Comment

Aug 20, 2020smhgeo422 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
In The Pearl, John Steinbeck demonstrates that the success one may envision in his/her mind can be a disguise of unexpected downfall. Kino, the main character, serves as an example of how one can suffer through this theme. Kino, a man of lowly status, finds an unusually large pearl and attempts to sell it in order to provide his son a possibly brighter future. However, this pearl corrupts Kino, which instigates Kino’s transformation that the main plot of the story revolves around. Juana, Kino’s wife, out of utter desperation, tries to persuade Kino to give up his quixotic dreams; unsurprisingly, her actions are futile. Others who know Kino are dumbfounded by his new and foreign mindset that seems to be invaded by greed itself. As the story progresses, Kino endures a new set of unfamiliar hardships and pains but continues to be adamant about his goals. I recommend it to ages 11 and up. I assume greed is a concept that is well-known and almost ubiquitous in children’s stories. It’s a book I would read twice, once as a student, once as an adult, to analyze different perspectives of greed. I wouldn’t say this story is the most “fun-read” out there, but I admit there are some very interesting portions to the plot. I give it a 4.5 stars out of 5.