A book over fifty pages long but packed with strong themes, symbols, and characters, is no easy feat, but John Steinbeck pulled it off with ‘The Pearl.’
A Conflict of Classification
One of the remarkable things about John Steinbeck’s story of ‘The Pearl’ is its attempt at combining the novella form and the parable form. By its short length, its focus on the internal life of the character, and its intermittent lyricism, it qualifies as a novella. But its shallow characters, who often have simplistic ideas of good and evil, coupled with its dominantly conversational style, also qualify it as a parable.
A parable is a short moralistic tale usually passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. And as the narrator observes in the introductory statement of the novel if the story indeed is a parable, then it is open to multiple interpretations, and anyone can take their meaning from it and read their own life into it. But this attempt at merging the form of the novella and the parable comes at a cost to the final output. ‘The Pearl,’ therefore, does not fully blossom either into the full potential of the novella form or of the parable form.
Depth in Brevity
The book is just about eighty-something pages long and broken into pretty short chapters. Its presentation of the characters is equally short and uncomplicated, and the alternate rhythms of the Song of the Family and the Song of the Enemy that plays out in Kino’s psyche now and again suggest that the protagonist is not, after all, lacking in psychological depth altogether. The descriptions of the setting are also fairly vibrant and thus are indicative of literary quality rather than the ordinariness of a parable.
Dichotomy of Characterization
The characters in ‘The Pearl’ tend to be superficial, and easily fit into one of either patterns of being good or evil; good and evil being the two opposite forces driving the conflict at the heart of the story. There are, on the one hand, characters who are on the benevolent side of good, dignified in their simple primitive life, attuned to nature, and devotedly working humbly to extract from nature their daily sustenance. Then there are the characters on the malevolent side of evil who try to exploit the first, by bringing oppression, destruction, and ultimately death.
In the camp of good are Kino and his friends and family. They are mostly humble pearl divers and fishermen who have to go out daily to negotiate their existence, material sustenance, and survival with nature. And if they happen to chance on a particularly good fortune upon any day, they count it extremely lucky. This is evident in Kino and his family and friends’ reactions to his discovery of a big pearl. Before this, Kino’s family was content and cordial, the beautiful Song of the Family filling everybody’s heart with immense peace and a sense of fulfilment.
Between Kino and his wife, Juana, there is barely any use of words. They appear to not need words to be able to communicate. Their communication is organic, innocent, and full of innate mutual understanding.
On the other hand, there is the camp of evil. This is where the pearl dealers, the doctor, and the priest belong. This camp represents a world that is in direct opposition to that of Kino and his people. There seems to be a huge chasm between these two worlds that cannot be breached. As a result, there is no real communication between them. The camp of evil is just out to oppress, exploit, and destroy the camp of good.
A Tragic Story
The tension and conflict which drive the plot of ‘The Pearl‘ are by reason of the two camps of good and evil being brought in contact with each other. And it is significant that the dominant imagery of this coming together is that of predation.
One of the most remarkable instances of this predation is Kino’s dealings with the doctor. When Kino’s son Coyotito had been bitten by a scorpion, it suddenly dawns on him how helpless he is in the general order of things as there is nothing he can do directly to help his ailing son. So it is in an act of extreme desperation and overriding love for his son’s welfare that he turns to the doctor for help.
The doctor, at this moment, represented to him a hope that he could not offer his son by himself. But when he reaches out to the doctor, he realizes that the chasm between his world and the doctors cannot be breached. This is signified by the doctor’s refusal to treat his son unless he can pay for the doctor’s services. In other words, Kino finds out that the only modality of relationship there can be between him and the doctor is that of prey and predator. So long as the doctor can get some exploitative value out of him, they have a meeting point. Otherwise, there can be nothing between them.
Kino rages against this unbridgeable chasm now and again and finds that his efforts can only be futile. It is partly out of this rage that he goes diving on the day he comes into the fortune or misfortune of finding the Pearl of the World. He tries once again to get away from his world into the other by selling the pearl and finds that try as hard as he may; there is no getting away for him. This is one of the dimensions of tragedy in the story, in that sense of a character being trapped in a situation where no matter what the character does, it can only bring disaster.
FAQs
Who is the narrator in ‘The Pearl‘?
In John Steinbeck’s ‘The Pearl,’ the narration is from a third-person omniscient point of view. This means that the narrator is not one of the characters in the story but knows everything going on with the characters, including their inner thoughts.
What is the irony in Coyotito’s death?
The irony in Coyotito’s death is that he is the motivation behind Kino and Juana’s seeking of the pearl and their quest to use it to better their fortunes. However, the same pearl ends up becoming part of the reasons for his death.
What age is ‘The Pearl‘ suitable for?
‘The Pearl‘ by John Steinbeck is recommended as suitable for readers who are fourteen years old and above. This is because, while the legend-like oration and the brevity of the book might appeal to children, the graphic depictions of violence and killing in the book are not suitable for children.
What genre of literature is ‘The Pearl’?
‘The Pearl’ by John Steinbeck can be classified as both a novella and a parable. With its short length, its focus on the interior life of the characters, and its intermittent lyricism, it definitely qualifies as a novella. But it is rather shallow characters, who commonly have simplistic ideas of good and evil, coupled with its dominantly conversational style, also qualify it as a parable. A parable is a short moralistic tale commonly passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.
Is ‘The Pearl’ by John Steinbeck a political book?
While ‘The Pearl’ is a work of fiction, the storytelling has a commentary and critique of the political and religious affairs of Mexico of the era and how these realities affect individuals and the society collectively. Therefore, it can be regarded as a political book.
'The Pearl' Review
Book Title: The Pearl
Book Description: 'The Pearl' is a memorable, brief novella by Steinbeck, rich with parable and critique, offering a universal appeal and deep interpretive potential, set against a vivid 19th-century Mexican backdrop.
Book Author: John Steinbeck
Book Edition: First Edition
Book Format: Hardcover
Publisher - Organization: Viking Press
Date published: March 17, 1947
ISBN: 978-0-14-017737-X
Number Of Pages: 254
- Lasting Impact on the Reader
- Characters
- Setting
- Story
- Style
'The Pearl' Review
‘The Pearl’ is a novella one can quickly finish during a lunch break, but never forget for the rest of one’s life. It is both a parable and a socio-political critique with an endless possibility of interpretations by its readers.
The brevity of the volume gives it a universal reading appeal and the depth of the story makes room for personalized deductions for every reader. Although a tragic story, it is highly recommended for an enjoyable read.
The imagery is so powerful that it easily transports readers to the seaside of a small nineteenth-century Mexican neighborhood.
Pros
- Brevity
- Rhythm
- style
- Powerful Story
Cons
- Violence
- Tragic Ending
