Because parables offer a moral lesson, being grateful for the things one already has serves as the theme. The Pearl is a parable, a moral lesson, about gratitude and the dangers of greed. The priest tries to get a piece, the doctor tries very hard (even poisoning Kino’s baby, Coyotito), and a mysterious intruder in the night almost gets it. Lesson Summary Chapter 3 of The Pearl by John Steinbeck sees the people of the town all wanting to get their hands on Kino’s pearl. Thesis Statement: In the story The Pearl, John Steinbeck uses the pearl to symbolize Kino’s greed to show that the attempts to change one’s destiny will lead to a person’s downfall.
#The pearl john steinbeck themes and motifs examples free
In the beginning of the parable, the pearl represents hope, freedom, luck, and the promise of a future free from the restrictions of the colonial society. The pearl’s symbolism changes throughout the course of the story. The main symbol John Steinbeck employs in “The Pearl” is the pearl itself. The theme of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these elements. What’s the meaning of theme in literature?Ī literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work.
This lesson will review the symbolic scorpion, canoe, and pearl in this parable.
In ‘The Pearl,’ author John Steinbeck uses symbolism to deliver his thoughts about fate, greed, hope, and evil. In a sense, the pearl therefore acts as a mirror of the men that yearn for it. If the pearl in the final lines of the novel is described as being “grey and ulcerous,” and evil, this is only because it has been made evil by the greed of man. The opening scenes of the book are resplendent with simple domestic tranquility that shows that Juana loves Kino and he loves her, and they both love Coyotito. How is family a theme in the pearl?įamily is represented by the closeness of Kino to his wife and baby, and his desire to help Coyotito. Most of the time the main character, Kino does not ask for them and in this story, fate takes many bad turns throughout the book, resulting in tragic events. In the novella “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, there are several examples of fate throughout the story. What are three prominent themes in the Pearl? Because Kino’s people were once creators of songs, his culture produced many songs. This theme is connected to the theme of Social Class that begins at the end of Chapter I and develops further in the narrative. What is the theme of Chapter 1 in The Pearl?Īn overriding theme for John Steinbeck’s parable of The Pearl is that of Good vs. This moral is that people are sometimes so fixated on greed and becoming wealthy that they lose sight of what is important in life. “The Pearl” is considered to be a parable therefore, you would say that the main or central idea is actually the moral or message of the story. What is the authors main message in The Pearl?
Kino lives in harmony with his family up until Coyotito is poisoned. Ambition is a characteristic that is innate in human nature. Greed is the main evil force that the parable is meant to warn against. We will explore the devastating effect of Kino’s sudden change from being poor but happy, to possibly instantly wealthy. In ”The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, the theme of the destructive power of greed is explored as the characters navigate their personal desires, destiny, and racism.