Originally published in 1947 by The Viking Press
My edition: The new YA Originals paperback from
Penguin.
WHEN
I Discovered This Classic
This is actually a title that I didn’t
know about until I was offered the chance to review a few of the YA Originals.
WHY
I Chose to Read It
I read Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and
Men’ way back in Year 9 and I hated it. Completely and utterly. It’s been
around 10 years since then and I figured it was about time I gave him another
shot.
WHAT
Makes It a Classic
‘The Pearl’ is a fable about the
evils of greed and the danger of the poor rising up and threatening the status
quo.
WHAT
I Thought of This Classic
I’m just going to come out and
say it: I really didn’t like ‘The Pearl’. In fact, if it had been any longer
that it's 115 pages I wouldn’t have finished it.
Kino is a poor Mexican pearl diver who finds the Pearl of the World - huge pearl worth thousands. Kino is blinded to the threat and danger of the pearl by the promise and glory of what it can achieve for him.
Kino is a poor Mexican pearl diver who finds the Pearl of the World - huge pearl worth thousands. Kino is blinded to the threat and danger of the pearl by the promise and glory of what it can achieve for him.
As I mentioned, this novel is a
fable and it felt very heavy handed. The story and writing was very simplified,
the message obvious and verging on preachy and I hated the oppressive feel of
the message behind Kino’s story. But aside from that, I found it kind of
boring. Being a fable, the general direction of the story and the journey of
the characters was expected and there were no real surprises in the narrative.
One of the things that I remember
not liking about ‘Of Mice and Men’ is that the character of Curley’s Wife is
just his wife – she doesn’t even have a name. She’s a device without a
personality, agency or depth, and I found the same problem with Kino’s wife
Juana. She is simply there to function as a conscience to Kino, to refute his
ideas about the pearl and she is constantly derived and squashed down by her
husband. It made me ragey and lose all sympathy I had for Kino and his plight.
It's safe to say that John
Steinbeck isn’t for me and I won't be giving him another try.
WILL
It Stay a Classic
Probably. Steinbeck is seen as a
master of American literature and he continues to be studied across English
classrooms. Poor kids.
WHO
I’d Recommend it To
- Honestly, I’m really not sure.
Unless you’re a fan of Steinbeck already, I don’t really recommend ‘The Pearl’.
Sophie
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