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Summary: The Pearl--Interesting or Not--
Review: I seem to think that this book was a very wierdly written book. It throws your thoughts one way, but ends up differently. If you like to try to guess what will happen, you will like this book. I though it was a alright book. It keeps you guessing. If you don't like books with an older setting, you wouldn't like this book, but if you don't mind, you would.
Rating:
Summary: An alright book!
Review: This was an alright book the plot was not all that great and the fact that people actually act that way was kind of how do I say Boring! Yet I kind of liked that they acted that way towards Kino, his family, and the Pearl. They were all so jealous of him for his good fortune and all tried to take advantage of him and the Pearl. I like some of Steinbeck's other novels but I can't say all that much for this one.
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Summary: From Rich, To Poor,To Death
Review: In John Steinback's "The Pearl" Kino, a poor native pearl-diver dives down and finds a huge pearl the size of an egg. Now, you may think that this pearl brings them happiness and fortune, but how wrong you are.
First, the pearl buyers cheat him, then the doctor -- who before refused to help their son when he was stung by a scorpian -- comes to "help" them, his house burns after Kino sinks so low as to kill a man. He must go far away to get a decent price for the pearl. He will sail there, but then he finds a hole in his boat! His most prized possesion!
Jauna -- realizing the danger of the pearl -- tries tossing it back to the sea, but Kino struck her! Jauna is not mad. She knows Kino is a man in his heart.
They set out on foot with baby Coyotito. Just when things start looking up, murderous,theiving,pearl-wanting trackers hurtle their life down into the dumpster again. when the trackers catch up with them, they try to Kino tries to kill them to protect his family. As he fights a shot flies into the cave where his family is hiding and kills Coyotito just as Kino kills the men.
The sad couple trudge home carrying a bloody bundle. The village sorround them. They march slowly behind Kino and Jauna and watch as the couple toss their troubles -- at last -- into the cold green sea.
Rating: 
Summary: Wisdom from Steinbeck
Review: I'm finding it difficult to say much about "The Pearl." The tale is so simple and short that a large exegesis seems unnecessary. While I read this novella, I had a dim recollection that I read this sometime in the distant past. When I looked at some of the reviews on Amazon, I understood why. Most of the reviews on the site are written by young students, so I must have read this back in my early school years."The Pearl," written by none other than John Steinbeck, tells the tale of Kino and Juana, a poor indigenous couple in Mexico. Kino is a pearl diver who finds, one day, the pearl of the world. This pearl is the size of an egg and must be priceless. As soon as news spreads of Kino's find, evil descends on his family. Everyone plots against Kino in order to gain possession of the pearl. Kino is violently attacked, a local doctor tries to swindle Kino, and the local pearl buyers conspire to lowball him when Kino shows up to sell the pearl. Kino is determined to get a good price for the pearl because he has dreams for his son, Coyotito, as well as for himself. Eventually, Kino commits murder to protect the pearl, and when all of his property is destroyed, he and his family flee with the pearl. Steinbeck uses this tale to show how greed corrupts everyone, even amongst the lowest of the low. But Steinbeck also seems to be saying that the simple life is the best life. Although Kino and Juana have next to nothing, they still have a happy family life. When the pearl arrives on the scene, all is lost. Not only does Kino have to worry about external danger, his own sense of self becomes enslaved to the pearl. He beats his wife when she tries to throw the pearl in the ocean, and he is reduced to murder to protect his find. This is a good novella, comparable, in my opinion, to "The Old Man and the Sea." I kept thinking about lottery winners as I read this slim book. I'll bet some of those people could tell some stories along the lines of what Kino and Juana went through, although to my knowledge, none of them have given away or disposed of their winnings. This is the kind of tale that teaches basic values, and should probably be reread every few years.
Rating: 
Summary: UGH!!
Review: I read this book when I was in 7th grade and I still have not forgiven my teacher. I can honestly say that this was the worst book I have ever read. Maybe I would have enjoyed it if I was a little older, but I found the characters and plot impossible to relate to. Thankfully it was short, because this novels drags on and on. If I could give a zero-star rating, I would without a doubt. Please spare yourself the time and read something more worthwhile, I beg you!
Rating:
Summary: The Pearl
Review: The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, tells the tale of a close-knit, poor Mexican family. One day Kino, the head of the house, finds what many say was the "pearl of the world." Throughout the plot, Kino, along with his wife Juana, conclude the pearl is hurting the family after their house burns down, their son is killed, and their canoe is destroyed. They decide the pearl is making them crazy, and subsequently dispose of it. There are many valuable lessons about life to be learned from this tragic novel. The introduction of The Pearl begins with the quote, "If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it." This saying indicates that many lessons can be learned from The Pearl.
Different people will take different messages about life from The Pearl. One critic suggested that when Kino found the pearl, this represented people seeking knowledge of humanity (Ross). However, this individual concluded that the pearl actually prohibited them from growing as humans. According to another person, the pearl symbolized evil to Kino and his family (Ross). Another individual believed that the pearl was a "questionable satisfaction (Ross)." Many say that John Steinbeck implies it is wrong to be above animals and closer to God (Ross). Thus, it is a sin to desire the knowledge and self-respect that will bring someone closer to God. The Pearl is a rich novel in which the individual is forced to draw a message about his or her own life. The many different messages people have inferred from The Pearl show that this novel has many diverse themes.
As other individuals who have read this tragic novel, I too have perceived a theme that can be applied to my own life. I believe John Steinbeck is trying to demonstrate the power of greed. At first Kino was happy and content with his family and his prized canoe. When he first found the pearl, all he could think about was using it to heal his injured son. However, as time progressed, Kino wanted more and more. He dreamed of all the things he coveted and could now have because of the pearl. By the end of the novel, he had lost everything he had valued most, including his beloved son, as well as the pearl. To me, the theme of The Pearl is to take what God gives you, and to be content with that. This theme can be applied to my own life, as well as Kino's. I should try not to covet things I really don't need, and to be content under any circumstance. I should take what God gives me, and not long for more. That way, I will be happy under any circumstance. This theme is what The Pearl has reminded me about my own life.
I have taken a different meaning than many others have while reading The Pearl. I believe John Steinbeck is telling us not to be greedy and long for worldly treasure, while others say Steinbeck is telling us not to try to increase our social class. We all take different meanings from a piece of literature. We identify most closely with the one that will affect us in our own life. People, in general, will take a message from a piece of literature and apply it to their own lives. In the case of The Pearl, people take many different meanings from the same pages. These themes have the power to affect and change the lives of those people that read them. Bibliography
Ross, Jeremy. "ClassicNote on The Pearl," ... .
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Summary: Evil Beneath Beauty
Review: "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck is a very interesting and even shocking story at some points, that links symbols from the book in with everyday life. The book shows that beauty is not everything and can really be quite deceiving. Just because something is appealing to the eyes does not mean that it is good appealing beneath the beauty. The book shows suffering and pain as well as misconceptions. It also shows strengths and weaknesses found in the characters effected by the pearl.
When Kino, the main character of the book, finds the pearl while working, as a fishermen, he is amazed by it's beauty, because of it's perfect shape, size, shine, and texture. Kino loves the pearl and wants to keep it. This part of the book shows that people often look at image instead of looking deeper inside to what really counts. Even though a pearl is an object and doesn't have human qualities the outside image is still deceiving, while having a beautiful outside though really has evil inside. The pearl brings bad luck to the family with it's health among other things. Kino shows a lot of affection towards the pearl, more so to it then towards his own wife. Kino is so protective of the pearl he turns to physical abuse on his wife, the pearl brings out the evil in Kino. I think the pearl also brings out how strong Kino's wife is, for standing up against the keeping of the pearl and trying to get it away from the family even though she was beat while attempting to.
"The Pearl" is a great book that brings out a lot in the people that are around the pearl. I would recommend this book to anybody because it really gives a good view of how beauty is portrayed and how deceiving it really is. It also shows how it brings out inner demons, like it did with Kino. Mr. Steinbeck did a wonderful job writing this book and I think it is a book that everybody can link in to today's world.
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Summary: What is everything worth to you???
Review: I am going to right off say that i do not really enjoy reading that much. The only time I ever want to read is when I am assigned something to read. However, a few weeks ago our english teacher assigned us the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. I was not to interested in this book when I first got it, however as soon as I started reading it, I could NOT put it down. We were then assigned to read a novel of our choice, so I chose to read The Pearl, which is another book by John Steinbeck. I had heard of this book before so I thought that it would be good to try out.
Imagine that you lived in a world where every step you had to watch what you were doing, becuase who knows you could be stepping on a scorpion that could sting you and kill you. Imagine living in a world where your job was to get up every morning and hope that you can find good things so that you can put food on the table that night for your family. Imagine that you had to worry about that everyday of your life, not knowing if you were getting food that day, or even that week, or not knowing if you had enough money to pay for the doctor to come and take care of your sick child. But then one day what if that was all to change...what would you do? Would you be happy if you had enough money to buy whatever you want, eat whatever you want, and have the doctor come to your house everyday if you really had to. Would you really be as happy as you might think? Read The Pearl and experience the adventure that this family did. This is a really good book i think for young mothers and fathers
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Summary: To Read, or Not to Read
Review: That certainly is the question. If your like myself and have little passion for fiction, but you crave it every once in a while, than this book is definately one that you should pick up. For myself, this book started off rather slow, but it definately picked up the pace as it progressed. It startes describing the setting and the main characters, a family of three who live in very poor conditions. The time setting seems to be of the past seeing as the description of their technology was of grass huts and wooden boats. The family found a pearl and it brought them more harm than good, it is said to bring evil (in which it does) and takes the three characters on a turbulant journey that enevidably leads to the pearl being disguarded. The hope that the family had in the beggining of what they would do with the pearl was mind boggling and only to find that it was so extravagant that it had no value. The thing that kept me turning the pages was the connection that I felt with the characters, I found myself wanting for things to be different and the situation to be changed. This book was also an easy read, it was diffinately a page turner as well. Surprisingly enough I have no constructive critisism pertaining to the book. In short, read it and experience the book for yourself.
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Summary: money ruins life's
Review: Money Ruins Life's My name is Javier Rojas I'm 18 years old I'm a Hispanic guy living in Los Angeles California. I read this book when I was in Junior High and it is still in my memory. This is my favorite fictional story. This story is about a Mexican family who was very poor and lived on a small village close to a beach in Mexico. The father was Kino he was a diver and a fisherman his wife was Juana and they had a 7 month old baby boy that was named Coyotito. This family was very poor there house was a grass hut and they beryl had food to eat. The life in the village was very toughf because of the weather and the lack of money. The people in the village who had little money had different domestic animals like chickens, roosters, pigs, cows, horses, and donkeys that they use to sell or eat. One day Kino, his wife and baby went to the beach on their canoe to find oysters and may be find pearls that they would sell to get some money. Kino dive in without any oxygen tank or equipment with only a knife and he found a big oyster, when they open it they found a very big pearl that was the biggest pearl of the world. They went to sell it to a jewelry shop the next day and the guy there offered them very little money for it so Kino rejected the offer. The guy in the jewelry shop told allot of other people in the village that Kino had the biggest pearl of the world and after that day the people in the village started to not like kinos family. There hole life change because now that they had money they had allot of problems people wanted to trick them, robbed them, and even kill them for the pearl that they owned. To try to avoid all pf these problems they escape to the mountains where they found even more problems. I especially recommend this book to all those people who are familiar with farms and lived in a small town in Mexico.
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