Theoretical Analysis: The Pearl

Marxist Criticism Most of the well-known works of John Steinbeck like Cannery Row, The Red Pony, and Of Mice and Men tells us the lives of the poverty-stricken people and the struggles of them, and so does The Pearl. The Pearl is the most teachable novella of John Steinbeck. The story is simple but meaningful; it is full of imagery, symbol, and most importantly the theoretical criticism. Since The Pearl deals with the criticism of the social system, I would like to present the extracts of Marxist criticism I have found in the upcoming paragraphs. Classism At the beginning of the novella after Coyotito is bitten by the scorpion, Steinbeck for the first indicates the classism: the doctor will not come to this area of the little houses. He spent all his time with the rich people in their large stone houses. In addiction, we learn from the story that the doctor is also a rich man. He only gives medication to the rich; for the poor like Kinos family, he will treat Coyotito only if they have money to pay. Another indication of classism is found in Chapter 5 when Kino tries to sell the Pearl of the World in the town. Undoubtedly, Kino cant break the class system in which the rich exploits the poor. He fails to sell the pearl because all the dealers have agreed in advance to buy the pearl for much below their true price and one of them even tells Kino that the pearl is valueless. I admit that Im making this classism analysis on the basis of capitalism, but that is because of the undeniable fact that capitalism creates class division in the societies where it is practiced. Racism The setting of The Pearl is in Mexico. Mexico was a country inhabited by more than 700 Indian tribes when the Spanish conquered it in 1521. The Pearl doesnt state the name of the doctor whom the Kino and Juana ask to cure Coyotito, but we know that he is Spanish. The doctors people came to Mexico from Spain 400 years earlier, and they hit and robbed and laughed at Kinos people. They spoke to them as they spoke to animal. Through this

description, we can understand the racial the discrimination between Spanishthe rich and Indiansthe poor. Religion The Pearl implied the belief of good and evil. The scorpion, the doctor and the pearl buyers are evil, while the protagonist family and his people are good people. Evil is always presented in the story as the Song of Evil and goodness is expressed by the Song of the Family and Song of the Pearl. Also, throughout the novel, Steinbeck mentions about praying of Juana and his brother, Juan Toms: It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives the luck away. You must want it just enough, and you must be very tactful with God or the gods, said Juana. Only if you are not in danger, Go with God, said Juan Toms. However, the criticism of religion falls on the village priest, the first person who calls on Kinos family to remind Kino of his duty to the church. When Coyotito was sick, he did not offer to help. Nonetheless, as soon as he hears of Kinos good fortune in finding the precious pearl, he pays a visit to encourage Kino to remember God and give thanks for this good fortune. Consumerism The Pearl is a literary criticism of materialism, in other words, consumerism is the theme of this novel. Steinbeck shows the evils that result from the pursuit of wealth, the evils by which the pearl brings. Before the existence of the pearl, Kino, Juana, and Coyotyto lived together in a simple way of life although they were poor. But after they have the pearl, the pearl becomes the soul of Kino because of its value. It is worth not only the treatment of Coyotyto, but it is now the familys hope for prosperity. Though it is true that the pearl has brought destruction to Kinos family, I dont think it is due to his own greed that Kino end up losing almost everything, but because of capitalism. Capitalism Capitalism is generally known as an economic system in which business mostly belong to private owners, but the core issue is whether or not the exchange or competition in this system is fair. Theres always been exploitation of employers or the use of tricks of the

rich people or smart people to take advantage of the ignorance or fear of the poor or the uneducated people. The trading of the magnificent pearl of Kino is a case in point. All the buyers try to get Kino to sell them the pearl as cheap as possible. Another danger of private ownership is when it is practiced in an unlawful society such as the society of The Pearl. As proven in the novella, buying a rifle is one of the plans Kino makes with the pearl. According to this plan, we visualize the insecurity of the society during that time. Imperialism Mexico had been colonized by Spanish until 1821, but the end of this colonization didnt mark the end of the colonial rules of the white skin people, especially the Spanish who had immigrated to Mexico for over 300 hundred years ago and had already prosperous in this nation. The Pearl was written in 1947, and by that time the indigenous people were still poor, uneducated, and discriminated by the immigrants who were wealthy. Socioeconomic conditions As inscribed in the novella, the gab between the rich and the poor in 1947 was still a social issue due to the financial situation of them. The native Indians like Kinos family made their livings as fishermen and pearl divers, whereas the immigrants enjoyed high socioeconomic status; for example, the Spanish immigrants were the doctors and the Chinese were the grocers or businessmen who lived in luxurious lives. Conclusion Apparently, The Pearl is a criticism of the social system in Mexico, but it reflects any unjust system in the world. Anyway, being superstitious or following a belief or religion is what one should also does because it serves as a guidance and will help make ones life a happy and ethical life. Personally, I dont think Kino deserves to be punished by his own greed and freewill; on the contrary, he is a victim of social forces he cannot control, the colonial rules, and the avarice of others.

Feminist Criticism The Pearl also reflects the criticism concerning the family affair, namely the patriarchal rules which had been practiced since the ancient time until the late 19th century. Therefore, what we are going to analyze or discuss in the following paragraphs are the patriarchal ideology and women portrayal and their resistance to Patriarchy. Patriarchal Ideology As the husband, Kino doesnt listen to Juanas advice of the possible destruction that the pearl would bring to the family. Even Kino himself also senses the evil of the pearl, but he cant give up his dream of being rich. When all manner of people become interested in him, he tells Juana that he is afraid of everyone and right after the attack of the first thief, Juana for the first time encourages Kino to get rid of the pearl because the pearl has turned from a wonderful thing into the embodiment of evil. Yet the advice of Juana has no influence on Kino who still insists on selling them in the town market. One characteristic of Patriarchy which we can find in this novella is the domestic violence. Kino beats Juana when she attempts to throw The Pearl of the World back into the sea. The violence against women occurred frequently during the patriarchal era because the life and death of a woman is in the hand of her husband. Patriarchy Resistance Despite the fact that a wife should respect her husbands decision and might be beaten by him if she dares to go against it, Juana secretly takes the pearl out of its hiding place and goes down to the beach to throw it back into the sea. However, Kino tracks her and is able to stop her before she can do so. Kino, who is at this time attached to the pearl, hits and kicks his wife until she falls on the ground. Plus a short eye contact after the violence against Juana can also be assumed as the symbol of the patriarchy resistance of Juana: Kino looked down at her angrily, and Juana looked back at him. She was not afraid. Woman Portrayal and Creativity Although the theme of The Pearl is the criticism of the social system and materialism, the contrasting points of view between Kino and Juana or the differences between male and female thinking is also a major aspect of it. The Pearl more or less conveys to us the value and the ability of women. From the first evilthe scorpion to the pearl, its Juana who

always has solutions to these problems. She is the person who comes up with the idea to bring the Coyotito to doctor, and again she is the one who uses the seaweed to heal Coyotito pain even though she doesnt know how effective it is. Besides, she has the ability to foresee the tragedy the pearl will bring to the family, and recommends Kino that the pearl is something that will hurt the family more than help. But Kino doesnt take her word for it thats why he can only regret at the end of the story. Conclusion Although The Pearl is portrayed in the patriarchal society, it is just a history. Now women have equal rights to men. Women had proven to the world their significant roles, their value and those abilities which go beyond the expectation of men as we can see through the actions of Juana in parable of The Pearl. And the domination of men as well as the violation against women will never happen again in a free society once women know how to use their rights.