Answering more questions on “The Pearl” for SPM 2010/ English/ Literature Component

Dear Form 5 students, since your examination is just around the corner, I have written the answers to 5 more questions in order to aid you…

1.    Based on the story that you have learned, write about the HOPES of ONE of the characters. WHAT DID THE CHARACTER DO to achieve his/her hopes? Support your answer with close reference to the text.

“The Pearl” by John Steinback is a novel that reveals the power of hope living in people. Kino, a poor pearl diver, begins to have great hopes after the discovery of the pearl of the world, so in order to fullfill his hopes, so became an ambitious, aggressive and determined person in order to protect the pearl before selling it.

Kino became an ambitious person when he tried to sell the pearl in order to fullfill his hopes to bring his wife, Juana, their baby, Coyotito out of the clutches of poverty, discrimination and hardship. Kino hopes to educate Coyotito through formal education, marry Juana in a proper ceremony in church, buy himself a rifle- Winchester carbine, and a harpoon. The doctor pretended to cure Coyotito from his scorpion bite, in order to get the pearl, but Kino is alert to protect the pearl and hid it. When the pearl buyers tried to cheat him, he took all the effort to protect the pearl, as he wanted a higher price for the pearl. He became too ambitious and is willing to go thru all the difficulties to sell the pearl for a better price.

Describing how the main character managed to raise awareness to the readers in The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Question: Reading a novel will leave the awareness to the readers. Based on the novel you have studied, describe how the main character managed to raise awareness?

 Answer:

Based on the novel, The Pearl by John Steinbeck, the main character who managed to raise awareness to the readers is Kino. Kino, is a poor Mexican Indian pearl fisher who lives with his wife, Juana and their baby, managed to raise awareness  by being a memorable, determined and remorseful character. Kino managed to be a memorable character as he reveals a very dramatic characterization from being a very loving and caring father, he changed into a very aggressive person due to the pearl he found. 


Kino, took all the effort to dive into the sea after Coyotito, their baby was stung by a scorpion.  Being a poor pearl diver who strives for a hard life made Kino’s character a touching one.  He managed to find a big, beautiful pearl of the world, but unfortunately his dreams of leading a better life lead only to tragedy. He was cheated by the pearl buyer, attacked by the attackers and followed by the trackers. His personality changed as the pearl stayed longer in his hands,

The themes and moral values in “The Pearl” a novel by John Steinbeck

the themes and moral values of THE PEARL

Hope this notes I wrote about the novel, The Pearl,

will be beneficial to all our dear form 5 students for the coming SPM 2010

THE THEMES  IN THE PEARL..........

1.       Family love and loyalty

The theme of family love and loyalty is expressed through this close-knit family and conveyed throughout the story in the following textual evidences:

Ø  Kino showed his fatherly love when he desperately tried to look for a pearl in order to treat his son. Kino hears a song- The Song of the Family- which reinforces the feeling of warmth and safety of being a part of the family.

Ø  Juana showed her motherly love when she is willing to suck out the poison /venom from her beloved baby’s shoulder. Juana insists to follow Kino off to the ocean as she wants to prepare poultice, a traditional cure made of seaweeds. When Kino killed the intruder, Juana gives Kino strength and makes him feel like a man again.

Ø  The family bond is extended to include Apolonia and Juan Tomas’ four children. When Kino’s house is burnt down and they are in trouble, Juan Tomas and his whole family are there to support and give them shelter.

The strong bond of the family love and loyalty is sometimes threatened in several events in the novel by the presence of the pearl. However, it still survives till the end of the story. 

discovering the hidden “pearls” in “The Pearl”

I truly enjoy teaching my form 5 tuition students “The Pearl” ,a novel by John Steinbeck and it’s an amazing experience for me. At first most of my students who attended my class did not like literature, especially the novel. It was a challenge for me but I accepted it as God’s test for me. I tried to look through the rose tinted glasses, and I put more effort to bring the life to the literature lesson. I wrote a brief synopsis and concise summaries of the six chapters of the novel for my students to read .Then I told my students that we can never love this novel by just holding it; so we have to read it, explore it, go inside it, and imagine that we are there with them. I told them to put their love in what they are reading, and as they read the novel, I asked them to observe the characters and the way they talk, act and interact with other characters, and take note of the sequence of events from the beginning, rising action, climax, falling action and ending. Then I discussed with them the characterization of the characters. “ Insight into characters in literary texts could also derived directly through the characters’ actions, speech and thoughts. A character’s actions, speech and thoughts in any situation would throw light on his personality and character traits.”(Edwin,2004) I love to hear their different opinions regarding the characters of Kino, Juana, the pearl buyers, the doctor, Juan Tomas, Apolonia, the priest and the trackers. The most interesting part is when the students tried to bring out the theme of the novel together with the moral values and lessons that they have learned, they finally discovered the situational irony in the novel.