A review and evaluation of a literary text chosen by the student for an audience unfamiliar with it. Steinbeck - THE PEARL

A review and evaluation of a literary text chosen by the student for an audience unfamiliar with it. Steinbeck - THE PEARL -meant to be a short reviewJohn Steinbeck's "The Pearl" said to be "a brutal story with flashes of beauty" by the author himself, is a rather depressing novella about wealth and the evil it attracts despite those wanting to use it for the greater good.Written in 1944, it was influenced and inspired by a number of sources. The basic plot was adapted from the "Sea of Cortez" an earlier narrative Steinbeck wrote during the spring of 1940, an idyllic period of his life, when he and a friend sailed around the Baja region on the west coast of America. Steinbeck also used his own experiences and opinions in "The Pearl". After the success of "Grapes of Wrath" Steinbeck was subjected to hate mail, FBI scrutiny and slanderous criticism because of the revolutionary way he exposed the harsh reality of the imbalance of wealth in American society. This backlash of fame and fortune sent Steinbeck on a personal quest where he had to come to terms with what being wealthy and famous meant and he reali sed that he was dissatisfied with the growing dog-eat-dog capitalistic American attitude, the materialism that stemmed from it and as well as the pressure to support a system i.e132 Central Avenue, Salinas, California, the home ...the American government and society, that oppressed the poor. As a result of his personal questioning in addition to his more simplistic previous attempt, Steinbeck laid the foundation for "the Pearl". Through his story Steinbeck brings to light themes such as the human instinct of greed or selfishness, the corrupting influences of wealth, the advantages the wealthy have over the poor, importance of family or community and fighting for one's dreams."The Pearl" is often seen to be parable-like or allegorical in nature because of the morality underlying the story. However, being allegorical in...