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Transcript

Characters

Major Characters:

Kino-a poor villager who allows the finding of

the pearl to change him.

-->Indirect Characterization- "Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake..." ( Steinbeck 59).

-->This shows how Kino's personality had shifted due to the finding of the pearl.

Juana-Kino's wife who attempts to rid the family of the pearl.

-->Direct Characterization-"Kino had wondered often at the iron in his patient, fragile wife. She, who was obedient..." (Steinbeck 7).

-->Steinbeck makes purposeful steps to address Juana's obedience at the start of the novella, as this changes as the novella progresses.

Point of View

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Mood & Tone

Third Person Omniscient

Steinbeck uses this point of view throughout the novella to provide insight into all the characters as well as their thoughts and feelings.

Example from p. 23-

"All manner of people grew interested in Kino-people with things to sell and people with favors to ask. ...Every man suddenly became related to Kino's pearl, and Kino's pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino..."

On pages 21-22, Steinbeck creates a hopeful mood for the reader. He writes, "The news swept pass the brush houses, and it washed in a foaming wave into the town of stone and plaster. It came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes...The news came to the shopkeepers, and they looked at men's clothes that had not sold so well."

On page 27, Steinbeck writes that the priest's tone is soft when he says to Kino " 'thou art named after a great man-and a great Father of the Church' " because he wanted Kino to remember the church when he cashed in his pearl.

Theme

Style

Wealth Isn't Measured By Money

This is a major theme of Steinbeck's novella because Kino allowed the possible wealth of the pearl to cloud his thinking. In Chapter 3, Kino describes some of the ways he hopes to spend his money from the pearl: " 'We will have new clothes' " and " 'My son will go to school' " (Steinbeck 24-25) are just two examples of the thoughts that came to cloud Kino's thinking. In the end though, he wished he had never found the pearl because it cost him something that could not be replaced with any dollar amount.

Figurative Language &

other Literary Devices

Plot

End

Beginning

The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a timeless novella in which a poor family comes into wealth through finding a pearl. The story is set in the early 1900s in a Mexican coastal village. After finding the pearl, the husband and wife, Kino and Juana, begin to envision what their new life will be like with the wealth of the pearl. Since they live in a small village, the news spreads quickly of their find. Individuals that never had interest in Kino or Juana all of a sudden take interest in them. Kino goes into town to sell his pearl, but he is bewildered and angered at the low prices he is offered. He is confident that he is being deceived and decides to go to the capital to get a fair deal for his pearl. Again, news spreads quickly that Kino has not sold his pearl. People begin to attempt to steal the pearl from Kino. Kino's decision to not sell the pearl quickly spirals into a life and death situation for Kino, Juana, and their son: Coyotito.

Middle

External Conflict:

Person vs. Society

One of this novella's conflicts is that of person vs. society. Within the village, societal classes can be seen, as Kino and Juana are poor villagers in comparison to other characters (like the doctor). Their status in society, before finding the pearl, created problems for them. They initially could not get the doctor to look at Coyotito due to their societal status. Moreover, Kino was not offered a fair price for his pearl.

At the beginning of the novella, Steinbeck includes both a simile and a hyperbole when describing the pearl:

"It was as large as a sea-gull's egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world" (Steinbeck 19).

As a reader, these stylistic features allow you to envision the pearl itself and how unique it was.

In the middle of the novella, Steinbeck uses the music that Kino hears as both a symbol and foreshadowing when he writes:

"But Kino's hand had closed tightly on the pearl again, and he was glancing about suspiciously, for the evil song was in his ears, shrilling against the music of the pearl."

Steinbeck is cluing the reader in for later events that are to come through the music.

At the end of the novella, Steinbeck includes a flashback to highlight the evil the pearl has brought to Kino's family when he writes:

"He looked into his pearl to find his vision. 'When we sell it at last, I will have a rifle,' he said, and he looked into the shining surface for his rifle, but he saw only a huddled dark body on the ground with shining blood dripping from its throat. And he said quickly, 'We will be married in a great church.' And in the pearl he saw Juana with her beaten face crawling home through the night. 'Our son must learn to read,' he said frantically. And there in the pearl was Coyotito's face, thick and feverish from the medicine."

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