John Steinbeck Figurative Language

This quote is written right before the villagers go to see the doctor, and it is foreshadowing how to doctor will lord over them and trap them. One final example of foreshadowing in The Pearl is Juana, who outright says, “‘This thing is evil... It will destroy us!’” (Steinbeck 37). This quote literally tells us that Kino’s greed will destroy his life and his family’s

In the novel, The Pearl, the author John Steinbeck uses many similes and metaphors to communicate the theme of how liking something leads to the need to protect it through a strong will and instincts. When Kino seems to be obsessed with the pearl, in the middle of the night she attempts to protect him from it by throwing it away, “And like a shadow she glided toward the door.” (58) This quote uses a simile to emphasize how Juana truly values Kino, so she is trying to protect him by getting rid of the pearl, and she is sneaking out as stealthily as a shadow to try to help Kino. Later, Kino returns the favor when he protects Juana and Coyotito: “He was an animal now, for hiding, for attacking, and he lived only to preserve himself and his family.”

The way people perceive things, can change how they react in different surroundings. Kino interprets that everyone is a threat to him and his family, so he always has his guard up, and is cautious around most people. On the other hand, his wife Juana is more laid-back and calm around other people because the way she sees things is different than Kino’s. Suspense is built around the way people see things, therefore the author builds more suspense with Kino in his scenes. Steinbeck uses a lot of description in his story, “The Pearl”, to build suspense throughout the text.

In the novel, The Pearl, John Steinbeck uses symbolism to convey the ubiquitous theme that evil can manifest itself in many forms. In the beginning of the parable, Kino and Juana encounter a deadly scorpion threatening their young son, Coyotito. Kino “begins to approach the hanging box, the ‘Song of Evil’... in his ears”. This scorpion is the first of many hosts of evil throughout the book. It represents an endangerment of family and destruction of security.

In the pearl, Steinbeck uses similes to develop the challenge the character faces. ” This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us,” (Steinbeck 50) Juana says this soon after the interference with burglars. She sensed the power of the pearl then.

Steinbeck begins the novella by introducing the type of life that was lived by Kino before the discovery of the pearl, and the effect it had not only himself but its effect it had on his family. As Kino watches the ocean he remembers an ancient song from his culture the “Song of the Family” as he remembers this song he takes pleasure in watching his wife do her chores. Kino remembers this moment has a perfect morning like any other mornings. As Kino eats his breakfast he is aware of a scorpion that arrives at Coyotito crib. As the scorpion bit Kino’s son he remembers another ancient song the “Song of Evil”. Steinbeck presents the divides the town in two types - the old natives and the new Christian settlers. Steinbeck uses techniques to distinguish between the native Indians and the more cultured Europeans.

Primarily, John Steinbeck, use many techniques such as repetition, word choice, and figurative language in order to change the mood of the novel, The Pearl. For example, John Steinbeck starts the book off with a setting that is peaceful and beautiful by using a tranquil word choice. However, the chapter suddenly becomes sorrowful once the baby is attacked by a scorpion. During this scene, the tone of the author’s text allowed the readers to feel the fear as if we were really there. This is one example in the story, in which a change in the mood occurs. In addition, John Steinbeck tends to add many metaphors throughout the book, which get the reader intrigued about what the metaphor symbolizes and continues to add onto the mood. According

The boat is a symbol for family, and now that the boat has been destroyed, the family is now being destroyed. Steinbeck used darkness for the villagers that burnt down Kino’s home. The determination that Kino has to keep the pearl is starting to become destruction. With everything that had happened to Kino and his family. Kino is ready to start a new life with his family. If the pearl could be sold, the money that they get from the pearl will help Coyotito go to school and have a good life. As Kino is starting his new life by escaping he hears the music of the pearl in his head. Steinbeck presents Kino as an animal because as the novel progress, Steinbeck presents Kino as a wild animal that is being hunted by the villagers.

The narrator tells Kino’s story to impart an ethical lesson, and so treats Kino above all as a cautionary symbol. At the same time, however, the storyteller seems to see Kino as a sort of disastrous hero, and is moved by the human weakness Kino’s actions

This quote shows the greed in Kino is getting greater and greater. The reader can tell this because Kino is willing to hurt the person who he loves the most, and who loves him the most, just to keep his pearl safe.

In The Pearl, the main life lesson Steinbeck writes about is to not be greedy. Kino, the main character, finds an unrealistically large pearl that forever changes his life. Kino and his family were happy before they found the pearl. Juana, Kino’s wife, sensed that the pearl was a bad sign. Juana said, “Kino, this pearl is evil.

In this passage it’s more of a metaphor for how Jane's life will bring scares, but also radiating times. Thinking the light was a ghost represents the scary/risky thing in life. There will be times when life becomes a bumpy road going downhill. It will seem scary and she won't want to risk her life. Although the scare could just be a “a gleam of a lantern”(pg,12), something that is so simple, it can overpower her feeling of insecurity and panic.

Kino is beginning to realize how at first the pearl seemed to have brought fortune and good to his family, but it really had only brought evil to the family. By the end of the story, Kino and Juana have lost their son, Coyotito, and they wish things were back to the way they were before they found the pearl. Kino then throws the pearl back out into the ocean where he had found it: “And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared” (90). The music disappearing as the pearl sink back into the ocean symbolizes the evil leaving the family: now that the pearl has left, so has the evil. Kino now understands that their “wealth” has brought nothing but evil and has destroyed both himself as well as his family. Not only does Steinbeck use the motif of music to express the theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a path of evil and corruption, but he also uses the motif of light and dark imagery.

It further explains that Kino’s imagination is running wild for the possibilities he has with the money from the pearl. “But the music of the pearl was shrilling with triumph in Kino. Juana looked up, and her eyes were wide at Kino's courage and at his imagination.” This quote shows that the song of the pearl made Kino feel empowered and

In conclusion, Steinbeck’s novella demonstrates how innocence and hope is destroyed by greed and ambition. Kino seeks to gain wealth and status through the pearl. As he does so, he transforms from a happy father, who was content with his current life, to a greedy person, who can see no good in anything except for the pearl. The pearl, which originally represented Kino’s hope and innocence, is destroyed by