Stylistic analysis of Chapter no.5‘The Pearl’

                           Stylistics

Assignment no.3

Stylistic analysis of Chapter no.5‘The Pearl’

Submitted to:

Mam Qamar Khushi

Submitted by:

Amna Khalid 

(Narrator,character,representation of reality)

Madiha Zahra Raja

(figurative devices,setting)

Tuba Tariq

((plot,point of view)

Plot Summary of the Pearl

"Kino, a poor Indian/Mexican pearl diver, enjoys a simple life with his wife Juana and their baby, Coyotito. The baby, bitten by a scorpion, falls ill, and the doctors refuse to treat him. Things look up when Kino discovers a huge, beautiful pearl one day. Incredulous, Kino howls with joy, and suddenly everyone in La Paz is interested in his family and his pearl. Greed contaminates their once simple way of life, as Kino fitfully tries to get 50,000 pesos for a pearl that the dealers only wish to pay one thousand for. The pearl leads Kino to corruption, slitting a man's throat who attempted to take the pearl from him, and eventually the price of the pearl is more higher than they imagined--it is paid in the blood of Coyotito. In redemption and sorrow, Kino returns to La Paz and throws the pearl back to the ocean."
Angela Allan, Resident Scholar 

Literature Review – John Steinbeck, The Pearl

John Steinbeck has long been understood to be a very intelligent author who infuses his work with a populist flavour that allows the reader to empathize with his protagonists, to live their struggles, and to ultimately draw a great deal of knowledge and reflection from the realm of fiction and literature. The Pearl is a stunning example of this capability – both in its capacity to appeal to pathos and beauty as well as in its cutting critique of capitalistic extortion and human greed.

The Song of the Family

The story of The Pearl centers around a very poor family comprised of husband Kino, wife Juana, and their infant child, Coyotito. A family of few words, and fishers by trade for generations, the narrative begins with a beautiful, placid morning on the marina where, in verbal silence, the Song of the Family is played out through the chores of the morning and the intangible bonds of familial love.

The infant is soon bitten by a scorpion, and falls gravely ill. The nearest doctor from town, a mean-hearted elitist with little time for savage children, is only interested in serving as Coyotito's physician upon news that Kino, in his desperate prayers, has found within an oyster the largest and most lustrous pearl to grace the earth.

Kino is wise to the ways of men and recalls the history of his grandfather's time – when such pearls had to be traded abroad due to the fact that all of the appraisers and buyers in town were in collusion, presenting a facade of competition when really they were all owned and owed their livelihood to a single wealthy investor. The pearl is his salvation from poverty, to Kino it is an avenue of escape and a means of procuring an education and clean clothes for Coyotito as well as, in his wildest dreams, a rifle with which to hunt.

The conflict, climax, and denouement of the narrative involves extortion and deceit on the part of them moneylenders and traders – seeking to rob this uppity native of his pearl - and when that fails, outright murder and thievery fills the scene.

Narrator

The Pearl is a novel written in third person narration. The narrator is separate from, omniscient and able to give an objective as opposed to a subjective view of the occurring events. With this omniscient point of view, we get the benefit of hearing multiple perspectives and opinions. The text spends a lot of time observing, reporting from a distance on the goings on of the town, but it also gets us into Kino’s head, Juana’s, the doctor’s, and even the thoughts of minor characters like the priest. For example:

“She burst clear out of the brush line and stumbled over the little boulders toward the water, and then she heard him coming and she broke into a run. Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her.”

“He heard the rush, got his knife out and lunged at one dark figure and felt his knife go home, and then he was swept to his knees and swept again to the ground. Greedy fingers went through his clothes, frantic fingers searched him, and the pearl, knocked from his hand, lay winking behind a little stone in the pathway. It glinted in the soft moonlight.”

Character

Kino:

This chapter chronicles the further deterioration of Kino's former life as he fights with Juana, suffers the loss of his canoe and home and is again assaulted by an unknown enemy. Thus, the process begun with the discovery of the pearl and Kino's refusals to accept the buyer's offer has now come to bloodshed.

When Kino kills his assailant the ties to his life as a member of the village are forever sundered. He is now a murderer and, though he killed in self-defense, he knows that the officials in the town will not believe his story. Kino's attachment to the pearl is revealed

in his state of helplessness when he believes it to have been stolen and his confession to his brother that it has become one with his soul.

Juana:

Juana's attempt to throw the pearl into the sea demonstrates the depth of her conviction that the pearl, far from a source of wealth and prosperity, is actually a thing of evil. Although she is willing to defy Kino by throwing it into the sea she is equally willing to suffer his blows and accept his will as the head of the family. Significantly, it is Juana who saves the pearl, drags the dead man into the bushes, insists that they leave immediately and retrieves Coyotito from the burning hut all of which make possible the family's continued survival.

Juan Thomás':

Juan Thomás' willingness to shelter Kino and the pearl, even if only for a day indicates that he is Kino's one true friend left in the village. Aside from Juan Thomás, however, there is no reason to believe that anyone in La Paz, whether Indian or not, will help Kino in his attempt to create real prosperity for his family. The destruction of Kino's canoe is an event which the narrator qualifies with the observations that "the killing of a man was not as evil as the killing of a boat" and that as a result there was "sorrow in Kino's rage, but this last thing [destruction of the canoe] had tightened him beyond breaking." The force of these statements leads the reader to understand that because of the destruction of Kino's canoe not only will the family's escape be more difficult but also their old way of life has been violated, never again to be made whole.

Figurative Language:

Personification

In the very first line of chapter 5 we see personification as it is written

“The first moon arose before the first rooster crowed” the words moon arose show night time and night is the time associated with danger or something evil. The first line prepares the readers for something evil going to happen. Then other personifications are found as “ a tall flame leaped up in the dark with a crackling roar” as crackle is a harsh sound and is not soothing to ears represent uneasiness something not calm.There is another personification that is “Wind rose up to beat the gulf” represent the role of nature that even nature is not in favor of  Kino and Juana

Simile:

A lot of Simile is also found in  this chapter like

“And then like a shadow she glided towards the door “ shows weakness of juana

“the killing of man was not so evil as the killing of boat”

“the fire die down as quickly as a twig fire dies”

“I am like a leprosy”

Repetition:

“do you remember yesterday?” ”Edo you think that will matter?Do you remember the m,en of the city?Do you think your explanation will help?

 “A boat does not have sons, and a boat cannot protect itself,And a wounded boat doesnot heal.”

Epithet:

Uneasiness in the air

Nervous restless wind

Alliteration

Following alliteration is used

Frantic fingers

Water white

Cooking corn cakes

Stinging salt

Sibling sounds:

“He hissed at her like a snake” shows nature of kino that how for a pearl he has even become in different to his wife.this shows his greedy nature.

He turned away and a “sick disgust took its place”

LEXICAL FEATURES

Nouns

Concrete nouns

 gulf,  brush houses, kino, juana, blanket, pearl,  water,knife,

Adjectives

Pale light,hands helpless,greedy fingers,unfrightened eyes,little stone,

Verbs

Drowned,searched,sank,sponged,killed

Setting:

Setting is an important part of the novel.It helps to give meaning to the story.Setting in a story tells where and when a story takes place.thus the setting acts as the background of the story.

The setting of the novel pearl is a fishing village and most of the story takes place during night.The  word night symbolizes darkness,gloominess and horror and it prepares the readers for something evil going to happen.

Representation of reality

We call it a "parable" because the story is fairly simple in nature (Man finds pearl; pearl destroys man) but illustrates a larger, moralistic truth (greed will corrupt and destroy all that is good in the world). In this chapter also we see that the greed of the pearl destroys all that they had, even the canoe left a great impact on the family.

Point of View:

It is obvious to most readers that The Pearl seeks to illuminate the struggle of the underclass, especially when also battling blatant racism and bigotry – and the simple hopes of hardworking men who want nothing more than an education for their sons and daughters and

women who are economically uneducated – and the depths to which many men of greed and lust for money will sink to in order to achieve wealth. Steinbeck also notes the pure greed and usurious nature of most capitalistic middlemen - especially with regards to the element of collusion and false competition within a captive market comprised of men and women who are economically uneducated – and the depths to which many men of greed and lust for money will sink to in order to achieve wealth.

This is not simply a negative and reactionary tale however – it also extols the simplest and heartwarming virtues that are possessed of persons of all means. The Song of the Family, in the waking hours of the day, resonating deep within the bosom of husband, wife, and child – is completely independent of material wealth. This song is comprised of soundless lyrics that are completely incorporeal and yet as real as The Pearl and of infinitely greater value – the true tragedy and folly visited upon Kino, who in his hope for a better life for his family perhaps gambled too greatly.

In summation The Pearl is a short read, yet emotionally captivating and compelling to the last word. It is a great example of the depth of John Steinbeck's literary work and still has a very valuable message to impart to the modern reader. Blending a populist and cultural social criticism along with a touching and personal story in such a short span of words shows talent and inspiration – this volume is possessed of both.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck 

     The Pearl by John Steinbeck. This book takes place in Mexico during the nineteen hundreds in the city of La Paz. 
     The main characters are Kino an Indian pearl diver who finds the magnificent pearl and whose life is partially destroyed by this pearl. Juana is Kino's wife and faithful partner and she is obedient and devoted to her family. Coyotito is Kino and Juana's infant son he is bitten by a scorpion and recovers miraculously only to be later killed by a bullet. 
     The theme of this book is not to let greed or money to get in the way of you or your family. Greed is a destructive force and if not controlled it will effect you a lot maybe even forever, like the death of Kino’s son Coyotito. Another theme is fate because fate was a major aspect to why Kino did not succeed in his dreams of having a luxurious life. When Kino discovered the Pearl he thought that it would take him out of poverty and into a life of happiness. The pearl was not meant for anyone to find, and the finding of one was luck, “a little pat on the back by God.”      
     The problem in this story is that Kino is trying to sell his pearl and every one bids a low price. That means he keeps it longer and everyone is trying to steal it from him. The conflict is man vs. man the reason why is that a lot of people are trying to steal it from him the day he got it. It went to the point that people were tracking him for it and attacking him in his sleep. 
     I hated it when Kino went pearl diving and found the “pearl of the world,” and started making a scene. When you find something very valuable like that you keep that a secret and under ground. When you make a discovery with something valuable like that you do not deal in front of an audience you do it privately. When you plan to travel somewhere to deal a valuable thing like a pearl as big as a seagulls egg you do not tell any one and you be especially careful. 
     This book taught me not to let money or anything get in the way with me and my families relationship. It made me think twice about money and keeping it for myself and at least helping someone if I have enough money. 

Wealth can lead you in many directions depending on if you are prepared for it or not. If it is unexpected, it will most definitely change your life. Unexpected wealth could be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Many people could use it on useless items or bad people could buy drugs or weapons. In addition, today many people could gamble their newly found wealth and lose all of their money on the lottery, on scratch tickets, or in casinos. On the other hand, unexpected wealth could be used productively if the right person got it. They could donate it to a charity, improve life for their family, or even put the money into the bank to save up for something. Along with using unexpected wealth being used poorly, greediness has its consequences. Finding something valuable and selling it can be hard if you are greedy. You may ask for too high of a price from the person you are selling it to and end up getting nothing or you may be ignorant and not know the price your item is supposed to be and sell it for too low of a price. 

Wealth and The Pearl by John Steinbeck 

In the novel 'The Pearl' the author, John Steinbeck has clearly stated 
a message. He taught us the life lesson, that being wealthy isn't 
everything through a character he created named Kino. Steinbeck had 
placed the setting in a poor village in La Paz and described Kino's 
relationship of their close-knit family. When the pearl was found, the 
plan was to sell it and use the money to pay for Coyotito's medical
bills also to send him to school for an education. This extraordinary 
idea was demolished by the actions of Kino's greediness for money. As 
the novel progressed the events only became more serious. He did not 
only hurt the people around him that love him, but himself. "In Kino's 
ears the Song of the Family was as fierce as a cry. He was immune and 
terrible and his song had become a battle cry." Kino turned down pearl 
buyers, hit his wife, murdered a man, ran away from home and shot his 
baby.