The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Title: The Pearl
Author: John Steinbeck
Published: October 1947
Pages: 97
Rating: 4/5
Summary: The story is about a man named Kino, his wife Juana and their son Coyotito. Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion and is close to death. Kino and Juana bring him to the doctor but the doctor turns them down because they do not have money.

Kino resolves to find a pearl among oysters to bring them out of poverty and his greatest wish comes true. However, the magnificent pearl brings with it misfortune that befalls Kino.

Will he choose to keep the pearl?

Review: If I had the chose I don't think I would've read it but thanks to my English class I ended reading it.

It's a very short novella that has a lot to it. The plot is simple and yet it manages to have a lot of meaning. Kino lives a not-so-very-rich life. Coyotito is ill and when he needs help it is denied for the status he has in society.

Kino was just a person living a normal life that happens to come across something that could change his life, a pearl. Like any other person trying to be someone better and have a better status in society he tries to get money from it but his plans are turned upside down.

It was really sad to see all the bad things that happened to Kino, Juana and Coyotito. They were just trying to earn some money that would help them cure Coyotito. The result of the having found the pearl is something that neither of them could have ever thought possible.

I liked the book for what it represented but I really didn't like the ending. The ending was sort of confusing and I don't know if I would've understood it by myself if someone hadn't helped me understand. The ending didn't help the book or the things that happened but I enjoyed reading it.