Steinbeck uses the novel to highlight the fact that there are differences between how people and objects appear at first glance and how they actually appear in reality after they have developed. The pearl and the priest are two examples of what Steinbeck use to show that what might appear to be helpful might actually be the opposite of what it seems to be. John Steinbeck is trying to teach readers that what might first appear one way might actually end up turning out to be the opposite of what is