John Steinbeck, an author Alameda Unified School District has approved of for years, shares strong ideas with English students at Alameda High. In John Steinbeck’s passages such as Of Mice and Men and The Pearl, set in the early 1900’s, he reaches out to the people among society who live without a voice and sends moral lessons to his readers. Of Mice and Men describes a setting during the Great Depression where two friends, Lennie and George, attempt to fulfill their American Dream by earning money from local work stations. Lennie, having mental disabilities struggles with controlling his emotions and being disliked by the boss’s son, Curley, creates problems for the two at their new job. Meanwhile, The Pearl voices the life of a family, a …show more content…
His stories share strong messages about the ‘American Dream’, discrimination, and isolation. In “The Pearl”, Kino finds “the Pearl-of-the-World” and believes his pearl can bring his family out of poverty. However, instead, Kino’s hope for the pearl transforms into an obsession,”Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side. In the pale light he could see the little waves break over her, and her skirt floated about and clung to her legs as the water receded,” (Ch. 5, pg. 59). Kino hurts the one thing he cares about, driven by the “perfect” phantasm his perfect pearl could create. Through this, Steinbeck sends the message about the evil of greed to teach readers to enjoy the items and people of which they already have rather than materialistic items. Even since Steinbeck’s time, many people were persuaded by riches and greedy thoughts similar to society today. Without a doubt, the critical messages Steinbeck shares with his readers allow his books to act as a relevant source