Rating: Summary: This Book Stinks Review: OK, I had to read this book for school and you know why it stinks. Not enough action and too much description. The book was moved WAY to slow. Another thing is that it is absoultely depressing. Sorry John Steinbeck, your other books were decent, but The Pearl is the worst book ever!
Rating: Summary: Not one of Johns best... Review: The Pearl is about a man who finds a pearl while diving for clams, and his life gets worse from there. The pearl that he found was bad luck from the begining, and the book only gets worse. Steinbeck descirbes in great detail, but it takes him two to three pages to describe the kitchen sink! Also, the story is very depressing, and if you need an uplifting book, this is NOT the one to read. I have found that almost all of his work is like that, and find it unappealing. Even though, the story has good morals, money is not everything in the world, and the main character in this book finds this out the hard way.
Rating: Summary: it's really good Review: THE PEARL is a book you would really enjoy if you are into the really deep literature.If you don't dig deep into books to find meaning I dont think you will understand the concept of the novel.There is more to THE PEARL then you think.It's a really good book and you should give it a try.The main characters are kino Jauna and there son coyotito.It is a story of class struggle and shows how such small things have a great impact on us all.
Rating: Summary: Greed and class conflict Review: I picked up John Steinbeck's short novella while sitting in a bookstore, and put it down after 2 hours over and done with (it's a short book.) However, the story is rich with symbolism and class struggle. The story begins with Elizando as a poor pearl diver living day by day in utter poverty, the class struggle between the "catholic" townsmen and the a loosely affiliated Christian/pagan poor. A scorpion strikes Elizando's child and the distraught father seeks the town doctor, a pompous and mean spirited man, who will help at the right price. The next day, Elizando finds "the Pearl of the World" perfectly shaped and colored, and as large as a small bird's egg. Elizando imagines his child going to school and learning how to read - this knowledge would give the family the power it needed to know the truth's of the world and stop relying on superstitions. However, through greed and class conflict this wish for his child is only a pipe dream. Great book, better than the other so-called short novellas like Catcher in the Rye. Read this!
Rating: Summary: What One Pearl Can Do Review: "The Pearl" is a book in which it basically tells what one pearl can do to one person and his family. I liked this book because the suspense of finding a pearl while there are about fifty other people around you also trying to find pearls; and you turn out to be the one finding it is very exciting. This book is also a very good book because it describes what a person would do after they find a pearl and how desperate they would be. A person would risk anything for a precious pearl; even kill an innocent person. One more reason I like this book is because Steinbeck described the book in a way that you can actually imagine the settings and you might even be able to imagine yourself finding a big, precious pearl. "The Pearl" may be a good book, but there are also some parts that I disliked. I did not like the part when people would actually be so cruel and burn down someone's home. I did not like the part where Juana was doing what is the best for the family and Kino comes along and beat her for it. That is one of the things a person would do just to keep a little pearl. "The Pearl" is not the best book in the world, but it would show you what is more important: a little pearl or someone you really cared about.
Rating: Summary: Noblility in Short Review: As an assignment for my sophmore class in Honors english 2, we were to read the John Steinbeck classic "The Pearl". For a teenager, depending on your priorities, this can be a rather boring book or a book with a deeper meaning that leaves you searching for something that might be left behind. It may leave you with a sense of discomfort. It certainly doesn't give the platinum-ideal of an all loving world. It portrays a historical view, as well as an ethical view. The discomfort and disgust with society you may find in this book is relevant to take into consideration-Steinbeck is noted for that. It just depends on what you get out of it. The only thing i felt it lacked was too much definition-That could just be my adolescence talking but I did get bored at times. I have read thousands of books within my library and if i can read through Tom Clancy's delightful "Rainbow Six" then i thought that absolutly nothing could bore me. Well when it takes a whole page just to describe what Kino thinks between steps i kinda felt like "okay now this book is getting full of itself". Maturity might indeed be needed to get what some might get from this book, But many Professors and teachers among literature majors find that this book is essential in building a, Value-base(if you will) in reading many other books. So it seems maturity is needed to read this book but you need to read this book to find maturity.
Rating: Summary: TRAGIC LINKS IN THE CHAIN OF FATE Review: When Kino, a poor Mexican villager, brings up the Pearl of the World after one of his dives, he feels very fortunate; he dares to dream a glorious future for his young family. But the luminous pearl exerts a strange, malignant magic over the village; dishonest hispanics, gringos, and even worse--his own people. Joy turns sour, then bitter, as this blessing from the Gulf transforms his entire life by capturing the greedy imagination of his neighbors. What was meant as a gift, perhaps from God or the gods, quickly deteriorates into a curse. Is it wrong to wish to improve one's lowly station in life? Are simple natives not permitted to better the life of the next generation? Caught between the tenets of Christianity and holdovers of a pagan religion, the young couple struggles to understand the power of this Pearl. There is no limit to the atrocities committed to illegally acquire the treasure which is Kino's by right, as the pearlfisher who selected it from the sandy bottom. This is an excellent example of a Steinbeck novella--with pessimistic threads underlying the honest efforts of a simple, loving couple. Since the author tends to spotlight the darker side of human nature, this little book is definitely for adults, from 16 up. I consider it more serious than either "The Red Pony" or "Of Mice and Men." A painful read but well worth it.
Rating: Summary: The pearl Review: Over and over again in life, people judge things before knowing what they are really like and what they can actually cause. In the novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck, the very same thing happens to Kino and his wife, Juana. Kino and his people are poor and have been cheated all of their lives. Their houses are made of brush, and the floors of their houses are the earth itself. All of a sudden Kino finds a huge pearl, and never once could think about it leading to anything except good. But as the good and content lives of Kino and Juana started to fade away, he realized that the pearl was causing changes in his life and the lives of many others; in some good, but generally evil ways. A scorpion had stung Kino and Juana's son Coyotito, but almost immediately after Kino found the pearl, the swelling and the poison went out of Coyotito's body. Kino howled with excitement because of his son's recovery and the finding of the pearl. The daydreams and visions that Kino and his family had about the riches they thought the pearl would bring them made them very hopeful for their future lives. Kino fantasized about many things he could pay for and obtain with the pearl. He wanted to get married to Juana, and have new clothes for his family. He also wanted a rifle and new harpoon. Most importantly Kino wanted education for his son. Thinking about these things time and time again made Kino and Juana happier every day. Kino thought of the pearl as a great treasure and only being able to be comparable to the birth of his son. But, after all of the evil that happened he felt differently. Kino thought that all of the townspeople were on his side and were happy and excited for him, but Kino was really every man's enemy. The pearl was creating greed and evil that surrounded Kino and his family. People started to make attempts to steal the pearl, including someone the doctor sent. The pearl became part of Kino's soul and it was all he could depend on. Juana soon realized the best thing to do would be to throw the pearl back into the sea. When Juana tried to do that, Kino beat her to the ground and punched her across her face. He even killed four people and his house was set on fire. Juana and Kino had to flee from La Paz. "Human trackers" hunted them down and a rifleman's shot hit Coyotito in the head, and killed him. That is what the pearl caused and it only left Kino with the definite feeling of uncertainty, wrongness and the cry of death. In life we all desire and wish for something. Throughout the novel Kino, above all, wanted education for his son. When Kino found the pearl, just like it would for any other person, it gave him hope for what he wanted. Kino depended too much on the pearl and let it take over his mind. In the end, after all of the evil that took place, Kino had lost not only the pearl, but also his son, whom he was fighting for the whole time. No matter how priceless or beautiful a pearl, diamond or jewel is, it doesn't mean it will bring happiness to our lives. It will just cause greed and evil to take over. Money is not everything.
Rating: Summary: The Pearl's Mythical Reality Review: I found this book an absolutely mavolus read. It captured the airy and mythical themes of fairy tales, but brought along the harsh reality of real life. This is a tale of a pearl diver's hopeful dream and how it came true, but olny to cause more struggles than before. I would recomend this book to all teenagers as an easy read and a wonderful story.
Rating: Summary: Point Of View-The Pearl Review: Hello, my name is Lauren and I am from Hawaii. For my eighth grade G.T. English class, I had to do a book report on classic books and I picked "The Pearl". From reading this book, I could relate to what the characters were going through.(i.e. tough times, struggles, and hardships.)But the most important values I've learned from this book are priority, family, and culture. I hope you read "The Pearl" and experience the same feelings and emotions I did.
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