The Pearl John Steinbeck Analysis

A pearl is an item that is glorified for its extravagant beauty, but how can a thing with such beauty cause such an ugly demise? “The Pearl” was written by John Ernst Steinbeck in 1947. Steinbeck was an author known for using experiences from his from his travels, the people he met during those, and his own life experiences, such as his marriages to inspire beautiful novels giving insight to the lives and struggles of others he hoped to better shape other’s lives. In this novel, Steinbeck takes you into the life of a struggling family, and a man who chose greed over need. In La Paz on the coast of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, lived a pearl diver named Kino in this small village. He lived with his wife, Juana, and their baby, Coyotio, …show more content…
Commotion ensued. Kino knocked the scorpion on the ground, stepping and mashing until it was no more while Juana attended to the screaming baby. Juana quickly sucking the poison from the baby’s wound, hoping to save the child’s life, by only making herself sick. The villagers all surrounded the home, and Juana insisted they go retrieve the doctor, but the knowledgeable neighbors knew he would not come. Juana, not taking no for an answer, says they will go to the doctor if he will not come. The villagers followed Kino and his family as they arrive at the doctor’s home, who then denies them service. Kino feels embarrassed and humiliated, and vows to be able to provide saying “I am a man.” The next morning, the child’s swelling subsides, Juana and Coyotito travel with Kino as he goes about his day working as a pearl diver, and this time he discovers a great pearl. Kino looks into the pearl and sees visions of him being able to provide that better life for his family that he vowed to himself at that doctor’s gate. With these great dreams came terrible nightmarish realities for Kino, bringing evil and greed into this peaceful, coastal village. With the great