Literary Devices in The Pearl
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
The pearl is a BIG deal. At first it’s the apex of Kino’s dreams and desires, and the next minute it’s a harbinger of bad, wicked things. Juana calls it "evil," "a sin" that "will...
Setting
Set during the colonial era in Mexico, The Pearl takes place in a small rural town called La Paz on the Baja Peninsula. The setting of The Pearl has a dreamlike, surrealistic quality. Check out thi...
Narrator Point of View
With this omniscient point of view, we get the benefit of hearing multiple perspectives and opinions. The text spends a lot of time observing, reporting from a distance on the goings on of the town...
Genre
Steinbeck based The Pearl in part on a legend he heard during a six-week expedition in the Sea of Cortez. Elements of the story, then, have been passed down as part of folklore—which means the no...
Tone
We definitely get a sense of fatalism reading The Pearl. The narration declares with removed, pensive observation that all are greedy, that the pearl brings evil, and that good ol' Kino has become...
Writing Style
Steinbeck originally conceived of The Pearl as a film, and you can definitely tell by reading it. You’ve got everything from camera pans to a thematic musical score:And Kino thrust the pearl back...
What’s Up With the Title?
Right, so this one isn’t too complicated: a parable about a pearl is called… The Pearl. But there’s also some biblical stuff going on. It might be that Steinbeck is alluding to "the pearl of...
What's Up With the Epigraph?
"In the town they tell the story of the great pearl – how it was found and how it was lost again. They tell of Kino, the fisherman, and of his wife, Juana, and of the baby, Coyotito. And because...
Plot Analysis
A scorpion stings Kino’s son and the doctor refuses to treat him.Okay, we’ll admit that this sounds like conflict. And in a way, yes, it is conflict—it’s just not the conflict of the novel...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
Kino looks for a pearl.Unable to pay for the doctor to examine his scorpion-stung baby, Kino takes to the water in the hopes of finding a great pearl. "But the pearls were accidents, and the find...
Three Act Plot Analysis
Kino finds a valuable pearl.The valuable pearl destroys Kino's life.Kino throws away the valuable pearl.
Trivia
Steinbeck was a major in marine biology at Stanford University—until he dropped out. (Source)When The Pearl was made into a movie in 1947, it was the first Mexican-made movie to be commercially d...
Steaminess Rating
Well, Juana and Kino have a baby, so we know they must have had sex at some point. That’s pretty much it, though.
Allusions
John Steinbeck: The Log from the Sea of Cortez (the entire novella)Bible: The Gospel of Matthew—The parable of "the pearl of great price" (the novella’s title)Unknown author: Pearl (the novella...