The Pearl: Difference between revisions
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| author = John Steinbeck |
| author = John Steinbeck |
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| central theme = |
| central theme = Poverty trap |
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| elevator pitch = |
| elevator pitch = A poor diver finds an enormous pearl |
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| genre = |
| genre = |
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| publication date = 1947 |
| publication date = 1947 |
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A 1947 novella by [[John Steinbeck]]. |
A 1947 novella by [[John Steinbeck]]. |
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'''''The Pearl''''' is the story of Kino, a poor diver. Kino's son, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion. In order to pay the doctor to cure him, Kino goes diving for pearls. (It's his job anyway, but it's got extra urgency now.) He eventually finds the Pearl of the World |
'''''The Pearl''''' is the story of Kino, a poor diver. Kino's son, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion. In order to pay the doctor to cure him, Kino goes diving for pearls. (It's his job anyway, but it's got extra urgency now.) He eventually finds the Pearl of the World - bigger and more valuable than any anyone in the town has seen before. |
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News of the pearl precedes Kino everywhere he goes: some of his neighbours are jealous; influential people recognise him in the street; the doctor, who was previously disinterested, suddenly can't wait to treat his son; and thieves try to rob his house in the night. The only people who don't seem excited are the local pearl dealers, all of whom offer far lower prices than he (and the rest of the population) thinks the pearl is worth. The dealers all belong to a cartel, and Kino justifiably believes they've agreed in advance to rip him off. |
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Seeing in the pearl the chance to improve his family's lives, Kino is determined to get a good price for it, but his wife Juana warns him that it will destroy the family. Soon they are attacked, their house is looted and burned, and Kino's canoe is sabotaged. Kino borrows a hunting knife from his brother and they leave in the night, hoping to walk to the country's capital and sell the pearl there. Unfortunately, their disappearance is noted and shadowy figures are soon in pursuit. |
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The story was filmed in 1947. |
The story was filmed in 1947. |
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{{tropelist}} |
{{tropelist}} |
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* [[Ambition Is Evil]] |
* [[Ambition Is Evil]] |
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* [[Artifact of Attraction]] |
* [[Artifact of Attraction]]: The pearl |
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* [[Artifact of Doom]]: Sort of, because [[Humans Are the Real Monsters]]. |
* [[Artifact of Doom]]: Sort of, because [[Humans Are the Real Monsters]]. |
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* [[Does Not Wear Shoes]]: Juana, probably due to [[Barefoot Poverty]]. |
* [[Does Not Wear Shoes]]: Juana, probably due to [[Barefoot Poverty]]. |
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* [[Littlest Cancer Patient]] (okay, it's not cancer exactly, but...) |
* [[Littlest Cancer Patient]] (okay, it's not cancer exactly, but...) |
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* [[Leitmotif]]: A literary example in Kino and Juana's Song of Family and The Pearl's Song of Evil |
* [[Leitmotif]]: A literary example in Kino and Juana's Song of Family and The Pearl's Song of Evil |
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* [[Lost Aesop]]: The original moral is supposed to be interpreted as 'Greed is bad'. [[Fridge Logic|Since when was curing your child of poison and wanting to get your kid an education greedy? Or getting officially married?]] |
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** Looked at in the cultural context of the setting, and the lack of education of the lower classes, it would actually make sense. Consider: In listing the things he wants to achieve with the riches from the pearl, Kino says he will legally marry Juana and buy the family new clothes. Okay, reasonable. Then he goes on to say he wants to get a rifle for himself {{spoiler|(he does eventually)}}, and he'll send Coyotito to school - this last a major deal for his neighbors because of the cultural influence education will have on their simple way of life that they've known for generations. Then, later on in the novel, Kino rehashes these dreams, but his rendition of them is gradually much more grandiose than when they were first mentioned. |
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** Weren't the pearl-buying cartel, the doctor, and the various people who tried to steal the pearl {{Spoiler|(leading eventually to Coyotito's death)}} motivated by greed? |
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* [[MacGuffin]]: The pearl, of course. |
* [[MacGuffin]]: The pearl, of course. |
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* [[Meaningful Name]]: Coyotito is, if it wasn't clear enough, named after a coyote. Which leads to him {{spoiler|being shot in the head when his cries are mistaken for that of a coyote's}} |
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Coyotito is, if it wasn't clear enough, named after a coyote. Which leads to him {{spoiler|being shot in the head when his cries are mistaken for that of a coyote's}} |
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Latest revision as of 09:28, 25 July 2023
| Written by: | John Steinbeck |
|---|---|
| Central Theme: | Poverty trap |
| Synopsis: | A poor diver finds an enormous pearl |
| First published: | 1947 |
A 1947 novella by John Steinbeck.
The Pearl is the story of Kino, a poor diver. Kino's son, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion. In order to pay the doctor to cure him, Kino goes diving for pearls. (It's his job anyway, but it's got extra urgency now.) He eventually finds the Pearl of the World - bigger and more valuable than any anyone in the town has seen before.
News of the pearl precedes Kino everywhere he goes: some of his neighbours are jealous; influential people recognise him in the street; the doctor, who was previously disinterested, suddenly can't wait to treat his son; and thieves try to rob his house in the night. The only people who don't seem excited are the local pearl dealers, all of whom offer far lower prices than he (and the rest of the population) thinks the pearl is worth. The dealers all belong to a cartel, and Kino justifiably believes they've agreed in advance to rip him off.
Seeing in the pearl the chance to improve his family's lives, Kino is determined to get a good price for it, but his wife Juana warns him that it will destroy the family. Soon they are attacked, their house is looted and burned, and Kino's canoe is sabotaged. Kino borrows a hunting knife from his brother and they leave in the night, hoping to walk to the country's capital and sell the pearl there. Unfortunately, their disappearance is noted and shadowy figures are soon in pursuit.
The story was filmed in 1947.
Tropes used in The Pearl include:
- Ambition Is Evil
- Artifact of Attraction: The pearl
- Artifact of Doom: Sort of, because Humans Are the Real Monsters.
- Does Not Wear Shoes: Juana, probably due to Barefoot Poverty.
- Downer Ending: Coyotito is killed. Kino and Juana throw away the pearl.
- Fantastic Racism
- Gold Fever: More like pearl fever.
- Greed: A major theme in the book. Leading to...
- Humans Are the Real Monsters
- It Got Worse: Oh, so very much.
- It's All Junk
- Jerkass: The doctor who treats Coyotito comes to mind...
- Littlest Cancer Patient (okay, it's not cancer exactly, but...)
- Leitmotif: A literary example in Kino and Juana's Song of Family and The Pearl's Song of Evil
- MacGuffin: The pearl, of course.
- Meaningful Name: Coyotito is, if it wasn't clear enough, named after a coyote. Which leads to him being shot in the head when his cries are mistaken for that of a coyote's
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Kino goes on one in the penultimate chapter.
- We Could Have Avoided All This: After Kino refuses the pearl dealer's offer of 1000 and then 1500 pesos for the pearl (because he believes it's worth at least fifty times that much and that the dealer's trying to cheat him), some of his neighbors express the view that he should have accepted the 1500, since that's wealth enough to a poor man who's never had any money. Considering what happens in the last third of the novel, they may have been right.