The Pearl By John Steinbeck Author Background John
The Pearl By: John Steinbeck
Author Background John Steinbeck • In his very short preface to the novel, John Steinbeck wrote: “If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it. ” (Pg. 1) • The reader should understand there is more to The Pearl than simply the plot.
Author continued • Born in Salinas, California in 1902 • Grew up as an intense reader • Lived on the Pacific coast • Studied literature & writing at Stanford • Did not graduate with a college degree • Worked as a journalist • First attempts were failures • Tortilla Flat was first commercial success (1935) • A collection of short stories about the ethnic working poor in California
Steinbeck continued… • Traveled extensively • Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939) are two of his finest works – both set in the Great Depression. • The Pearl originally appeared in Woman’s Home Companion (magazine) under the title “The Pearl of the World. ” • The Pearl ranks among his most popular works. • Received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.
Major Influences • The Great Depression (1933) The stock market crashed Left millions of people without jobs, no food, and no electricity • World War II (ended 1945) Allies and Axis powers After Allies won the war, dictatorships and communist countries were looked down on
Communist Ideas • Money is distributed evenly throughout the country among all workers no matter their trade. • All food grown on farms is collected by the government and distributed evenly throughout the country • No one owns their own land
The Pearl • Parable – a brief story or tale that illustrates a moral or life lesson. • Examples - Biblical parables Buddhist parables Chinese parables Nature parables
The Pearl • Setting : • Where - a Mexican village on the Baja Peninsula • When – uncertain exactly; late 19 th or early 20 th century
Characters: • Kino – the protagonist – A simple character – Motivated by simple drives: love of family, loyalty to the traditions of his village and his people – Possesses a strong work ethic – Feels a close kinship with the natural world
• Juana – Kino’s wife – More reflective & practical than Kino – Loyal & submissive as her culture dictates but she does not always agree with her husband’s actions – Comes to view the pearl as a symbol of evil
• The Doctor – – Represents the colonial attitudes that oppress Kino and his people – Embodies the colonists’ greed and arrogance – Only interested in making money – Has no real respect for the native people – As a physician he is duty-bound to save human life – but this doctor feels no such duty
• While the action in The Pearl is easy to follow, there is one historical point to keep in mind: The Spanish landed in Mexico and proceeded to enslave the native peoples who had inhabited the area. While their descendents are no longer slaves, the Indians are still the underclass; the descendents of the Spanish settlers are the richer, more powerful, professional ruling class. You will note the doctor, priest, and the pearl buyers are all of Spanish descent.
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