Though The Pearl (by Steinbeck) is, on the surface, viewed as a prejudice and sexist book, there are different ways it can be read and interpreted. It is the story of a pear diver named Kino, and it demonstrates how mans’ nature can make him evil and greedy. The book sets general gender roles for the characters depicted. It also shows the function of the social class of the time. Even still, The Pearl shows that women are smart and strong when it comes to protecting the family.
The Pearl is a parable. This means the purpose is to illustrate a moral lesson to the reader rather than tell a tall full of complex characters. The book demonstrates this by clearly showing what the characters stood for. In terms of gender roles, there is a somewhat …show more content…
She, who was obedient and respectful and cheerful and patient she could arch her back in child pain with hardly a cry. She could stand fatigue and hunger almost better that Kino himself. In the canoe she was like a strong man. (Pearl p.22)
She is a strong woman who is an excellent role model for the women in their village. Throughout the novel, she acts a voice of reasoning. Juana is also a very wise woman. She predicted that the pearl, a rare gem that Kino found, would destroy their family. This was, of course, quite accurate. Her many advices to Kino (which he constantly ignored) become a routine all through the text.
The reason why Steinbeck, the author, gives Juana this caricature role is because he wanted to show the reality of what he was living in. it was the 1940s and, though less than previous years, women where still subservient to men. Juana is the simplistic form of a woman. This is not only true for Juana however. When one reads The Pearl, they probably notice very open and honest views and patterns in terms of themes. For example, the priest and the doctor in the novel have the least nuance in the whole story. They basically showed the caricature of all the things wrong with colonial oppression (Which was happening in those …show more content…
His want for wealth has utterly twisted his sense of moral value. He reaches a new low when he went to visit the recently rich Kino under the pretence of treating his son Coyotito, who was bitten by a poisonous scorpion. Instead of treating Coyotito, he instead unethically poisons him. A few people, like Steinbeck, believe that colonialism was taking resources from countries for their own benefit. It is also good to note that the doctor in that passage says that he would be able to “keep a mistress” as if women are nothing but a property which one can buy. Juana represented what men viewed women of Steinbeck’s time- loyal, obedient and caretaker of the
The Pearl is a parable. This means the purpose is to illustrate a moral lesson to the reader rather than tell a tall full of complex characters. The book demonstrates this by clearly showing what the characters stood for. In terms of gender roles, there is a somewhat …show more content…
She, who was obedient and respectful and cheerful and patient she could arch her back in child pain with hardly a cry. She could stand fatigue and hunger almost better that Kino himself. In the canoe she was like a strong man. (Pearl p.22)
She is a strong woman who is an excellent role model for the women in their village. Throughout the novel, she acts a voice of reasoning. Juana is also a very wise woman. She predicted that the pearl, a rare gem that Kino found, would destroy their family. This was, of course, quite accurate. Her many advices to Kino (which he constantly ignored) become a routine all through the text.
The reason why Steinbeck, the author, gives Juana this caricature role is because he wanted to show the reality of what he was living in. it was the 1940s and, though less than previous years, women where still subservient to men. Juana is the simplistic form of a woman. This is not only true for Juana however. When one reads The Pearl, they probably notice very open and honest views and patterns in terms of themes. For example, the priest and the doctor in the novel have the least nuance in the whole story. They basically showed the caricature of all the things wrong with colonial oppression (Which was happening in those …show more content…
His want for wealth has utterly twisted his sense of moral value. He reaches a new low when he went to visit the recently rich Kino under the pretence of treating his son Coyotito, who was bitten by a poisonous scorpion. Instead of treating Coyotito, he instead unethically poisons him. A few people, like Steinbeck, believe that colonialism was taking resources from countries for their own benefit. It is also good to note that the doctor in that passage says that he would be able to “keep a mistress” as if women are nothing but a property which one can buy. Juana represented what men viewed women of Steinbeck’s time- loyal, obedient and caretaker of the