Ian Said:

Can someone help me with my essay outline for the pearl by John Steinbeck?

We Answered:

The Pearl - John Steinbeck


Initial Situation
A scorpion stings Kino’s son and the doctor refuses to treat him.
OK, we’ll admit that this sounds like conflict. And in a way, yes, it is conflict – it’s just not the conflict of the novel. Instead, it sets up the circumstances in which the real conflict – Kino’s discovery of the pearl – occurs. Because of the scorpion sting, that event is couched in urgency and desperation – the conditions set by our initial situation. The doctor being a jerk sets up some of the themes and tension of the novel, as well as establishing what is essentially the initial situation of Kino’s emotional state (namely, gate-punching anger).

Conflict
Kino finds the Maserati of all pearls.
You’d think this would be the climax, but the discovery of the pearl instead throws a giant wrench into Kino’s life. He can now dream big – which is great – but everyone in his town is also dreaming big – which is not so great. The townspeople are all ready to do anything to get their hands on the pearl, which spells C-O-N-F-L-I-C-T to us.

Complication
The pearl-buyers try to scam Kino; he is then driven out of town after unknown attackers destroy his boat and burn his house.
That went downhill fast. What should have been a joyous, celebratory time is quickly corrupted by greed and evil.

Climax
Trackers follow Kino and Kino brings them down.
As climactic as watching Kino triumph over the trackers is, it’s a bittersweet moment. He doesn’t have a house or a canoe, and he’s on the run. As much as we may cheer for his attack moves, and as much as we identify this as the climax of the novel, it’s definitely tinged with some darker undertones.

http://www.shmoop.com/the-pearl/plot-ana…

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The Pearl Questions

• Kino throws away the world’s most valuable pearl. Smart decision? Poor decision? Right decision?

• If this book critiques capitalism and the American Dream, why is it set in colonial Mexico?

• Why are the intruders, attackers, and trackers in the book faceless?

• When Kino and Juana return to La Paz, it is described as "an event that happened to everyone." Everyone in the novel, or everyone in the world? How is this possible?

• Kino and Juana are "removed from human experience" upon their return to La Paz. What does this mean? Were they removed by their experience of pain, or did they choose to remove themselves as a recourse to their pain?

• To what degree is The Pearl realistic? Where does the realism falter and where does it ring true?

http://www.shmoop.com/the-pearl/question…

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The Pearl Essays:

http://www.slashdoc.com/tag/the_pearl.ht…