The Pearl (novel)
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John Steinbeck's The Pearl (1947) is a short fictional work which tells the story of a poor father who finds a magnificent pearl which he hopes will improve his family's life; however, he finds that his new wealth brings only corruption of the soul and the blinding luxuries of "civilized" life. Like many of Steinbeck's works, the book primarily addresses the issues of poverty, wealth and an unjust society, particularly focusing on wealth's corrupting effect on relationships and its connection with happiness. La Perla (The Pearl), a 1948 Spanish language motion picture, is based on the book.
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Plot
In the beginning of the book, Kino's happy but poor life with his wife and young son, Coyotito, is interrupted by his son being stung by a scorpion. Hoping to save his dying son, he looks to village's doctor for help, but is rejected because of his inability to pay. Desperate for money, he tries his luck at pearl hunting, and finds a huge pearl which he hopes will not only pay for his son's medical treatment, but also fulfill his dreams of improving his family's quality of living.
Instead, the pearl only brings more problems to the young man's life. The local pearl buyers, attempting to cheat him, offer him only a small fraction of the pearl's real value. After Kino angrily refuses them, a thief breaks into his home by night, but Kino kills him in his zeal to protect his pearl. Recognizing the damaging effect that the pearl has on Kino, his wife attempts to destroy the pearl herself, but is stopped and beaten by Kino, who is clutching to his only hope at escaping poverty. He decides to flee with his family to the city, but is pursued by armed thieves. He ultimately kills them, but only after they shoot and kill his son. Kino, realizing that the pearl is not worth everything that he has gone through, throws it into the ocean, and returns to the village.
Motion picture
The Pearl
The movie, set in Mexico and closely following Steinback's storyline, was adapted by Emilio Fernández, John Steinbeck and Jack Wagner from the novella and stars Pedro Armendáriz and María Elena Marqués. It was directed by Fernández.
External links
- About.com Book Review (http://classiclit.about.com/library/weekly/aafpr090103a.htm)
- New York Times Movie Review (http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=37563)