The
Pearl
by John Steinbeck
Completed December 2002
The Pearl reminded me of The Moon is Down (review), in that it seemed to be a thinly veiled
allegory. This time, though, I am not nearly as big a fan. Steinbeck’s target seems
to be commercial success. It is hard to read The Pearl and conclude
anything other than that commercial success – whether it comes from luck or
hard work – is a curse. That is difficult for me to take as it goes against
much of what I believe, but worse yet, the story is just plain depressing.
Maybe Steinbeck’s point wasn’t that commercial success is the problem – maybe
it was that when superstition replaces faith in God, characters are doomed. I
have a feeling that is only MY reading, though, as there is no hope in The
Pearl. There is nothing juxtaposed to tragedy and superstition…they simply
play out in sad fashion.
Steinbeck, of course, is a
wonderful storyteller – The Pearl is no exception – full of redolent
scenery, characters who are palpably real and a way of telling a story which
makes the pages fly past. I found the only way I kept turning the pages,
though, was to appreciate the form, structure and talent…and try to forget the
heavy-handed (and a bit ridiculous) social commentary.