In The Pearl, John Steinbeck writes in a very unique story in a very unique way. All the characters, in the end, are trying to achieve the same thing, yet at the same time, they all contradict each other. I like the way Steinbeck stretches the fact that Kino finding the pearl affects everyone in and around the town by going to various characters and showing us what their reaction to the pearl is. I think this gives the reader an interesting perspective because even though we know things that Kino does not, like how nervous the pearl buyer was, since the story is told mostly through Kino's eyes, we are still limited. This allows even very minor characters to develop, but still creates a sense of suspense and curiosity in the story. Since we only really heard the opinion of Kino and his neighbors' on the pearl, it came as a surprise to me when the pearl buyers did not bid a high price. I find it interesting how even though this would discourage many people, it builds Kino's ego even more, making him greedy to earn money off the pearl and revealing another layer to the man's character. I think Steinbeck made the pearl buyers so unwilling to pay a good price on the pearl to drive Kino even more into his obsession with gaining wealth, which caused a ripple affect until he even ended up killing a man.
In chapter 5, Juana lets go of her hopes to destroy the pearl after Kino kills the man. She realizes that the peace we read about in the very beginning of the book would never return with the pearl gone and nothing gained from it. Though this saddens her and is far from what she wants, Juana knows that she has to forget about getting rid of the pearl to help her family even come close to that peace they had in the past. I, and many other readers, could connect this to my own life. When Juana having to let go of those good memories to help her husband and son, I could connect this to moving on from an old friendship. Even though the memories of friendships will always be good, everyone at some point has to realize that even holding on to happy memories can be bad for you. So, far that has just been one of the many lessons taught in this book. Although Kino and Juana's world is different from ours in many ways, it still teaches us things like letting go of the past or controlling greed. Not only does The Pearl give us those important life lessons, underneath that is helps us learn that people around the world, of any culture and economic level, are dealing with the same emotions and have the same virtues.
In chapter 5, Juana lets go of her hopes to destroy the pearl after Kino kills the man. She realizes that the peace we read about in the very beginning of the book would never return with the pearl gone and nothing gained from it. Though this saddens her and is far from what she wants, Juana knows that she has to forget about getting rid of the pearl to help her family even come close to that peace they had in the past. I, and many other readers, could connect this to my own life. When Juana having to let go of those good memories to help her husband and son, I could connect this to moving on from an old friendship. Even though the memories of friendships will always be good, everyone at some point has to realize that even holding on to happy memories can be bad for you. So, far that has just been one of the many lessons taught in this book. Although Kino and Juana's world is different from ours in many ways, it still teaches us things like letting go of the past or controlling greed. Not only does The Pearl give us those important life lessons, underneath that is helps us learn that people around the world, of any culture and economic level, are dealing with the same emotions and have the same virtues.