The Theme Of Symbolism In The Pearl By John Steinbeck

Register to read the introduction… A motif is a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition. In ‘The Pearl’ one of the motifs is nature imagery. At the beginning of the novella Kino is very at one with nature. He is a pearl diver and he lives in a brush house, he works with nature to make a living. But as Kino changes he loses this connection with nature. Although in the book nature is often described as peaceful, and innocent - reflecting Kino’s innocence and peacefulness at the beginning of the novella – it also shows the worlds darker qualities. It shows fight for survival and the cruelty greed can bring. In Steinbeck’s descriptions of the sea, there is emphasis that life in the sea is a struggle for survival, and only those strong and clever enough survive. This also reflects the conflict in Kino’s life between Kino’s people and their colonial rulers. This again re-enforces the idea of colonial society oppressing native …show more content…
The first symbol that conveys one of the themes is the pearl. As the pearl turns from ‘the pearl that might be’ to a real pearl that Kino owns, it seems to represent hope and providence. It creates hope for Kino as he will now be able to pay for his son to be treated for the scorpion sting. ‘In the surface of the pearl he could see dreams form.’ The discovery of the pearl counterbalances the tragic accident of Coyotito’s scorpion sting. However, the pearl then changes, and it becomes an object of greed, whoever possesses it is seen as greedy. ‘The pearl of the world’, a name that originally symbolised the pearls size and beauty now represents how when in possession of the pearl the outside world has a destructive influence on Kino’s life. The pearls association with hope and providence weakens and the pearl comes to be associated not only with greed but also human plans and desires. It is then that Juana and Kino’s brother Juan Thomas begin to view the pearl as a threat and an object of evil rather than a blessing and an object of hope. The pearl ends as being associated with evil, greed and conflict as Kino changes trying to protect it, when what he should have been doing was protecting his family from the pearl. In Kino’s mind, the pearl changes from beautiful – ‘there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon.’ – To ugly and insignificant as he realises the truth about it – ‘And the pearl was ugly; it was grey, like a malignant growth.’ The final act of evil the pearl has created is the death of Coyotito. This is slightly ironic considering the reason Kino went to such lengths to protect the pearl was to ensure a bright, happy future for his