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Essay Samples on The Pearl

Imagery and character analysis in the pearl.

In the very beginning of the book, Kino watches as his son, Coyotio sleeps. While he is sleeping, Coyotito is stung by a scorpion despite Kino’s efforts to catch it and kill it. They go to the doctor to get Kino treated for the sting...

Character Analysis
Imagery in Literature

The Theme Of Group Behavior In The Pearl By John Steinbeck

The article is a study exploring the pattern of group activity in John The Pearl's novel. There's a major influence on other individuals from Stein show group behavior. We are the long-term basis of human life. Steinbeck's group-man theory is based on Darwinian interpretation of...

John Steinbeck

Theme of Greed in John Steinbeck’s Novel The Pearl and Jack London's Story A Piece of Steak

In John Steinbeck’s realistic fiction novel, The Pearl, Kino drastically changes his life when he finds a pearl of great value. Local authors, Jack London and John Steinbeck, both use greed, murder, and poverty in different ways to express their themes. Greed is a theme...

John Steinbeck's The Pearl Through the Prism of New Formalism

Using the New Formalism as a lens to analyze Pearls, the reader can see that Steinbeck uses images, symbols and music to develop a theme according to which luck can lead people with good intentions to the path of evil and negative. In modern society,...

The New Deal

John Steinbeck: Literary Works, Life and People Who Inspired Him

Recurring Ideas in Of Mice and Men, Travels With Charley, and The Pearl The Desire to Escape One recurring theme that is displayed in Of Mice and Men, Travels With Charley, and The Pearl is the desire to escape, which causes the characters to venture...

Literature Review

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Best topics on The Pearl

1. Imagery And Character Analysis In The Pearl

2. The Theme Of Group Behavior In The Pearl By John Steinbeck

3. Theme of Greed in John Steinbeck’s Novel The Pearl and Jack London’s Story A Piece of Steak

4. John Steinbeck’s The Pearl Through the Prism of New Formalism

5. John Steinbeck: Literary Works, Life and People Who Inspired Him

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John Steinbeck’s The Pearl Essay

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl is a novel that was published in 1947 that retells an old Mexican tale. It is a story of a poor Indian pearl diver, named Kino who lived in La Paz with his wife, Juana, and his son Coyotito. At first, the family is seen to be contented with their lifestyle despite the challenges Kino has to face to provide a meal for his family. However, things begin to change when Coyotito is bit by a scorpion, and his parents begin to find ways to treat him.

The only doctor that is capable of treating Coyotito refuses to treat him because Kino is not able to pay for the treatment. In the pursuit for money to treat his son, Kino discovers an enormous pearl that will forever be referred to as “ the pearl of the world ”. This paper explores the greed, and evil portrayed by the indigenous Indians in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl .

As the title of the book suggests, the story is based on the enormous pearl Kino finds, and the events that took place as people tried to hunt Kino for possessing the pearl . From their way of life, it is evident that the Indians living in La Paz lead a poor lifestyle, and have accepted their role in life. Kino who is the central character in the novel owns a boat that he inherited from his father and grandfather. Other than this, he only owns the hut they live in, and a couple of clay cooking utensils.

The fact that The Pearl is seen as an object that could change ones position in life, it changes people from being idyllic to cheaters, murderers, and traitors. In the beginning, Kino and his wife, Juana are contented with the few possessions they have, but after discovering the pearl , they irreparably change; they become ambitious, greedy, and violent. Kino’s family even plans to spend the money by improving their lifestyle once they sell their fortune.

Basically, the great pearl is a tool used to bring change among the peaceful Indian people living in a foreign country. The doctor and the pearl buyers represent the hypocrisy and exploitation facing the Indians in La Paz. This is seen when the doctor heartlessly refuses to treat Coyotito just because his father could not afford it; he does not care whether the boy lives or dies, all he cares about is the money he gets from people.

On the other hand, the pearl buyers propose a very low price with the aim of exploiting Kino, once they noticed that he desperately needed the money. Using songs in literal works is a cultural tradition that is traced from Indians; in this case, Kino tends to hear songs playing in his head every time he has a strong feeling about something.

A story that started in an idyllic environment, it unfortunately ends in a violent atmosphere, where people turn against each other just for the sake of a Pearl that ends up destroying their lives. For a community that lived peaceful before the discovery of the pearl , the loss of innocence is a theme that is widely explored by the author. The believe that the pearl had the power to change ones status in the community saw many people resulting in violence in order to fulfill their ambitions. Poverty is a degrading issue facing the people of La Paz, and it is because of their desperation to improve their lifestyles that they resulted in cheating and violence.

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Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, May 2). John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. https://ivypanda.com/essays/john-steinbecks-the-pearl/

"John Steinbeck’s The Pearl." IvyPanda , 2 May 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/john-steinbecks-the-pearl/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'John Steinbeck’s The Pearl'. 2 May.

IvyPanda . 2020. "John Steinbeck’s The Pearl." May 2, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/john-steinbecks-the-pearl/.

1. IvyPanda . "John Steinbeck’s The Pearl." May 2, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/john-steinbecks-the-pearl/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "John Steinbeck’s The Pearl." May 2, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/john-steinbecks-the-pearl/.

Using PEARL Paragraphs - English Literature

When writing an English Literature essay, I find the technique of using PEARL paragraphs very useful!

Make a point, answering the question (this should be brief).

E - Evidence

Use evidence from the text; this can be a quoted sentence, phrase or word. I don't recommend paraphrasing in case you want to focus in on a particular word in the next section. Paraphrasing could cause you to analyse a word that doesn't exist in the text. On that note...

A - Analysis

Is there a particular writer's method that the writer has used to have an effect on the reader? What do certain words suggest about a particular character's personality? Use inference and be clever! Having a perceptive analysis will gain you good marks. Try and make the analysis the biggest part of your paragraph! You can also use a second quote to back up your first one as long as you don't analyse it!

R - Relate to context

How does your analysis relate to the issues/themes presented in the play/novel/novella you are studying? Can you relate it to what was happening at the time (people's attitudes, events etc.)?

L - Link back to question

To remind your reader of what you were answering in the first place, link back to the question

To put all of this into context, I will copy out a practice paragraph I wrote earlier, and I will break it up so that each section of PEARL is clear. Here was my question:

Before I wrote the paragraph I highlighted some things I may have wanted to use in my analysis! I didn't highlight much because I actually found this difficult to analyse whilst answering the question. Anyway, this is the paragraph I wrote:

Dickens presents Scrooge in this extract as quite solitary and as someone who likes to keep to himself,

"Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room".

The possessive pronoun "own" suggests that nobody else is allowed in this particular room apart from Scrooge. This is reflective of his general personality in Stave 1, being as "solitary as an oyster". The possessive pronoun "own" also suggests that Scrooge is wealthy enough to be able to have his own possessions and property, and doesn't need to share to be able to make ends meet.

Relate to context

Contextually, Scrooge is a microcosm for the wealthy in the 1800s, in that, the wealthy were often stubborn and didn't like to share with the less wealthy. They were often dismissive of the poor and purposefully segregated themselves from them.

Link back to question

Perhaps Dickens wanted to intentionally present Scrooge as solitary to highlight to the audience the clear division between the rich and the poor and hopefully encourage the wealthy to be more charitable.

I hope some of you find this technique useful in your essay writing for English Literature. Thanks for reading! If any of you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Books / The Pearl

The Pearl Essay Examples

The theme of greed in the pearl by john steinbeck.

When wanting spirals into destruction, a family is broken apart, shattered by a rare discovery. A pearl that seems so pure, so innocent that it seems as if nothing evil can come from it. The Pearl by John Steinbeck appears to be a story about...

Literary Analysis of the Pearl by John Steinbeck

“Steinbeck illustrates the tragic consequences of the loss of that freedom of the spirit in The Pearl, expressing a profound sympathy for the individual and the community that suffers under such an oppressive system.” (Perkins). In The Pearl, John Steinbeck describes that he feels great...

Brutal Reality and Hardship: "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

A lot of issues of the world rotate around the wealthy. In The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, he recounts the story of a couple and their child who experience the ill effects of the outcomes of needing. Subsequent to finding 'the pearl of the world,'...

Nothing Goes as Planned: "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

Kino and his family were appreciative of everything they had, but when Kino discovers the pearl it shapes him to become a different person. He sees the pearl as a symbol of hope and protection. It holds wealth, which drives Kino into an ambition to...

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About The Pearl

John Steinbeck

United States, Mexico

The Pearl is a novella by the American author John Steinbeck. The story, first published in 1947, follows a pearl diver, Kino, and explores man’s purpose as well as greed, defiance of societal norms, and evil. Steinbeck's inspiration was a Mexican folk tale from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, which he had heard in a visit to the formerly pearl-rich region in 1940.

The pearl, The Scorpion, Kino’s Canoe

Nature Imagery, Kino’s Songs

Greed, Dreams and Ambition, Family, Money versus Happiness.

Kino, Juana, The doctor

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