The Pearl Study Guide

© 2021 eNotes.com, Inc. or its Licensors.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means
graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage
retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher.

1
eNotes | TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE PEARL STUDY GUIDE 1

SUMMARY 3
Summary 3

CHAPTER SUMMARIES 4
Chapter Summaries: Chapter 1 Summary 4
Chapter Summaries: Chapter 2 Summary 5
Chapter Summaries: Chapter 3 Summary 6
Chapter Summaries: Chapter 4 Summary 7
Chapter Summaries: Chapter 5 Summary 8
Chapter Summaries: Chapter 6 Summary 9

THEMES 10
Themes: Themes and Meanings 10
Themes 11

CHARACTERS 13
Characters: Characters Discussed 13

ANALYSIS 14
Analysis: Style and Technique 14
Analysis: Historical Context 15
Analysis: Setting 16
Analysis: Literary Style 16
Analysis: Literary Qualities 18
Analysis: Social Sensitivity 19
Analysis: Compare and Contrast 20
Analysis: For Further Reference 20
Bibliography: Bibliography and Further Reading 22
Bibliography 24

2
Summary

Summary
This long story (or short novel) follows five momentous days in the life of an Indian pearl diver living in La Paz, a
small port on the Gulf of California. Though told by an omniscient author, the work most often limits itself to Kino’s
perspective as he suffers the gratuitous trials of an innocent tragic hero.

His sufferings begin when he witnesses a scorpion sting his beloved son, Coyotito, as the child lies happily in his
cradle. Beside herself with terror, Kino’s common-law wife, Juana, insists that they take Coyotito to the doctor
because that individual has authority even though he “was of a race which for nearly four hundred years had beaten
and starved and robbed and despised Kino’s race.” The doctor irresponsibly evades seeing the child, and Kino takes
his first step in his tragic growth by challenging the unfair order of existence. He strikes the doctor’s gate “a crushing
blow with his fist.” His knuckles give instead of the doorway, but Kino’s gesture shows that he is prepared to become
“a man.”

That same day, he and Juana go to dive for pearls. Juana tries to bargain with her people’s ancient gods and offers
a prayer to the Christian God that they might find a pearl. Though she has made a better poultice of seaweed than
the doctor could, she still feels the need for his magic and wants the wherewithal to force him to attend her baby. As
if in answer to her supplication, Kino finds “the greatest pearl in the world.” He begins to dream about the good the
pearl will bring his family. He imagines being married now that they can pay for the service. He pictures a new
harpoon and then dares imagine possessing a rifle. That last image is so defiant that he goes even further: He
dreams of sending his son to school to learn to read, write, and “make numbers.”

The people of La Paz have heard the news, however, and they intrude on Kino’s dream. Even the priest comes to
express his hope that Kino will not forget the Church. The doctor rushes over to force a powder down Coyotito’s
throat, one that will make him temporarily ill so that the doctor can pretend that the scorpion’s poison is still working
and he can “cure” the baby. The doctor also tricks Kino into revealing the place where he has hidden the pearl, and
that night either he or his henchman returns to steal it. In defending his home, Kino draws his first blood. Still, the
family begins the next day “with hope.”

This optimism is quickly dashed. The pearl brokers, acting together (because they actually are agents for a single
dealer), offer him a pittance. Kino refuses to sell and announces that he will take the pearl to Mexico City instead.
His family—his brother, his sister-in-law, and his wife—stick by him, but they are worried. Juana urges him to crush
the pearl between two stones and forget it, but Kino answers that he is “a man” and will not be cheated. He does not
yet recognize the reversal his fortunes have taken.

The third day begins with Juana stealing the pearl and trying to throw it back into the gulf in order to avert the evil
she senses is bearing down on her family. Kino stops her, but as he returns from the shore, he is attacked. Dropping
the pearl, he slays his assailant. Juana finds the gem and submissively returns it to her man; she also urges him to
flee to save himself from certain arrest. They go to get their canoe and find that someone has knocked a hole in its
bottom. Then their brush house is burned by other searchers, the “dark ones.” Taking refuge with Kino’s brother, the
family hides out all that day while Juan Tomas borrows provisions for their flight.
3
That night, the three head into the Sierra de la Giganta, planning to go to Lorento, a gulf town to the north, but
trackers quickly find their trail. By the evening of the fourth day, Kino and his family are holed up in a cave while the
trackers camp in the mountain cleft below them. Kino tries to sneak up on them to steal their rifle, but Coyotito
whimpers, and one of the trackers, thinking (ironically, considering the baby’s name) that it is a “coyote pup,” idly
shoots in that direction. Kino leaps too late. He kills all three men but finds that the top of Coyotito’s head has been
blown off.

Late in the afternoon of the fifth day, the two return to La Paz, carrying their dead child. They walk straight through
the town to the gulf shore. There Kino pulls out the great pearl and offers it to Juana, but she declines, and it is he
who returns the pearl to the sea. Because of its tragic dimensions, their story becomes forever one of the town’s
legends.

Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summaries: Chapter 1 Summary

The Pearl opens with a short preface—a single paragraph of text stating that the tale of Kino, his wife, and their
infant son, Coyotito, has become legendary in their town. Moreover, the narrator says, the story has come to be
viewed in extremes: some recall the family’s experience in only the best terms, while others only recall the worst of
it.

Chapter 1 begins as Kino awakens before dawn to the sound of animals outside the small dwelling. He takes notice
of the sunrise and then looks on his small family—his son who sleeps in a small box hanging in the home and his
wife, Juana, who is already awake and looking at him lovingly. In this state of contentment, Kino closes his eyes and
reflects on the blessing of his family. For the moment, he is in a state of absolute contentment.

As Juana builds a fire in the little house made of brush, Kino steps outside and observes his surroundings. He
appreciatively observes the sunrise and a progression of ants. His wife’s silent yet steady preparation for the day
reinforces his sense of security. The love he feels for his small family almost overwhelms him.

When Juana finishes preparing the meal, Kino goes inside to eat his simple breakfast, which he consumes with
satisfaction. Once he has finished, Juana approaches to begin her meal. To his horror, Kino notices a scorpion
crawling down a rope into the box that holds his son, Coyotito. As Kino delicately approaches the box, Juana
whispers superstitious prayers for the safety of their child. Although Kino is extremely cautious in his movements,
little Coyotito utters a childish laugh and inadvertently shakes the scorpion into the box. Kino lunges to catch it, but it
falls onto the infant’s shoulder and stings him. The baby screams out in pain as his father angrily and viciously kills
the scorpion.

The child’s screams alert the neighbors, and they crowd into the little house. Juan Tomas, Kino’s brother, is among
them as the news spreads of the scorpion sting. The local residents are all aware of the danger to the young child’s
life. Juana decidedly asks for someone to summon the local doctor. This small cluster of residents knows that the
doctor will not come. He will not bother to help an impoverished family. Acknowledging the difficulty in convincing the
4
doctor to come to her home, Juana decides that she will take her child to the doctor. Therefore, she and Kino,
followed by a horde of neighbors, make the trek into town to see the doctor. The townspeople become spectators,
awaiting the doctor’s decision regarding this poor couple and their injured child.

Kino approaches the doctor’s home with reluctance and trepidation. He realizes that the doctor belongs to a race of
people who feel prejudiced against him. He contemplates the difficulty of placating a man who despises his entire
race, and he prepares himself to be submissive as he knocks at the gate of the house.

As expected, the doctor refuses to see the infant. Clothed in silk and surrounded by relative luxury, the doctor
insultingly suggests that his profession is not “veterinary.” He asks his servant if Kino is capable of paying for the
treatment. The servant returns to the gate and asks Kino if he can afford the doctor’s services. Kino offers the only
payment he has—a few small and weathered pearls. The servant takes them into the doctor and quickly returns to
the gate. The doctor has lyingly excused himself on the pretext of having been called urgently away on a “serious”
case. The servant hurriedly gives the pearls back to Kino and returns to the house.

The crowd feels sympathy for Kino and Juana, particularly because they have just been publicly embarrassed.
Everyone realizes that the doctor has refused them because they cannot afford to pay him for his services.
Consequently, they disperse, leaving the small family standing helplessly before the gate of the doctor’s house. In
his burning anger and frustration, Kino strikes the gate so forcefully that he cuts his hand.

Chapter Summaries: Chapter 2 Summary

Chapter 2 opens with a view of the lovely ocean shore that borders the small brush home of Kino and Juana. The
shore is teeming with a variety of animal life and vegetation. The couple approaches the beach and Kino studies his
canoe, hand-crafted and maintained using a technique that his father taught him years ago. Kino’s ownership of this
canoe is of vital importance because it provides him with the means of providing food for his family. As he prepares
the canoe for its entrance into the water, Juana gathers seaweed and places it on Coyotito’s shoulder. The seaweed
application is intended to ease the pain of the scorpion bite. Since the initial sting, the baby’s neck, ears, and face
have become red and swollen, indicating the presence of venom in the baby’s body. Although the doctor has refused
to treat the baby’s injury, Juana still has hope. The seaweed is a traditional remedy and she believes that it will have
some positive effect. In addition, she prays that Kino will find a pearl that will be valuable enough to pay for the
child’s medical treatment.

Kino and Juana place little Coyotito with them in the canoe and begin their day’s work. Kino dives into the water,
gathering oysters in his basket. Of course, he hopes to find many valuable pearls, but he realizes that doing so is
primarily a matter of chance. As he dives in search of the oysters, he hopefully reminds himself of the “Song of the
Pearl That Might Be.” He has focused his hopes on the discovery of a priceless stone. Kino works steadily,
concentrating simultaneously on gathering the oysters and reminding himself of the hopefulness of the song.

Kino’s concentration is broken by a large oyster that catches his eye. This oyster is separate from the clumps of
smaller oysters and the shell is partially opened. Kino glimpses a radiant glow inside the partially opened shell and
quickly grabs it. He returns to the surface, and Juana helps him into the boat. Kino is clearly excited by the possibility
of a pearl in the large oyster, but he takes the time to retrieve his basket and his rock from the water before he opens

5
any of the oysters. Once he has pulled his basket and rock into the boat, he decides to open a smaller oyster first,
realizing that he may have seen only the gleam of the inner shell on the larger oyster. He wants to maintain his
composure. When he discovers nothing inside the small oyster, he tosses it back into the ocean and prepares to
open the larger one. With Juana’s encouragement, he overcomes his hesitation and opens it.

The pearl that lies inside the oyster shell is very large and very beautiful. Kino examines the stone carefully, finding
no obvious deformities in either the shape or the color of the pearl. He begins to dream for his family’s future. Juana
finds the pearl breathtaking. In her excitement, she remembers their little baby and the scorpion sting. When she
removes the seaweed and examines the wound, she sees that the swelling in his shoulder is nearly gone. She tells
her husband, and he screams a joyous scream that catches the attention of other seamen. The men in the other
canoes scramble to move toward Kino’s boat.

Chapter Summaries: Chapter 3 Summary

Even before Kino and Juana reach the shore, the tidings of their discovery have spread throughout the village and
surrounding town. The news is broadcast to everyone, including the priest, the beggars, and the doctor who refused
to treat Coyotito’s injury. They all imagine the benefits that the pearl will bring to them. The priest imagines that he
might be able to make repairs to the church. The beggars speculate that they could receive special contributions
from a man who, until very recently, lived in poverty. Even the doctor boasts that the infant is his patient.

Perhaps the most eager sharers in Kino’s news are town’s pearl buyers. They anticipated Kino’s desire to sell the
pearl and await the opportunity to defraud him of its value. These buyers have traditionally conspired to cheat poor
pearl divers by offering the lowest possible estimates for the pearls they bring in for appraisal. The mere thought of
Kino’s pearl was enough to engender serious deliberation among the pearl buyers, who were in fact only agents.
Although they professed to be competitors, they were all employees of a single man who was the only actual pearl
buyer in the region.

Kino’s great pearl engenders a dream of material prosperity in nearly all of the townspeople. In fact, they begin to
imagine that all of their worldly prospects depend entirely on Kino’s generosity. Consequently, they bless or curse
him, depending on whether they believe Kino will respond to their requests charitably or negligently.

Unaware of these speculations, Kino and Juana return to their small brush home, surrounded by friends and
neighbors. Juana sits patiently as Kino expresses their family’s aspirations, including a church wedding, fine clothes,
a rifle, and a formal education for little Coyotito. As the neighbors marvel at Kino’s plans, the priest pays an
unexpected visit to the family. After offering flattering remarks to Kino regarding the origin of his name, he
encourages them to give generously to the church as a means of showing gratitude for the pearl. Kino does not offer
a ready reply to this request, but Juana does. She reassures him that they will be formally married and that they will
not forget to give generously to the church.

The priest departs along with the horde of neighbors. Then the doctor arrives. Kino is immediately filled with fear and
loathing for the man. However, the doctor suggests that scorpion stings can deceptively appear to heal while the
poison still courses through the body. Kino is skeptical, but he does not want to risk his son’s health so he permits
the doctor to treat Coyotito’s wound. Juana reluctantly allows him to hold the child; he gives Coyotito a capsule of
white powder, which further arouses Kino’s suspicion. An hour after the doctor leaves, Coyotito becomes ill. Kino
6
sends for the doctor, who returns and gives him more medicine. Coyotito falls asleep quickly.

Once the baby falls asleep, the doctor requests payment, pretending to be unaware of Kino’s extraordinary find. Kino
informs him that he will pay as soon as he sells his pearl. The doctor attempts to entice Kino into allowing him to
place the pearl in his personal safe so it will be secure from thieves. When Kino refuses his offer, the doctor watches
Kino’s eyes until they land on the spot inside the little hut where Kino has buried the pearl. After the doctor leaves,
Kino unearths the pearl and buries it in another location.

Shortly after the family retires for the night, Kino battles an intruder who has entered the house to steal the pearl.
Kino wounds the intruder with his knife. Juana is desperate and frightened and begs him to throw the pearl back into
the ocean. She believes that it has become a malevolent force in their lives and will ultimately destroy them. Kino
insists that the pearl will enable them to realize their dreams. He reminds her that he will sell the pearl the next day
and they will be free of it.

Chapter Summaries: Chapter 4 Summary

The village town of La Paz is teeming with quiet excitement and anxious curiosity. The inhabitants are eager to see
how Kino and Juana fare after the sale of their pearl. No one leaves for work. The pearl divers do not head to the
shore to seek the day’s fortune. Instead, they all stay to be present for this event. They plan to follow the couple so
they can witness firsthand the outcome of Kino’s great day.

The pearl buyers greet the day with anticipation. Each hopes to have the opportunity to buy the pearl. Of course,
each calculates the best means of swindling Kino. They are all employed by one powerful, unscrupulous, and
closefisted buyer. Consequently, these smaller buyers understand that Kino must not be offered a fair price under
any circumstances.

Kino and Juana awaken with renewed enthusiasm. The disquieting concerns from the night before have passed and
they are both in good humor as they prepare for the day. Juana and Coyotito wear their finest clothes. Even Kino
has taken care that his clothes, which are worn from work and wear, are clean and well-arranged. Once they are
properly dressed, the family begins the trip into town to sell their pearl.

Kino is accompanied by his brother, Juan Tomas, who warns him to be careful with the pearl buyers. He encourages
Kino to ask for a fair price, although neither he nor Kino knows the pearl’s actual value. To emphasize the necessity
for extreme caution when dealing with the pearl buyers, he reminds Kino of the villagers' former efforts to sell their
pearls for fair prices.

Many years ago, the villagers were so concerned about the prices they were given locally for their pearls that they
hired a seller to take all of their pearls to a larger city and sell them collectively. He was to subtract his fees from the
profits and return the remainder of the money to the villagers. Sadly, the seller took the pearls and never returned to
the village. The villagers, refusing to admit defeat, hired another seller, who also absconded with the pearls. Kino
informs Juan Tomas that he recalls the tale. He also recalls the priest’s explanation that the loss should serve as an
admonition against attempts to rise above one’s station in life. Armed with these reminders, he enters a pearl shop to
make his transaction.
7
The buyer examines Kino’s pearl and then makes an unusual proclamation. He states that the pearl is too large and
is, therefore, worthless. He tells Kino that he will offer him “a thousand pesos” for the stone. Kino counters that the
pearl must be worth fifty times as much, but the dealer is firm. He says that he will only buy it as an oddity or a
freakish collectible. When Kino still refuses, the buyer encourages him to seek additional estimates from the other
buyers. Consequently, the buyers collect themselves to offer appraisals of the pearl. In harmony with their
conspiracy, they refuse to offer Kino a fair price for his pearl. Indeed, they all assert that his beautiful find is “a
monstrosity.” Kino rejects these valuations and refuses to sell his pearl to them. Instead, he says he will offer it for
sale elsewhere, perhaps in the capital city.

As Kino exits the shop, his neighbors second guess his decision. Some speculate that he was foolish to reject the
offer because he is so poor. Others defend his decision, suspecting that the pearl buyers conspired to cheat him as
they have most likely cheated others before him.

Kino returns home in frustration. He discusses the matter with Juan Tomas. Although Juan Tomas acknowledges
that the pearl buyers attempted to cheat Kino, he warns against rebellion. Echoing the sentiments of the priest, he
suggests that Kino’s actions are so unusual that he may be in danger. Furthermore, he advises Kino to be
particularly careful on his journey to the capital, where he will meet only strangers and will have to act without the
relative protection of his family and friends. He informs Kino that he fears for him, especially if the pearl is indeed one
of great value.

After Juan Tomas leaves, Kino sits in silent reflection. As deliberates, he becomes aware of movement outside of his
hut. He goes outside to investigate the suspicious sounds and is again attacked. This time, the assailant cuts his
face. Juana finds him in a barely conscious state and helps him into their home. She pleads with him again to throw
the pearl back into the ocean. She reiterates her belief that it has brought evil into their lives. Kino asserts that he is
man enough to defeat those who attempt to take his pearl. To silence her protests, he repeatedly declares, “I am a
man.”

Chapter Summaries: Chapter 5 Summary

Juana and Kino disagree strongly about how to dispose of the pearl, and they begin the day with a horrifying
interaction. Kino awakens to see Juana discreetly arise and move toward the fireplace. He silently watches as she
removes the pearl from the hiding place and leaves the house. He follows her. At first, she doesn’t know that she is
being observed. When she realizes she is being followed, she runs toward the ocean. Kino chases her. Just as she
is about to throw the pearl into the ocean, Kino strikes her in the face. He forcibly takes the pearl from her and kicks
her. He is furious but Juana is unafraid. Her determined expression calms him and he feels ashamed of himself for
having abused her.

In shame, Kino turns and walks back toward his home. As he enters the brush, he is attacked a third time. This time
he draws his knife and stabs the assailant immediately. Although the assailant is injured, he grabs Kino and
desperately gropes his clothes in search of the pearl. As the two men battle, the pearl is thrown to the ground and
lands near a rock.

Meanwhile, Juana gets up and prepares to submit to Kino. Although she still disagrees with him, she loves him. She

8
believes that he, like all men, is stubborn and willful. She also believes that his quest to become rich from the sale of
the pearl will ultimately destroy him. However, she feels that it is her responsibility to tolerate his stubborn will and to
remain at his side. She knows that she needs him for protection and for their family’s provisions. More than anything
else, though, she loves him. As she walks toward her house, she sees the pearl on the ground beside the rock. Then
she notices two bodies on the ground and sees that one of them is bleeding from the neck.

Juana is relieved to discover that the bloodied body belongs to the attacker, who is dead. Nevertheless, she is
frightened for Kino because she knows that he killed the man. In fact, his knife is still beside the body. She knows
that their family will never be the same. She drags the dead body into the brush and uses the cloth on her wet skirt to
revive her husband.

When Kino regains consciousness, he explains that the man attacked him as he entered the brush. He explains that
he killed the man in self-defense. Juana believes him. However, knowing the degree to which the pearl has
engendered greed and envy in the town, she urges him to flee. She tells him that no one will believe his story and
that he will be prosecuted for murder. Kino agrees with her and instructs her to go home and get their child. He asks
her to meet him at the canoe so that they can begin the journey to sell the pearl elsewhere.

When Kino arrives at the shore, he finds that his beautiful canoe has been damaged. A hole has been made in the
bottom of the boat, rendering it useless on the water. He feels both bitter rage and profound sorrow at the loss of the
boat that his father and grandfather had worked so hard to preserve. Unfortunately, he barely has time to think of the
canoe. As he lifts his eyes, he sees that his home is on fire. Someone has ransacked the house before setting it
ablaze. The neighbors and onlookers assume that the family has been killed in the blaze; Apolonia, Kino’s sister-in-
law, is crying in grief.

Kino and Juana secretly approach Juan Tomas’ house and ask for shelter. Kino explains the events of the morning,
including the fact that he killed a man in self-defense. Juan Tomas is relieved to see that they are alive and he
agrees to shelter them in his home. To allay suspicion, he speaks with several neighbors, offering false stories
regarding Kino’s whereabouts. Then he returns home and provides his brother with a few necessities for use on their
journey out of town. He gives Kino advice about the direction he should take. As Kino and Juana depart, he reminds
them to be very careful on the journey.

Chapter Summaries: Chapter 6 Summary

Kino and Juana escape the town in the dark. A swift breeze stirs the sand in such a manner that their footprints are
erased as they travel. To avoid being seen, they walk along the outskirts of the town instead of through the center of
it. Once they leave town, the wind subsides and they realize that, on the next day, their footprints will be evident in
the sand. Still, they walk all night and only turn off of the major roadway at daybreak. Kino finds a suitable place for
Juana and Coyotito to rest. Then he returns to the main road and uses a piece of brush to sweep away the footprints
that indicate their direction of travel.

Kino and Juana prepare for a short rest. Kino thinks he hears unsettling noises. He tells Juana to keep the baby
quiet while he investigates the sounds. He discovers trackers who have been sent to follow them. He sees them as
they approach the place where he and Juana turned off of the main road. The trackers pause but continue past the
intersection, and Kino returns to Juana and Coyotito.
9
Kino informs Juana that he has seen the trackers and he knows that they will eventually find them. He wants her to
leave him, taking the baby with her. He plans to lead the trackers in another direction. However, Juana persuades
him to reconsider. She suggests that the trackers will kill Kino once they find him because their goal is to steal the
pearl. She also tells Kino that the trackers will never allow her or the baby to live. She says that they will kill them all
and leave, taking the pearl for themselves. Kino tries to convince her to reconsider, but he is unable to change her
mind. He takes her and little Coyotito to a cave to hide, then he goes to a place where he hopes to be able to protect
them.

As night falls, Kino sees the trackers and he hopes to wrest the gun from them. He believes that he has a better
chance of defending his family if he can prevent the tracker who is holding the gun from discovering them. As he
approaches the trackers, he prepares to jump onto the one holding the rifle. However, the moonlight shines down
and he decides to wait. Although he has taken off the white shirt he was wearing, he knows that he might still be
seen in the moonlight, so he hides himself. Just at that moment, one of the trackers thinks that he hears a baby
crying. The one holding the rifle suggests that the cry is coming from a coyote, and he fires the rifle to silence the
noise.

As the novel closes, a tired and worn Kino and Juana defiantly walk back into town. Kino is carrying a rifle and Juana
is carrying a blood-soaked shawl with Coyotito in it. The tracker’s shot has torn of the top of little Coyotito’s head.
The couple is finally in agreement about the pearl.

Kino and Juana walk directly to the ocean, past all the curious and questioning faces of the townspeople. The couple
comes to a halt as they reach the water. They take one final look at the “pearl of the world”—it is ugly now—and they
throw it back into the ocean.

Themes

Themes: Themes and Meanings

In a work so rich, there are many themes that John Steinbeck explores: for example, the Creoles’ mistreatment of
the Indians, the cupidity of the Church, the survival and power of ancient religious beliefs behind a veneer of
Christian rituals, the strength of the family unit in the face of adversity, the traditional view of women and the truth
about feminine capabilities and understanding that it often conceals, humankind’s position in the universal scheme,
the transcendental quality of tragedy, and the ambiguous nature of good and evil. Steinbeck explicitly wants the
reader to view his story as a parable, that is, as a moral or religious lesson. In the foreword, he writes that the story
contains “only good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and no in-between
anywhere.” He continues, “If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his
own life into it.”

Like his good friend Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist with whom he first visited the Gulf of California in 1940,
Steinbeck saw human beings teleologically as part of the animal order. At one point, he describes La Paz

10
affirmatively as “a colonial animal.” Generally, however, it is Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Nature, red in tooth and claw”
that Steinbeck portrays: “Out in the estuary a tight-woven school of small fishes glittered and broke water to escape
a school of great fishes that drove in to eat them. . . . And the night mice crept about on the ground and the little
night hawks hunted them silently.” Just so, Kino is physically attacked by a series of unknown assailants, while the
brokers try to prey on his ignorance. In the mountains, he is hunted down by trackers described in canine terms.
Kino “became curiously every man’s enemy. The news stirred up something infinitely black and evil in the town; the
black distillate was like the scorpion.” However, Steinbeck also holds that humans can transcend their animal
qualities, for humans alone can reason. Humans alone can understand parables.

What lesson, then, does the pearl teach? The answer is complex. For each positive contribution the pearl makes,
there is a negative, and vice versa. The pearl is pure and capable of giving Kino and his family all sorts of economic
advantages, especially an education for Coyotito, so that he can become free to rise above his “station.” The pearl
permits new and formerly impossible dreams, causing a dissatisfaction with the status quo of which Steinbeck
approves; he calls it “one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that
are satisfied with what they have.” However, the pearl unaccountably brings evil to the family: “The essence of pearl
mixed with essence of men and a curious dark residue was precipitated.” Juana says, “The pearl is like a sin! It will
destroy us.” However, the pearl, by releasing new possibilities to Kino, has made him “a man,” and when he drops
the pearl during the struggle, Juana recognizes that she must restore it to him. At the same time, she urges him to
flee La Paz (perhaps an ironic plea because the town’s name means “peace”). The pearl finally seems “ugly; it was
gray, like a malignant growth.” However, it has proved the good in Kino’s brother and sister-in-law, who have
protected them. The resulting tragedy has also brought new dignity to Kino and Juana: “The people say that the two
seemed to be removed from human experience; that they had gone through pain and had come out on the other
side; that there was almost a magical protection about them.” Kino and Juana have fallen from innocence; the Pearl
of the World is akin to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Their final tragic position somehow seems more
worthy of respect than their earlier, untried ignorance.

In developing his parable, Steinbeck was possibly influenced by the medieval English allegory Pearl. Curiously, the
pearl of great price described in Matthew 13:45-46 seems not to have affected him. The short novel is one with
Steinbeck’s other works, but it offers most interesting parallels with “The Great Mountains,” the second part of The
Red Pony (1937, 1945), and “Flight.” In its use of quasi-allegory it anticipates East of Eden (1952), a more complex
exploration of the Adamic fall from innocence.

Themes
Good and Evil
Kino's belief that evil is in the night is not unusual. But one of his many foibles is that he sees himself alone in a
world of struggle between good and evil. He does his best to keep good coming his way. In his mind he hears the
music of his personal struggle. The Song of the Family hums in his mind when things are as they should be. The
waves lapping the shore in the morning and the sound of Juana grinding corn or preparing the meal are part of this
song. But when the wind shifts or a representative of the oppressing class nears, then he hears the strains of the
Song of Evil, "the music of the enemy, of any foe of the family, a savage, secret, dangerous melody." Kino listens
and reacts to these songs. When the scorpion begins to come down the rope toward the baby, he hears the Song of
Evil first. However, when the priest enters he is confused despite hearing the song he heard for the scorpion. He has
been taught that the priest is good and so he looks elsewhere for the source of evil. This melodic tool, whatever its
11
source, is one of many tools that Kino has in his possession but that he fails to fully utilize.

Juana is more sophisticated yet more esoteric in her view of good and evil. She is the one who prays for protection
against actions. She prays the ancient magic and the new Catholic prayers to ward off the scorpion. She does the
same when she wishes for a way to pay the Doctor. She sees that the pearl is the source of evil and that men are
only evil because of the pearl.

Because Kino chose to fight alone and Juana chooses to let him, evil wins. The Song of Evil plays loudly in the
silence following the deaths on the mountain—one accidental, three brutal. But instead of succumbing to Evil, Juana
and Kino together trudge home, past the burnt spot where their house stood. "[T]hey were not walking in single file,
Kino ahead and Juana behind, as usual, but side by side." As they walk together, the Song of the Family revives
becoming "as fierce as a cry." Kino even offers to let Juana throw the pearl but she declines. He must silence the
cause of his insanity. He throws the pearl and as it settles, the Song of Evil "drifted to a whisper and disappeared."
Evil is banished but good has not triumphed as is indicated by the bloody package inside Juana's shawl.

Knowledge and Ignorance

The Doctor, the Priest, and The Pearl Buyer do their part to keep the peasants ignorant and docile. They use
whatever methods they can to accomplish this—financial instability, religious ceremonies and threats of eternal
damnation, or lack of economic choice. When the pearl is discovered, however, each power controller makes the
mistake of thinking he knows how to have his way with the finder. Due to this mistake, they do not allow any
knowledge to escape but they alienate Kino from them. In other words, by insisting that he stay ignorant of their
ways they harbor resentment and defiance. Kino is ignorant, not mentally deficient. They answer his reticence with
force and are met with force.

The doctor uses an overbearing self-confidence to trick Juana and Kino into thinking their child might be still at risk
from the sting of the scorpion. Kino suspects the white powder may be fraudulent but he certainly will not risk his
son's life and deny the doctor. He believes in the doctor because the doctor treats the Europeans who are stronger
than the Indians. They are strong in part, he reasons to himself, because of the doctor. What choice does he have
but to give way? The priest is not much different. He views the Indians as children and keeps them that way by
educating them only enough to be scared of the evil they will face without his help. Religions, especially Catholicism,
used the devil as a tool to bring the conquered into submission. Religious reasoning was also used on slaves to
make them submissive. On the one hand, the people learn enough from the priest to blend his prayers with their
ancient superstitions. On the other, they are not any better for the interaction.

Lastly, the pearl buyers are the best at the charade; they have the Indians at their mercy economically. The pretense
of an open market and the price wars they fake lead the Indians to think they are getting a fair shake. In this way, the
Indians also believe that they are active participants in the economic order. The Indians are illiterate and cannot
know how the modern world works. They are kept ignorant to be exploited.

Individual vs. Society

Kino and his people have lost their ability to function as an effectual group. The only time they come together is to
form an audience to be witness to what will happen to Kino. Before European rule, they were able to act as a
functional society, going so far as to create songs—which they no longer do. Their social mechanisms have been
worn down by the new religious institution and, more crucially, by the new economic system. These two institutions
encourage the Indians to behave as individuals who will compete with each other in making ends meet alone. Social
and tribal sharing is discouraged at every turn. The narrative dramatizes this by depicting the absence of cordial
12
social interaction amongst the Indians.

Conversely, the pearl buyers act in concert for the benefit of one man and to exert their control over the gullible
Indian populace. By this comparison, Steinbeck is criticizing the market system in a way that is consistent with his
other literary works. Steinbeck feels capitalism leads to monopolies. Steinbeck is also criticizing his own theories of
the phalanx. In his writing before the war, he believed that only by voluntary cooperation could people live happily
and at peace. The war, however, showed him that people are easily tricked, bought, or coerced into working for a
group when the alternate choice is to be a part of an oppressed class. The latter group, Kino's, is unable to pull
together because they have been divided by their oppression.

They attempted to break the monopoly a few times when they sent single men to the big city but those men never
returned. They did not try with a group of men who could have defended themselves. Kino will try this route of
solitude and he will be defeated. He should have taken his brother or another man in a canoe to the city. Instead, he
went with his wife and child over land and paid an ultimate price.

Characters

Characters: Characters Discussed

Kino

Kino, a young Mexican-Indian pearl diver at the peak of his physical powers. With black, unruly hair, keen dark eyes,
and a coarse, ragged mustache, Kino is lithe and strong, able to gather oysters underwater for a full two minutes
without surfacing and to move about, catlike and undetected, in the dark and on rough terrain. Devoted to his wife,
Juana, and his infant son, Coyotito, and proud of his position as head of his family and initially content with the
traditional life of his ancestors, Kino has dreams and needs that are at first simple. When he seeks treatment for
Coyotito’s scorpion bite from the white doctor and is scornfully dismissed, however, anger awakens in him. After he
finds a magnificent pearl, he quickly becomes more aware of his people’s powerlessness and ignorance as he
encounters contempt, deceit, greed, and brutality in the bigger world where he goes to sell his glorious treasure. As
the threats to his pearl and his family’s safety become more pressing, Kino’s serenity and innocence are replaced by
rage, fear, cunning, and the instinct to kill. In the end, having murdered four men and lost his hut, his beloved
inherited canoe, and, above all, his precious infant son, a stone-hearted Kino hurls the malignant pearl back into the
sea.

Juana

Juana, Kino’s young wife, who dresses simply, out of necessity, wearing a ragged blue skirt, carrying her son slung
in her shawl, and tying her dark braids with faded green ribbons. A wedding outfit, folded away, awaits better days. A
silent young woman with watchful dark eyes, Juana is self-effacing and submissive to Kino, giving herself over to
caring skillfully for her husband and son. A pragmatist, she prays for protection both to traditional gods and to the
Christian God of the powerful Catholic Church. She is manifestly the source of Kino’s early contentment with his life,

13
despite its poverty; indeed, his first desire when he finds the pearl is that they should be legally married in the church
to confirm their strong union. When threats to her family arise, Juana reveals an iron will and a perceptiveness that
her husband lacks. In the face of Kino’s reluctance, Juana insists on fetching the white doctor to tend Coyotito; in the
face of Kino’s grand dreams of new possessions and an education for Coyotito, Juana soon recognizes that the
pearl will bring only catastrophe, and she urges Kino to throw it back into the sea. In the face of Kino’s fierce
determination, Juana dares to creep from the hut and try to get rid of the pearl herself. She stoically endures the
beating that ensues, then accepts without question their need for flight after Kino murders a nighttime intruder. When
she and Kino return to the village bearing the pitiful burden of their dead son, the villagers note that instead of trailing
behind, Juana now walks beside Kino as an equal, forged in the same crucible of suffering.

The white doctor

The white doctor, a puffy-eyed, obese, lazy, and discontented man immured in his luxurious villa in town. He dreams
obsessively of his one youthful sojourn in Paris and harbors the colonialist’s contempt for Mexico, reluctantly tending
only those patients who hold the promise of fat fees. When he thinks of them at all, he regards the Indian people as
animals and refuses to treat them. Having curtly dismissed Kino’s plea to help Coyotito, he undergoes a miraculous
change of attitude when he hears about Kino’s pearl. He seeks out the family, overwhelming them with his authority
and seeming compassion. After callously giving Coyotito medicine that makes the baby sick, he then effects a “cure,”
hoping to benefit handsomely from Kino’s newfound wealth. The doctor embodies the corruption of the Mexican
Indians’ Spanish oppressors.

The trackers

The trackers, Kino’s nemeses. The hopelessness of Kino’s flight and the inevitability of disaster become apparent as
soon as the skillful trackers appear over the horizon. A gleaming rifle, carried by the chief tracker and an emblem of
his power, turns from being chief among Kino’s dreams of advancement to the instrument of brute authority and of
his son’s death. Although Kino kills the trackers with his own knife, the rifle, ironically, is the only trophy with which
he returns, beaten, to his village.

Analysis

Analysis: Style and Technique

The Pearl grew out of an anecdote Steinbeck had heard during his visit to La Paz, which he recorded in the log
section of Sea of Cortez (1941, 1951). An Indian boy discovered an exceedingly large pearl and saw in it a future of
drink, many girlfriends, and, ultimately, personal salvation. He refused to sell the pearl for the ridiculously low price
he was offered, and after he had been beaten and searched for two nights running, he angrily threw the pearl back
into the gulf. Afterward, “he laughed a great deal about it.” Steinbeck mused: “This seems to be a true story, but it is
so much like a parable that it almost can’t be. The Indian boy is too heroic, too wise.” In developing The Pearl,
Steinbeck tried to avoid the incongruities he had sensed in the original tale. He moved the story into a sort of
timeless past and changed the happy-go-lucky boy into a responsible father and husband. In the process, the tone
became tragic instead of comic.
14
From the beginning, Steinbeck had seen The Pearl as a basis for a film by the Mexican director Emilio Fernandez.
Throughout the story run musical leitmotifs (which were actually used in the film), particularly three: the Song of the
Family, which Kino hears each time he looks at his wife and especially his son; the Song of Evil, “the music of the
enemy,” which sounds every time they are threatened; and the music of the pearl itself. The story’s visual sense is
strong. The town, the gulf, and the sierra are described in sharp colors and high relief. Such scenes as Kino’s dive
into the sea, the flight into the mountains, and the daily life of the people demand cinematographic treatment.

Steinbeck’s writing is deceptively simple, avoiding complexities of emotion and characterization. Only Steinbeck’s
occasional philosophical meditations and ironic asides could not be easily filmed. Shot on location by cameraman
Gabriel Figuero with an all-Mexican cast, La Perla was premiered in 1946. To coincide with the film’s release, the
story was reprinted in book form under its present title and with illustrations by the great Mexican artist Jose
Clemente Orozco, one of only three books he so honored.

Analysis: Historical Context

America after World War II
The Peace Treaty signed on February 10,1947 officially ends World War II. America emerges as a world
superpower. It is capable of an incredible industrial capacity and, in addition, America commands the most powerful
military in the world: the greatest Navy, the largest standing Army, the best Air Force, and the only nuclear arsenal.
The United States military becomes even stronger when Congress passes a law unifying the Air Force, Army, and
Navy under one Secretary of Defense. Adding another weapon to America's might, Congress creates the Central
Intelligence Agency.

Culturally, American literature, music, art, movies, and eventually television gain popularity around the world. The
isolationism of the prewar days is gone and the city of New York emerges as a world center. Visitors to the city
experience the tastes and sights of the capital of American publishing, the infant television industry, and the glamour
of Broadway shows. They view Abstract Expressionism, maybe bump into a Beat Poet, and revel in the sound of
Bebop or blues.

Supply and Demand Economics

With the end of the war, the rationing of goods ends and people demand to be supplied with goods that were
unavailable during the war. Industry scurries to provide these goods. One immediate demand is housing. The
soldiers coming home are taking advantage of the GI Bill of Rights to attend college. They use the same rights again
to procure financing for adding their tract house to that other New York invention—the suburban sprawl. The military
industrial complex quickly retools to offer prefabricated housing components, appliances, and civilian cars and
trucks. All of this consumption, however, wreaks havoc on economic forecasts. Price controls are abandoned too
quickly and inflation rises. As men reenter the work force, pressure to raise wages increases and strikes happen
frequently.

President Harry Truman's popularity declines drastically with inflation's rise and the liberal coalition formed under
Roosevelt—which had brought together business and government so effectively to fight a war—unravels.
Fortunately, the worldwide demand for goods is so great and the capacities of America and Canada so vast that
boom times are bound to come. Republicans aim to push back the New Deal legislation at a time when the Marshall

15
Plan was being hammered out to help resuscitate Europe. The Democrat coalition begins splitting apart over the
thorny issue of civil rights. The Southern Democrats strengthen their alliance with the Republicans to weaken the
New Deal and delay action on civil rights legislation.

Despite a presidential veto, the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947 (the Taft-Hartley Act) passes. This law
outlaws 'closed shop' agreements—where the employer hires only those persons who belong to a specific union.
Further, the law demands that workers must first vote by secret ballot before striking. Perhaps most fundamentally,
the law made labor unions liable to court action for contractual violations brought on by stake actions.

The Cold War

Tense relations developed between the United States and their Russian allies late in the war as they raced to see
who would dominate Japan. But it is not until after the war that the growing tensions would come to be known as the
Cold War. In 1947, American Bernard Baruch uses the term to label the conflict between Russia and the United
States that is just short of war. The Cold War resuits in technological races, political influence in lesser countries
(from Central America to the Middle East), and curious exchanges at the United Nations. Both nations break the
sound barrier in 1947. With the detonation of a Soviet atom bomb in 1949, an arms race begins. Later, Sputnik
would cause a furious investment in math and sciences so that America arrives at the Moon first.

Disturbing domestic legislation is enacted early in the Cold War. Truman hands down Executive Order 9835, which
requires the Department of Justice to compile a list of subversive organizations that seek to alter the United States
"by unconstitutional means." The list includes a whole range of groups like the Ku Klux Klan, the Communist Party,
the Chopin Cultural Center, the Committee for the Negro in the Arts, the League of American Writers, the Nature
Friends of America, and the Yugoslav Seaman's Club. Truman's order seeks investigation of those persons affiliated
with those groups who might have infiltrated the United States government. Of the 6.6 million persons investigated,
as a result of this program, not one case of espionage is uncovered. However, this activity paves the way for such
later witchhunts as McCarthyism in the 1950s.

Analysis: Setting
The Pearl is set in and around La Paz, Mexico, a coastal town marked by economic, social, and racial divisions
resulting from colonial domination of the local native population. Kino attempts to escape with his family to the capital
city and seeks refuge in a cave in the wilderness, but his attempt to flee is thwarted, and he returns to La Paz, where
he renders the pearl to the sea.

Analysis: Literary Style

Allegory
An allegory takes many forms. One form of allegory is that of a type of fiction more or less symbolic in feature
intending to convey a meaning which is not explicitly set forth within the narrative. Allegories usually involve a
journey that a character makes toward spiritual growth. Kino's story is an allegory: his journey affords him a small
amount of personal growth and a variety of lessons to meditate on. The plot is simple: a man finds The Pearl of the

16
World but he does not gain happiness and throws it back. Within this narrative are many hidden meanings. The story
tells us that man is in the dark and needs to wake up. Therefore, the opening shows Kino waking in the night, which
is allegorical, but because the Cock has been crowing for some time we know that he has been trying to gain a
consciousness—literally wake up—to his people's plight.

Another message is that journeys should be made in communion, not just the company, of another. Kino should be
in a leadership position amongst his people because of his fortuitous discovery. But he is not leading them. He tries
to sell the pearl, which could have ruptured the economic system and provided economic opportunity for his people.
Instead he falls prey to doubt and decides to go for the big city leaving his people ignorant of his mission. Kino
decides to make his own way and is followed by his wife. He returns with her, but they are still alone and everything
is the same as before.

Symbolism
The story is full of symbolism of the talismanic. allegorical, and ironic kind. The pearl itself is a symbol of escape for
the poor man, but it also symbolizes the effects of greed on man. Worse than that, Steinbeck sets up the pearl to
embody the whole of the European Conquest of the Americas. He does this by saying that the pearl bed in which it
was found is the same pearl bed that raised the King of Spain to be the greatest in the world. Historically, then, this
pearl bed represents the gold, silver, and raw resources that Spain extracted from the New World at the height of
that nation's empire. Now, this same pearl bed lures in a victim of that colonialism to dream of an easy escape from
poverty.

The pearl is a talisman: an object that comes to be interchangeable with a man or an idea. At one point Kino views
the pearl as his soul and vows to keep it. For Kino, the success of the pearl's sale will indicate his success. The pearl
stands opposite to the canoe that at once stands for his family and is a sure bulwark against starvation. When he
makes it known that he will pursue wealth by venturing on his own to the great city, his canoe is sabotaged. This is a
crime greater than homicide for it is a direct assault on Kino's family—worse than burning down the house.

Irony arises in the name of the village: La Paz or peace. The town is only peaceful because the majority of the
people are demoralized. Their peace is one of an oppressed people. The pearl stirs up this peace and only
bloodshed restores calm.

The Indians are constantly presented as innocent primitives further duped by the superstition of the Catholic Church.
They are also, and Kino especially, compared to animals. In their daily habits of fishing and gathering they are like
the hungry dogs and pigs described as searching the shore for easy meals. More exactly, Kino howls, the trackers
sniff and whine, the baby's yelps sound like its namesake—the Coyote. Animals have roles as well. The Watcher's
horse raises the European above the Indians; this advantage is used to conquer the hemisphere.

Metaphor
While the story has its symbols and large allegorical sentiments, every facet of the tale is transcribed into metaphor.
Even the minds of the Indian people are as "unsubstantial as the mirage of the Gulf." Further, they are clouded as if
the mud of the sea floor has been permanently disturbed to block their vision. Even the city as seat of the colonial
administration is given metaphorical animation: "A town is a thing like a colonial animal. A town has a nervous
system and a head and shoulders and feet."

In a moment of foreshadowing, Kino watches as two roosters prepare to fight. He then notices wild doves flying
inland where later Kino will prepare to fight his pursuers. Juana is like an owl when she watches Kino sneaks down
17
the cliff. Earlier, when the watering hole was described, feathers left by cats that had dragged their prey there are
noticed. Those with feathers die. On the other hand, Kino is no longer an animal. Instead, when Kino kills the men
who are tracking him he is a machine. He is efficient and without noise, like the cats playing with their doomed prey.
He is killing to survive. The metaphor that is mixed in with this scene of tension and action is in keeping with the style
of the rest of the work, while also lending it a realistic dimension.

Analysis: Literary Qualities

Kino's story is an allegory: his journey affords him a small amount of personal growth and a variety of lessons on
which to reflect. An allegory may take one of many forms. One form of allegory is that of a type of fiction more or less
symbolic in feature intending to convey a meaning that is not explicitly set forth within the narrative. Allegories
usually involve a journey that a character makes toward spiritual growth. The plot of Steinbeck's story is simple: a
man finds the "pearl of the world" but he does not gain happiness and throws it back. Within this narrative are many
hidden meanings. The story tells us that humanity is in the dark and needs to wake up. Therefore, the opening
shows Kino waking in the night, which is allegorical, but because the cock has been crowing for some time we know
that he has been trying to gain a consciousness—literally wake up—to his people's plight.

Another message is that journeys should be made in communion, not just the company, of another. Kino should be
in a leadership position among his people because of his fortuitous discovery, but he is not leading them. He tries to
sell the pearl, which could have ruptured the economic system and provided economic opportunity for his people.
Instead he falls prey to doubt and decides to go for the big city leaving his people ignorant of his mission. Kino
decides to make his own way and is followed by his wife. He returns with her, but they are still alone and everything
is the same as before.

The novel is full of symbolism of the talismanic, allegorical, and ironic kind. The pearl itself is a symbol of escape for
the poor man, but it also symbolizes the effects of greed on man. Worse than that, Steinbeck sets up the pearl to
embody the whole of the European conquest of the Americas. He does this by saying that the pearl bed in which it
was found is the same pearl bed that raised the King of Spain to be the greatest in the world. Historically, then, this
pearl bed represents the gold, silver, and raw resources that Spain extracted from the New World at the height of
that nation's empire. Now, this same pearl bed lures in a victim of that colonialism to dream of an easy escape from
poverty.

The pearl is a talisman: an object that comes to be interchangeable with a person or an idea. At one point Kino views
the pearl as his soul and vows to keep it. For Kino, the success of the Pearl's sale will indicate his success. The
pearl stands opposite to the canoe that at once stands for his family and is a sure bulwark against starvation. When
he makes it known that he will pursue wealth by venturing on his own to the great city, his canoe is sabotaged. This
is a crime greater than homicide for it is a direct assault on Kino's family—worse than burning down the house.

Irony arises in the name of the village: La Paz or peace. The town is only peaceful because the majority of the
people are demoralized. Their peace is one of an oppressed people. The pearl stirs up this peace and only
bloodshed restores calm.

The Indians are constantly presented as innocent primitives further duped by the superstition of the Catholic Church.

18
They are also, and Kino is especially, compared to animals. In their daily habits of fishing and gathering they are like
the hungry dogs and pigs described as searching the shore for easy meals. More exactly, Kino howls, the trackers
sniff and whine, and the baby yelps—a sound reminiscent of its namesake, the Coyote. Animals have roles in the
story as well. The Watcher's horse raises the European above the Indians; this advantage is used to conquer the
hemisphere.

While the story has its symbols and large allegorical sentiments, every facet of the tale is transcribed into metaphor.
Even the minds the Indian people are as "unsubstantial as the mirage of the Gulf." Further, they are clouded as if the
mud of the sea floor has been permanently disturbed to block their vision. Even the city as seat of the colonial
administration is given metaphorical animation: "A town is a thing like a colonial animal. A town has a nervous
system and a head and shoulders and feet."

In a moment of foreshadowing, Kino watches as two roosters prepare to fight. He then notices wild doves flying
inland where later Kino will prepare to fight his pursuers. Juana is like an owl when she watches Kino sneak down
the cliff. Earlier, when the watering hole was described, feathers left by cats that had dragged their prey there are
noticed. Those with feathers die. On the other hand, Kino is no longer an animal. Instead, when Kino kills the men
who are tracking him he is a machine. He is efficient and without noise, like the cats playing with their doomed prey.
He is killing to survive. The metaphor that is mixed in with this scene of tension and action is in keeping with the style
of the rest of the work while also lending it a realistic dimension.

Analysis: Social Sensitivity

Written in the mid-1940's, The Pearl addresses numerous social issues that gained prominence at that time and that
remained among the chief concerns of late twentieth century society. Among them are a growing awareness of the
more sinister aspects of colonialism and the domination of native peoples by European settlers, the powerlessness
of the economic underclass, and the illusory nature of the "American Dream" of financial prosperity.

Uneducated in the methods of western medicine and the victims of racial prejudice, Kino and Juana are turned away
when they seek the help of the doctor in treating Coyotito's sting. The doctor, a representative of the colonial elite,
compares the family to animals in a blatant expression of his racial contempt. In The Pearl, Kino's racial and
economic powerlessness is further demonstrated in dealings with the priest and the pearl dealers, both of whom
attempt to take advantage of his ignorance.

The Pearl also offers commentary on the blind pursuit of material wealth. Kino's obsession with attaining the best
price for the pearl ultimately leads to the loss of his own innocence, to the death of his child, and to the destruction of
the few possessions the family had to begin with. In other words, Kino' greed has left them spiritually, physically, and
materially ruined, a situation that reflects the emptiness and alienation that many mid-century writers began to
associate with modern American society and its emphasis on personal wealth.

Steinbeck also depicts Kino and Juana's growing isolation from their family and community as they are compelled to
flee to the city to find a buyer for the pearl. An episode of domestic violence is portrayed when Juana attempts to get
rid of the pearl. Ultimately, the parental devotion that led to their desire for material wealth and enhanced social
status backfires— leading to the death of their child and turning Kino into a wife-beater and murderer. The pearl,
symbolizing the pursuit of wealth above all else, may be seen to drive a wedge between the couple and their
19
community, to disrupt family relations, and to upset nature in the premature death of their child. In a negative
expression of Steinbeck's literary vision of cooperation and natural harmony, Kino and Juana end unhappily through
their failure to act in concert with others and for the good of all nature.

Analysis: Compare and Contrast

1947: Jackie Robinson becomes the first black American to play baseball in the major leagues when he joins the
Brooklyn Dodgers. Rookie of the year and lead base stealer in the National League, he is a hero to blacks and a
symbol of integration.

Today: Affirmative Action is all but discontinued while blacks retain their predominate role as sports heroes.

1947: Its troops tired of harassment by Jewish settler militias, Britain turns over the "Palestine problem" to the United
Nations which allows the creation of the State of Israel months later.

Today: There is still no peace in Palestine.

1947: Britain releases its colonial jewel, India. In the aftermath, three nations are born: India Pakistan, and
Bangladesh.

Today: Raising the nuclear stakes worldwide, India and Pakistan have conducted nuclear tests and declared
themselves nuclear states. Diplomats from China to Moscow fear an arms race.

1947: The Cold War begins leading to tense relations between the two largest nuclear powers.

Today: The Cold War is over but war hawks on both sides continually threaten to restart the arms race.

Analysis: For Further Reference

Baker, Carlos. "Steinbeck at the Top of His Form." New York Times Book Review (November 30, 1947): 4, 52. In
this favorable review, Baker finds parallels between The Pearl and the "unkillable folklore of Palestine, Greece,
Rome, China, India," and western Europe.

Barker, Debra K.S. "Passages of Descent and Initiation: Juana as the 'Other' Hero of The Pearl." In After "The
Grapes of Wrath," Essays on John Steinbeck. Edited by Donald V. Coers, Paul D. Ruffin, and Robert J. DeMott.
Ohio University Press, 1995, pp. 113-23. Barker argues that Juana undergoes a trial "equal to or perhaps more
momentous" than Kino's as she evolves from the role of "Helpmate" to that of "The Sage."

French, Warren. "Dramas of Consciousness." In John Steinbeck, Twayne Publishers, 1975, pp. 126-30. French
defines parable, and maintains that The Pearl does not fit the definition of a parable because it contains too many
20
loose ends.

French, Warren. "Searching for a Folk Hero." In John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited, Twayne Publishers, 1994, pp.
106-12. French describes the novel as offering a "highminded lesson for materialistic cultures that certainly could not
have been true."

Geismar, Maxwell. "Fable Retold." The Saturday Review (November 22, 1947): 14-15. Geismar criticizes the novel
as a work of propaganda rather than art.

Jain, Sunita. "Steinbeck's 'The Pearl': An Interpretation." Journal of the School of Languages (1978-1979): 138-43. In
this positive review, Jain interprets the central drama in the story to be "Kino's education into manhood through the
knowledge of good and evil."

Karsten, Jr., Ernest E. "Thematic Structure in The Pearl." English Journal (January 1965): 1-7. Karsten relates the
novel's themes to its organization, focusing his analysis on the Songs of Family, of Evil, and of the Pearl, on the
theme of human relationships, and on the essential roles of men and women.

Krause, Sydney J. "The Pearl and 'Hadleyburg': From Desire to Renunciation." In Steinbeck's Literary Dimension: A
Guide to Comparative Studies Series II. Edited by Tetsumaro Hayashi. Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1991, pp. 154-71.
Krause says that critical responses to the novel depend on how one interprets its conclusion, which he sees
optimistically as revealing how Kino's weaknesses have become his strengths. Krause classifies the novel as
belonging to the "pessimistic-naturalist" tradition of Twain's "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg."

Levant, Howard. "The Natural Parable." In The Novels of John Steinbeck, A Critical Study. University of Missouri
Press, 1974, pp. 185-206. Levant analyzes Steinbeck's narrative methods, focusing on the novella's simple
structure, which, he believes, provides a necessary balance to Steinbeck's complex material.

Lisca, Peter. "The Pearl." In The Wide World of John Steinbeck. Rutgers University Press, 1958, pp. 218-30. Lisca
offers an interpretation of The Pearl as both a "direct statement of events," and "as a reflection of conscious or
unconscious forces dictating the imagery in which it is presented."

Meyer, Michael J. "Precious Bane: Mining the Fool's Gold in The Pearl." In The Short Novels of John Steinbeck,
Critical Essays with a Checklist to Steinbeck Criticism. Edited by Jackson J. Benson. Duke University Press, 1990,
pp. 161-72. Meyer analyzes critical responses to the novella, in particular how they interpret the ambiguity in the tale,
then offers his own interpretation: the parable acknowledges that only on his way toward death is man able to
"discover who he really is."

Morris, Harry. "The Pearl: Realism and Allegory." English Journal (October 1963): 487-505. Morris investigates the
appearance and reception of allegory in the past four hundred years of literature, responds to those who criticized
the novella because it is an allegory or because it is anti-materialist, and concludes that Kino is a remarkable hero
because he is an allegorical Everyman.

Prescott, Orville. "Books of the Times." New York Times (November 24, 1947): 21. Prescott praises The Pearl for its
simple style and powerful emotional impact, and compares it to Kipling's Mowgli story, "The King's Ankus."

21
Steinbeck, John. "Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech." In Faulkner, O'Neill, Steinbeck. Edited by Alexis Gregory.
Helvetica Press, Inc., 1971, pp. 205-08. In this speech, Steinbeck considers the human need for literature, and
agrees with Faulkner that the "understanding and the resolution of fear are a large part of the writer's reason for
being."

Steinbeck, John, and Ricketts, Edward F. In Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research. Viking,
1941. This work is the result of a marine expedition that Steinbeck undertook with his friend Ed Ricketts in 1940. It
provides more insight into Steinbeck's biological theories. The expedition takes place in the Gulf of California where
a story like The Pearl might easily take place.

Bibliography: Bibliography and Further

Reading
Sources
John S. Kennedy, "John Steinbeck: Life Affirmed and Dissolved," in Steinbeck and His Critics: A Record of Twenty-
five Years, edited by E.W. Tedlock, Jr. and C.V. Wicker, University of New Mexico Press, 1957, pp. 119-34.

Todd M. Lieber, "Talismanic Patterns in the Novels of John Steinbeck," in American Literature, May, 1972, pp. 262-
75.

Peter Lisca, "Escape and Commitment: Two Poles of the Steinbeck Hero," in Steinbeck: The Man and His Work,
edited by Richard Astro and Tetsumaro Hayashi, Oregon State University Press, 1971, pp. 75-88.

Harry Morris, "The Pearl: Realism and Allegory," in English Journal, Vol. LII, No. 7, October, 1963, pp. 487-505.

Further Reading
Carlos Baker, "Steinbeck at the Top of His Form," in New York Times Book Review, Vol. 97, November 30, 1947,
pp. 4,52.
In this favorable review, Baker finds parallels between The Pearl and the "unkillable folklore of Palestine, Greece,
Rome China India," and western Europe.

Debra K.S. Barker, "Passages of Descent and Initiation: Juana as the 'Other' Hero of The Pearl," in After The
Grapes of Wrath, Essays on John Steinbeck, edited by Donald V. Coers, Paul D. Ruffin, and Robert J. DeMott, Ohio
University Press, 1995, pp. 113-23.
Barker argues that Juana undergoes a trial "equal to or perhaps more momentous" than Kino's as she evolves from
the role of "Helpmate" to that of "The Sage."

Warren French, "Dramas of Consciousness," in John Steinbeck, Twayne Publishers, 1975, pp. 126-30.
French defines parable, and maintains that The Pearl does not fit the definition of a parable because it contains too
many loose ends.

Warren French, "Searching for a Folk Hero," in John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited, Twayne Publishers, 1994, pp

22
106-12.
French describes the novel as offering a "high-minded lesson for materialistic cultures that certainly could not have
been true."

Maxwell Geismar, "Fable Retold," in The Saturday Review, Vol. 30, November 22, 1947, pp. 14-15.
Geismar criticizes the novel as a work of propaganda rather than art.

Sunita Jain, "Steinbeck's The Pearl: An Interpretation," in Journal of the School of Languages, Vol. 6, Nos. 1-2,
1978-1979, pp. 138-43.
In this positive review, Jain interprets the central drama in the story to be "Kino's education into manhood through
the knowledge of good and evil."

Ernest E. Karsten, Jr., "Thematic Structure in The Pearl," in English Journal, Vol. 54, No. 1, January, 1965, pp. 1-7.
Karsten relates the novel's themes to its organization, focusing his analysis on the Songs of Family, of Evil, and of
the Pearl, on the theme of human relationships, and on the essential roles of men and women.

Sydney J. Krause, "The Pearl and 'Hadleyburg': From Desire to Renunciation," in Steinbeck's Literary Dimension: A
Guide to Comparative Studies Series II, edited by Tetsumaro Hayashi, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1991, pp. 154-71.
Krause says that critical responses to the novel depend on how one interprets its conclusion, which he sees
optimistically as revealing how Kino's weaknesses have become his strengths. Krause classifies the novel as
belonging to the "pessimistic-naturalist" tradition of Twain's "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg."

Howard Levant, "The Natural Parable," in The Novels of John Steinbeck, A Critical Study, University of Missouri
Press, 1974, pp. 185-206.
Levant analyzes Steinbeck's narrative methods, focusing on the novella's simple structure, which, he believes,
provides a necessary balance to Steinbeck's complex material.

Peter Lisca, "The Pearl," in The Wide World of John Steinbeck, Rutgers University Press, 1958, pp. 218-30.
Lisca offers an interpretation of The Pearl as both a "direct statement of events," and "as a reflection of conscious or
unconscious forces dictating the imagery in which it is presented."

Peter Lisca, in John Steinbeck: Nature and Myth, Thomas Y. Cromwell, 1978.
Critical look at Steinbeck's theoretical use of biological theory and mythical components in his fiction.

Michael J. Meyer, "Precious Bane: Mining the Fool's Gold in The Pearl," in The Short Novels of John Steinbeck,
Critical Essays with a Checklist to Steinbeck Criticism, edited by Jackson J. Benson, Duke University Press, 1990,
pp. 161-72.
Meyer analyzes critical responses to the novella, in particular how they interpret the ambiguity in the tale, then offers
his own interpretation: the parable acknowledges that only on his way toward death is man able to "discover who he
really is."

Harry Morris, "The Pearl, Realism and Allegory," in English Journal, Vol. 52, No. 7, October, 1963, pp. 487-505.
Morris investigates the appearance and reception of allegory in the past four hundred years of literature, responds to
those who criticized the novella because it is an allegory or because it is anti-materialist, and concludes that Kino is
a remarkable hero because he is an allegorical Everyman.

23
Orville Prescott, "Books of the Times," in New York Times, November 24, 1947, p. 21.
Prescott praises The Pearl for its simple style and powerful emotional impact, and compares it to Kipling's Mowgli
story, "The King's Ankus."

John Steinbeck, "Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech," in Faulkner, O'Neill, Steinbeck, edited by Alexis Gregory,
Helvetica Press, Inc., 1971, pp. 205-08.
In this speech, Steinbeck considers the human need for literature, and agrees with Faulkner that the "understanding
and the resolution of fear are a large part of the writer's reason for being."

John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts, in Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research, Viking, 1941.
This work is the result of a marine expedition that Steinbeck undertook with his friend Ed Ricketts in 1940. It provides
more insight into Steinbeck's biological theories. The expedition takes place in the Gulf of California where a story
like The Pearl might easily take place.

Bibliography
Astro, Richard. John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts: The Shaping of a Novelist. Hemet, Calif.: Western Flyer,
2002.

Benson, Jackson D. The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer. New York: Viking Press, 1984.

French, Warren. John Steinbeck’s Fiction Revisited. New York: Twayne, 1994.

George, Stephen K., ed. John Steinbeck: A Centennial Tribute. New York: Praeger, 2002.

George, Stephen K., ed. The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2005.

Hayashi, Tetsumaro, ed. A New Study Guide to Steinbeck’s Major Works, with Critical Explications. Metuchen, N.J.:
Scarecrow Press, 1993.

Hughes, R. S. John Steinbeck: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1989.

Johnson, Claudia Durst, ed. Understanding “Of Mice and Men,” “The Red Pony,” and “The Pearl”: A Student
Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1997.

McElrath, Joseph R., Jr., Jesse S. Crisler, and Susan Shillinglaw, eds. John Steinbeck: The Contemporary Reviews.
New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Parini, Jay. John Steinbeck: A Biography. New York: Henry Holt, 1995.

Shillinglaw, Susan, and Kevin Hearle, eds. Beyond Boundaries: Rereading John Steinbeck. Tuscaloosa: University
of Alabama Press, 2002.

24
Tamm, Eric Enno. Beyond the Outer Shores: The Untold Odyssey of Ed Ricketts, the Pioneering Ecologist Who
Inspired John Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2004.

Timmerman, John H. The Dramatic Landscape of Steinbeck’s Short Stories. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press,
1990.

25