The Pearl

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck, J. (1945, 1973). The pearl. New York: Penguin Books

ISBN: 014017737X

Plot

Kino is a young diver in La Paz. One day, his son is stung by a scorpion. The wealthy town doctor will not treat him, as Kino has no money. Kino dives and finds a great pearl and knows he is a wealthy man. Kino wants to use the pearl to buy an education for his son. The town’s people plot to take the pearl from Kino. Kino’s wife, Juana, has used her own remedy to heal her son, but the doctor (having heard about the pearl) convinces Kino that the child is still sick and will die without further treatment. He tricks Kino into revealing where he has buried the pearl. That night, someone tries to steal the pearl from them. Kino tries to sell the pearl in town, but all the merchants offer less than what it is worth. Juana fears the pearl is evil and tries to throw it back into the sea. But, Kino stops her and beats her. On their way back to their hut, Kino is attacked and kills a man in self defense. When they return to their hut, they find the floor ripped up by townsfolk looking for the pearl. Kino decides to sell the pearl in another town. But on the journey to sell the pearl, Kino realizes they are being followed and seeks to confront those pursuing him. Kino must make a terrible choice to protect his family. But his choices will have tragic consequences.

Critical Evaluation

The Pearl is a tale about the evils of greed and how humans are motivated by greed. It is a story about how this motivator informs human behavior. It is beautifully told by the master, Steinbeck. The setting is alive with descriptive language, the characters well drawn and the moral is presented in an ironic and tragic manner. This is a wonderfully told story by one of the great authors of the last century.

Readers Annotation

What if you were poor and needed money to pay for your baby’s medicine? This is the dilemma of Kino, a poor pearl diver from La Paz. One day, he finds a great pearl. He will try to sell it to pay for his son’s health and education, but the powers of the town are against him. Will he be able to sell the pearl to save his son or will the pearl destroy him?

About the Author

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He attended Stanford University. He is the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath in 1940. In 1962 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in New York in 1968. Steinbeck is widely considered one of America’s great authors. Of his writing he said: “In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.”   

Genre: Realistic Fictiton

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts
Booktalk Ideas: Materialism Vs. Morality
Reading Level: Grade 8+
Interest Level: Grade 8+
Challenge Issues: Violence. I would defend the violence in this book as it is integral to the theme of the depravity of greed.   

This book is included because it is a good introduction to the writings of John Steinbeck.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck, J. (1937, 1965). Of mice and men. New York: Viking Press

ISBN: 055327824X

Plot

George and Lenny are two migrant field workers in California during the Great Depression. George is intelligent, yet cynical. Lenny is a physically large man with limited mental capacities who hears voices in his head. They work on a ranch near Soledad. They decide to save their money to buy a farm together. Lenny wants to raise rabbits, as they are soft and he likes to pet rabbits. The dream becomes more real when an old farm hand named Candy decides to go in with them on the farm. Lenny asks George to repeat the dream of the farm to him on many occasions. In an unfortunate turn of events, Lenny accidentally murders the wife of the rancher’s son. George must make a horrible and heart breaking decision that will shatter their dream forever. 

Critical Evaluation

Even though the characters in this book are poor, some still have dreams. Loneliness is a theme in this book. Yet, many of the characters tend to isolate themselves. It is shown that loneliness is not only a naturally occurring condition, but that it is created by the inhumanity of one person to another and by the theft of dreams by poverty. The novel is filled with Stienbeck’s descriptive language concerning characters and setting. The conclusion is tragic and poignant, as George ends the life of his friend, rather than turning him over to the hands of a mob.  

Readers Annotation

John Steinbeck writes of poor, migrant workers in the desperate search for home and companionship in Of Mice and Men. This is a beautifully told story filled with the kind of realistic, gritty scenes presented artfully for which Steinbeck is famous. 

About the Author

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He attended Stanford University. He is the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath in 1940. In 1962 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in New York in 1968. Steinbeck is widely considered one of America’s great authors. Of his writing he said: “In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.”   

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Do we ever have the right to kill another person?

Reading Level: 8+
Interest Level: 8+
Challenge Issues: Violence, sexual situations. I would defend this book by pointing out that John Steinbeck is an American Master. There is not one word placed that is not intended to be there to support his theme.

This book is included because it is reading  level appropriate and a good introduction to a great American author.