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John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, while short, made a lasting impact on my understanding of socio-economic injustice after first reading it as a kid. Now, revisiting it as an adult, I still find it to have great relevance.
That said, there were some stylistic choices I was not overly impressed with. I know most people are generally keen on Steinbeck’s inclusion of “music” in the tale, but it did not heighten dramatic elements for me, so much as pose as a distraction. That choice aside, I did enjoy the overall use of language and thought it worked well at setting the stage of the fable.
As for the characters, neither Kino nor Juana are exceptionally inspiring characters, but that choice plays a role in Steinbeck’s narrative focus on the lives and trials of ordinary people. They exist as male and female caricatures to facilitate commentary on elements that constitute masculinity and femininity. While I do not necessarily agree with the rigidity of this dichotomy, Steinbeck’s emphasis on the necessary balance of these diverse elements is something I can accept.
Now what is great about The Pearl, is the brutal and honest portrayal of the human struggle to raise oneself higher than the station they are born into. This is brilliantly illustrated with the passage,
“The loss of the pearl was a punishment visited on those who tried to leave their station. And the Father made it clear that each man and woman is like a soldier sent by God to guard some part of the castle of the Universe. And some are in the ramparts and some far deep in the darkness of the walls. But each one must remain faithful to his post and must not go running about, else the castle is in danger from the assaults of Hell” (50).
People are constantly trying to make sense of their place in the world and understand why the status quo is what it is. When it is a wide-spread cultural or religious assumption that to work and aspire to more is inherently bad, is when you know you’re living in a system actively working to justify its innate injustice and prejudice.
Righteous retaliation for work or luck should not be a natural assumption, but it is in both this tale and real life. That is why the fable still resonates with me today.
That said, there were some stylistic choices I was not overly impressed with. I know most people are generally keen on Steinbeck’s inclusion of “music” in the tale, but it did not heighten dramatic elements for me, so much as pose as a distraction. That choice aside, I did enjoy the overall use of language and thought it worked well at setting the stage of the fable.
As for the characters, neither Kino nor Juana are exceptionally inspiring characters, but that choice plays a role in Steinbeck’s narrative focus on the lives and trials of ordinary people. They exist as male and female caricatures to facilitate commentary on elements that constitute masculinity and femininity. While I do not necessarily agree with the rigidity of this dichotomy, Steinbeck’s emphasis on the necessary balance of these diverse elements is something I can accept.
Now what is great about The Pearl, is the brutal and honest portrayal of the human struggle to raise oneself higher than the station they are born into. This is brilliantly illustrated with the passage,
“The loss of the pearl was a punishment visited on those who tried to leave their station. And the Father made it clear that each man and woman is like a soldier sent by God to guard some part of the castle of the Universe. And some are in the ramparts and some far deep in the darkness of the walls. But each one must remain faithful to his post and must not go running about, else the castle is in danger from the assaults of Hell” (50).
People are constantly trying to make sense of their place in the world and understand why the status quo is what it is. When it is a wide-spread cultural or religious assumption that to work and aspire to more is inherently bad, is when you know you’re living in a system actively working to justify its innate injustice and prejudice.
Righteous retaliation for work or luck should not be a natural assumption, but it is in both this tale and real life. That is why the fable still resonates with me today.