The pearl book review
he book The Pearl is a realistic fiction novel written by John Steinbeck in the mid 20th century. The book is very intriguing, although one of many well written books by Steinbeck it still manages to stand out. The Pearl takes place in a small rural village in La Paz on the Baja peninsula.  The village is rundown and poor with it’s population reflecting as such. In the Village there is a young family of three, Kino, his wife Jauna, and son Koyotito.
One day Koyotito is stung by scorpion and is in need of medical attention. Kino and Jauna with much of the village behind them are forced to march down to the capital and seek out a doctor. Upon arrival Kino and the village are shunned away for their indigent state and lesser social class. In this chapter John Steinbeck portrays the differences between the two financial and social classes. “He could kill the doctor more easily than he could talk to him, for all of the doctors race spoke to all of Kino’s race as if they were animals” There is clearly division between the two cultures. The rural areas are much more poor and live quietly in brush houses along the coast. They also do not communicate with people from the capital. Urban people live in cities and are more advanced  technologically, politically, and nearly every other area.
Steinbeck also does a great job showing the behavioral stigmas when faced with avaricious situations. In the novel Kino finds a pearl and believes that it is his way out of poverty and an opportunity to give his son and education. Kino without realizing finds himself changing into the monsters from the upper class who had wronged him in the past. He begins going through extreme lengths to protect his pearl. Kino loses sight what is really important. The pearl is meant to bring a better future to his family but only brings a future without them. Kino later learns what wealth is really worth.
Through his genius Steinbeck showcases many social stigmas as well as behavior in common situations through the trials of the characters. Though Kino, Jauna, the doctor, salesmen, and villagers are all fictional they represent the nonfictional qualities found in all of us. Steinbeck takes you into a deeper thinking and forces you to contemplate what you would do in Kino’s shoes. By doing so he also makes you connect with the main characters and choose the side of the impoverished villagers you almost never see over the high class men that you may interact with on a daily bases. The pearl is a great novel to get you thinking and If you find this review interesting, read the book.