the pearl by john steinbeck is the retelling

Steinbeck has never been given the respect other writers of his generation have received.

Prize for Literature in 1962, and having one of the most enthusiastic of international readerships, Produced (the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Grapes of Wrath in 1939), having won the Nobel Yet there is anotherĪuthor who, despite the unevenness of his oeuvre, deserves to be placed in their company: John Steinbeck.ĭespite having written a novel that was considered, in its day, the greatest an American had ever It’ll turn back up on the bookshelf under “S” in fiction.When American literature of the 20th century is discussed, three authors generally loomĪbove the rest: William Faulkner, F. I’ll have to do these later, because once again I read a book and promptly lost it. It might not be the subject matter I would choose, but it’s tremendously well-written. It’s interesting and you really start pulling for the characters. It’s tense and realistic, it’s clear and concise.

We just want to reach out and protect them, but it’s really us who are learning from this story about harsh reality. The main characters are so vulnerable in their initial naivety, but are quick to learn. When studied in school, teachers talk about “evil” and also about a man versus himself, man versus man, and man versus society. Don’t even bother to be all looking for a silver lining. This little book (aka novella) is so full of strife and disappointment. But through the lens of a much older Mexico. It is tremendously like more modern stories about someone winning the lottery or suddenly becoming super famous, and it has the same sad twists as these stories. It tells the story of one man and his small family, poor and exploited, who find the pearl and what happens to them because of it. So you don’t get sideswiped: The Pearl is based on some ancient Mexican folk tales about the Pearl of the World, which was found and then lost again. Buck, in my mind, too.) While in hindsight I can understand The Pearl as part of the same author’s body of work, I just was so not expecting a book titled “The Pearl” to be what it was. (I think I was also looping in some Pearl S. What would you think if you were about to read The Pearl, by John Steinbeck? I had general feelings of classic American literature, mixed with what I remember of my high school assignment to read The Grapes of Wrath. (Note: I actually read this before The Bridge of San Luis Rey, but when I took my week off, I forgot to review it.) I just had no idea what was coming, when I picked up this book.

The pearl by john steinbeck is the retelling