Skip to content

The Pearl

Pages
109
Published
1947
Language
English

Synopsis

In a small Mexican fishing village, Kino and his family's lives are irrevocably changed when he discovers a pearl of immense size and beauty. This seemingly miraculous find brings with it not fortune, but a darkness that preys on the greed of others. Kino must confront the corrupting influence of wealth and the desperate measures people will take to possess it.

A short, parable-like novella drawing on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl is Steinbeck at his most stripped-down: a story about the false promise of sudden wealth and the price a poor family pays for daring to want more than the world allows them.

About the author

J
John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and the novella Of Mice and Men (1937). He wrote a total of 27 books, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and five collections of short stories. In 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature ([Source][1]). [1]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck

Characters

KinoProtagonist

A poor pearl diver whose discovery of a great pearl upends his family's life.

JuanaSupporting

Kino's wife, who senses the danger the pearl brings long before he does.

All characters in The Pearl
Read all 4 reviews