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Madeline's Reviews > The Pearl
The Pearl
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Poor pearl diver in South America finds giant-ass pearl, decides to sell it and use the money to buy medicine for his baby, who just got bitten by a scorpion. The mierda hits the fan, people die, everything generally goes to hell in a handbasket, and it all happens in about the space of time it took you to read this review.
Verdict: meh.
Read for: 10th grade English
Verdict: meh.
Read for: 10th grade English
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
January 1, 2004
–
Finished Reading
July 3, 2009
– Shelved
July 3, 2009
– Shelved as:
assigned-reading
December 29, 2009
– Shelved as:
ugh
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Moira
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Jul 04, 2009 01:28AM
You forgot to mention how everything is REALLY REALLY REALLY SYMBOLIC. I like Steinbeck, and I HATE that book.
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God, I know. I read this for an English class in high school and we analyzed it to death. It's put me off reading Steinbeck for years, but I'm glad to hear that his other books aren't like this.
Madeline wrote: "God, I know. I read this for an English class in high school and we analyzed it to death. It's put me off reading Steinbeck for years, but I'm glad to hear that his other books aren't like this. "OMFG, when I was in school //cough creak tap cane in northern CA there were three readings you could count on like CLOCKWORK: The Pearl, The Red Pony, and that HORRID short story The Chrysanthemums. omfg so much hate hate hate. I think I had like FOUR separate classes on Chrysanthemums. Hate.
I actually like his shorter books better -- Cannery Row (but not Sweet Thursday!), Once There Was a War, Winter of Our Discontent, Travels With Charley....Grapes of Wrath is interesting as a document (even if he did rip a lot of it off from gov't reports) and East of Eden is sort of one of those 'interesting failure' books, but OF MICE AND MEN AAAAAAAAAAAAGH -- Also, his letters are v good -- well-written, v amusing.
Don't even talk to me about Of Mice and Men (crap, must write review for that soon) - another book we had to analyze and then watch the film version of in sophmore English class. I don't know where the hell they found the video, but it featured the guy from CSI: New York as one of the main characters, and it was weird.
Madeline wrote: "Don't even talk to me about Of Mice and Men (crap, must write review for that soon) - another book we had to analyze and then watch the film version of in sophmore English class. I don't know where..."GARY SINISE! My 'Stand' boyfriend! ahahaha he LOVES that play. He DIRECTED that movie. Look, you can see him in screencaps all sweaty in (presumably) period underwear! God bless you, intratubez.
I barely remember this book, but your review brought it all back. Oh yeah! The baby and the scorpion! They were hiding safely in a wrinkle of my brain.
read my review. I really like yours!! it was SO TRUE!
Dudes Of Mice and Men was awesome and the movie was pretty cool too it had a young Gary Sinise, which was awesome it sucks we have to analyze everything to death though�.
Unfortunately I had to read this in 8th grade. Not surprisingly, everyone else hated it as well. Too much time was spent on describing the setting!
Read this one in both 7th and 8th grades; everyone hated it.
My teacher was a fanboy over this book
My teacher was a fanboy over this book
Because he has no life
That is literally how I would describe the book
I'm reading it for my English class tomorrow, prepping by reading reviews. I have a feeling I'm not going to like it......
Steinbeck is a really, really good writer (East of Eden will change your life) but this book is not a good introduction to his work.
Yeah, I'm glad this was not my first Steinbeck. That was The Pastures of Heaven, which I really liked.
Hi Madiline! I just wanted to ask yoi how to write a review. I want others to see what I read. Thanks!
Jasmine - if you've rated a book, right underneath the book description, you'll see "My Review," with the rating you gave it, and the shelves you put it on. On the far right of the bar reading "My Review," there's a an "edit" button. That brings up the form to write a review.
I read this for 7th grade English, SO BORING!
Yeah, same here. And then we read it again in 8th grade English, and it was doubly so.
But it wasn't South America
They might not have shown the Gary Sinese version in school - there was a version made with Burgess Meredith and Lon Cheney Jr. back in the late 30s, which my school, at least, would have sprung for rather than something recent.
man you look cool and i like your storys the inspire me
I need to say that the story is settled in Mexico not in South America, unless you think Mexico is located in South America, which in case...I'm out
While I respect your opinion and do agree that the book is very dull, I have to disagree with your analysis, While what you said is what happened at the surface level, there is so much more involved than that. The story follows Kino, a poor fisherman, and his family. His baby is struck by a scorpion and the town doctor refuses to treat him because of prejudice. Then, Kino finds the Pearl of the World. That changes everything. While at first, Kino is grateful, throughout the unfolding of the parable he becomes obsessed with getting back at the racist doctor. Kino eventually starts becoming more and more greedy as the story goes on. The pearl obviously represents the general greed in the world. It also represents the destruction and corruption that can happen to those who strike a bit of luck. The death of his baby is something you glossed over. The whole point of Kino's journey is to save his family from people who want the pearl-and will do anything to get it. Kino's child died because of the greed of man. In all, there are multiple important lessons you can take from this classic.
