The Pearl Symbolism Essay

In John Steinbeck’s novel The Pearl, Kino is a poor, humble man with a wife and a baby. Out of luck, he finds a huge pearl, and it is worth thousands. This pearl symbolizes a lot of feelings and situations in this novel, and it helps keep the storyline flowing. The magical pearl first represents hope for a better life, and Kino sees his hopes and dreams. In the middle of the book, the pearl represents trying to hold on to your dreams, trying to hold on to the little bit of hope you want to have. Finally, in the end, the pearl represents a feeling of being lost, hopelessness, and knowing that you will never be able to have the life you dreamed of. This idea of the pearl symbolizing feelings in Kino’s life helps the novel become more interesting and understanding. In the beginning of The Pearl, the pearl Kino finds is a symbol of hopes and dreams. When Kino finds the pearl, he is grateful to the gods and knows that he is very lucky. He looks into the pearl and sees visions.

And he said quickly, ‘We will be married in a great church.’ And in the pearl he saw Juana with her beaten face crawling home through the night. ‘Our son must learn to read,’ he said frantically. And there in the pearl Coyotito's face, thick and feverish from the medicine.” Kino refuses to listen to these images and keeps believing that he will eventually get what he wants for him and his family. Near the end of The Pearl, Kino’s once-precious pearl represented giving up, and throwing away any hopes of a wealthy life. After Coyotito dies, Kino thinks that the pearl he once found precious is useless. He loses hope, since there is nothing to look forward to because his biggest dream was for his son. Kino finds the pearl old and ugly after his hopes are lost. “And the pearl was ugly; it was gray, like a malignant