The Pearl
lunes, 14 de mayo de 2012
A REGARD TO STEINBECK'S LIFE
John Ernest Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas Valley, California. In this place, Steinbeck developed an appreciation for the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural world. The connection between man and nature and the inevitability of man meeting his determined fate are two common themes in his novels.
At the age of twenty-seven, Steinbeck published his first novel, Cup of Gold, in 1929. From that point came thirteen novels, two collections of short stories, dramatizations of two of his novels, a play in story form, a documentary, and two volumes of reportage, as well as a journal of travel and scientific research. His novels include: To a God Unknown (1932), Tortilla Flat (1935), In Dubious Battle (1936), The Red Pony (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), Of Mice and Men (1940), The Moon Is Down (1942), Cannery Row (1945), The Wayward Bus (1947), The Pearl (1947), East of Eden (1952), Sweet Thursday (1954), and The Winter of Our Discontent (1961).
The Grapes of Wrath won a Pulitzer Prize in 1940, and Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. After Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize, he ceased to write any significant fiction, but he did write journalistic pieces, including America and Americans (1966).
Steinbeck died at his home in New York City in December of 1968.
Source: Bookrags.com/ThePearlNotes-BiographieOfJohnSteinbeck.
CHARACTERS AND PERSONALITIES WITHIN THE STORY
CHARACTER: KINO
Feelings: Naivety, desperation, love for his family, hope, strength...
Description: Kino is a young and strong man, willing to provide his family with a better life. He's poor and has no formal education. He is a fisherman and he gets what he can to survive.
Behavior: Kino is moved by hope and desperation through the story. He tries to stay calm sometimes but his decisions end up in the worst way. Therefore, he loses his mind and gets to kill some people who stand on his way.
Personality traits: Kino is a peasant-like man, he does not know much about culture, he shows rage or regret of being a poor man, proving that he is not happy with the life that he has and he hopes his child not to have the same fate.
CHARACTER: JUANA
Feelings: Care, worry, love, obedience, risk...
Description: Juana is Kino's wife. She represents strength foir Kino as she is calm, docile and obedient. She is a folk woman who devotes her life to take care of her home and family.
Behavior: Despite her calm and obedience, Juana shows bravery and courage when she challenges the customs of her people and brakes the mold going to doctor's house or defying her husband's will.
Personality traits: Good is represented by Juana in the story; she is the one who has the best criteria and never gives up before greed or wrong hopes of a better life. She stands strong on her beliefs and detects danger when is close.
CHARACTER: COYOTITO
Feelings: Peace and hope.
Description: The newborn baby of a young couple who don't have much to offer but poverty.
Behavior: He is a strong baby, he survives the sting of a scorpion. Coyotito ends up as the victim of the whole drama and persecution after the Pearl.
Personality traits: Strength, he's the moving factor of the main characters.
CHARACTER: JUAN TOMAS AND APOLONIA
Feelings: Friendship, support, reliability.
Description: Juan Tomás is the elder brother of Kino. Apolonia is Juan Tomas' wife what makes her his step sister. Both of them become the closest friends of Kino and Juana.
Behavior: These two characters help Kino and Juana when they need it the most.
Personality traits: Apolonia shows shrewdness when she pretends the death of Kino and Juana. Juan Tomas always shows an good attitude to help and support his brother in his situation, giving pieces of advise to him.
CHARACTER: DOCTOR
Feelings: Greed, egoism, evil...
Description: The doctor is wealthier than the peasants of La Paz, and he makes fun of natives, like Kino and Juana, who look for his treatment without money.
Behavior: The doctor acts like a very mean man, thinking about his wellbeing and profit above everything else.
Personality traits: This character, as said before, is selfish, mean and takes advantadge of people.
CHARACTER: THE TRACKERS
Feelings: Violence, greed, evil...
Description: Two trackers and a man with a rifle followed Kino and Juana out of La Paz. They were killed by Kino when he found out that they were after the Pearl and his family.
Behavior: These characters are presented as crimminals,; thieves that onle want to get the Pearl.
Personality traits: They are robbers, people that are only interested in getting money and material benefits.
The rhythms of the pearl!
One of the most attractive elements that the author uses throughout the story is the importance that is given to different rhythms. One can notice and feel the tension or the joy expressed on a specific situation when we find phrases like "...and the music of the enemy sounded".
Nevertheless, it is difficult to figure out how each of these rhythms sound like, they’re would be a perfect clue to make a film from this catchy literary story.
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