The Pearl (novella)

This article is about the 1947 novel. For the 1948 Spanish language film, see La perla.

The Pearl

First Edition Cover First Edition Cover
Author	John Steinbeck
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	N/A
Genre	Novella
Publisher	The Viking Press & William Heinemann
Publication date	1947
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	90
Preceded by	N/A
Followed by	N/A

File:JohnSteinbeck ThePearl title.jpg

First edition titlepage

The Pearl is a 1947 novella by John Steinbeck. Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the Gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provided Kino, Juana, and their infant son Coyotito, with meager subsistence. Then, on one day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull's egg, as "perfect as the moon."With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security. A story about a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl explores the secrets of mans nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.

Characters in The Pearl

Kino - An honest, dignified, poor fisherman and pearl diver who works to support his family and with a great deal of pride and stubbornness. Out of a stroke of luck, he finds "The Pearl of the World". This ultimately leads to the downfall of not only him, but his entire family. He is a simple and natural being who functions well in the traditional ways of the village. In the novel he turns from a honest and dignified, frugal man to a greedy sociopath who is brutal and protective.

Juana - Kino's lover, a strong and fast-decision maker, serves as a contrast to Kino himself. She is thoughtful and is adept at seeing the warning signs that Kino refuses and she dies to acknowledge. She is also very close to Kino, as she can sense his thoughts without Kino telling her what he is thinking. Although she can see these signs, she is unable to take a truly dominant position in this relationship because of her ingrained subordination.

Coyotito - The baby of Kino and Juana. During the novel, he is stung by a scorpion and in desperate need of the local doctor’s help. However, this is not easily obtainable due to their social status. Coyotito is killed in the end by a bullet that ricochets off the walls of a cave. His dead body is later carried back to the village in a shawl on his mother's back.

Juan Tomás - The older and wiser brother to Kino is consistently loyal to his family. One can see his concern for Kino and his pearl. Even though Kino refuses to listen to his concerns and advice, Juan still agrees to help him escape from the people who are after him. He and Kino share simple, unaffected love even in his most difficult times.

Apolonia - The matronly wife of Juan Tomás and Kino's sister-in-law. After learning that Kino had murdered a thief, she and Juan Tomás both helped Kino and Juana escape the town.

The Priest - When he hears news of the discovery of the Pearl, he suggests giving the pearl or the money to the Pope or the church. He later claims to be part of the pearl.

The Doctor - Known as "the doctor." He is blamed and disliked in the community, especially due to his racism toward the people of the village. He refuses to help Kino's family due his stereotypes toward the native people. He states that he is not a veterinarian, thus, referring to Kino's family as animals. His interest in the family only occurs after he hears of Kino’s find of "The Pearl of the World".

The Trackers - A group of bounty hunters who track down Kino and Juana to steal the pearl.

Symbolism

• The Song of the Family - The Song of the Family is a melody that Kino hears when he is happy or in a positive presence. It is an indication of satisfaction or peace. However, he loses this song as the story progresses. As he begins his descent into insanity, consumed by greed and fear, he stops hearing the melody as it transforms into the sounds of war drums.
• The Song of Evil - It is the opposite of the Song of the Family. Kino hears this song when he senses evil or negative feelings. Due to the finding of the pearl, greed consumes the village and Kino's ears are filled with the song more and more often.
• The Pearl - The path out of poverty, the pearl seemed to be majestic and powerful to Kino at first. In his eyes, he sees a future with his son in school and owning what he could not before. However, selling the pearl proved to be futile, and as each day progresses, greed fills other towns folk's eyes. Thieves come to steal it and misfortune plagues the family. The pearl eventually leads to the loss of his canoe, house, and his son.
• The Canoe - A treasured heirloom, the canoe has been passed down from generation to generation to Kino. The canoe is one of their only valuables, and acts as a source of food, income, security, and welfare. Canoes were considered to be vital to survival in the community.
• The Scorpion* - Triggered the song of the evil and is the trigger character of the story. Since it stung Coyotito that caused a crowd going to the Doctor which did not treat Coyotito.

Film, TV, Musical, or Theatrical adaptations

• The movie, La perla, set in Mexico and closely following Steinbeck's storyline, was adapted by Emilio Fernández, John Steinbeck and Jack Wagner from the novella and stars Pedro Armendáriz and María Elena Marqués. It was directed by Fernández.

• The Musical duo Fleming and John recorded a song called "The Pearl" which is based on the novel. It appears on their 1994 album Delusions of Grandeur.

External links

• About.com Book Review
• Photos of the first edition of The The Pearl