Nevertheless, though the nature of the pearlвЂ™s symbolism is left to each readerвЂ™s interpretation, this symbolism seems to shift over the course of the work. The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean GionoВ вЂ“ for another well-told fable, with beautiful woodcut illustrations, you could do no better.The Pearl is a parable, the meaning of the pearl itself the novellaвЂ™s central symbol is never explicitly defined. The Blue Fox by Sjon вЂ“ this sparse Icelandic tale kept coming to my mind whilst I was reading вЂ“ perhaps because Sjon, like Steinbeck, envelops the reader entirely in the atmosphere of his tale. It isnвЂ™t the sort of book I could love in a fond, intimate manner вЂ“ in feeling like a folk-tale passed down through generations, it keeps the reader at a distance вЂ“ but this story of Kino and his family is still captivating, and a masterpiece of simplicity and authorial economy. SteinbeckвЂ™s use of a straightforward tale is much more sophisticated вЂ“ an incredibly engaging, beautiful narrative. That wealth doesnвЂ™t equate happiness is both true and a truism. If I knew how he did, IвЂ™d be a great writer myself. I was very impressed by SteinbeckвЂ™s technique in mounting tension (a trait he also uses, of course, in Of Mice and Men) вЂ“ he manages to make a very simple tale extremely gripping. Although they are somewhat predictable, as with all stories (and especially folk-tales) the importance lies in the way in which they are told. What follows is akin to a parable вЂ“ unsurprisingly the arrival of wealth does not bring happiness rather, it brings complications and anguish. It is, he believes, The Pearl of the World.

It will come as no surprise that Kino finds a pearl вЂ“ and it is enormous. But in the song there was a secret little inner song, hardly perceptible, but always there, sweet and secret and clinging, almost hiding in the counter-melody, and this was the Song of the Peal That Might Be, for every shell thrown in the basket might contain a pearl.

And as he filled his basket the song was in Kino, and the beat of the song was his pounding heart as it ate the oxygen from his held breath, and the melody of the song was the grey-green water and the little scuttling animals and the clouds of fish that flitted by and were gone. They had made songs to the fishes, to the sea in anger and to the sea in calm, to the light and the dark and the sun and the moon, and the songs were all in Kino and in his people вЂ“ every song that had ever been made, even the ones forgotten. Now, KinoвЂ™s people had sung of everything that happened or existed. He can hear many interweaving melodies, and trusts them. Not simply singing about them, but sensing them вЂ“ Kino can hear the Song of Evil approaching he can hear the Song of Family. Folk-tales tend to present the world in an unexpected way вЂ“ in The Pearl, the Mexican-Indians experience events through melodies. I daresay thereвЂ™s all sorts that could be said about an outsider imposing a fable on this community, ya-dah-ya-dah, but thatвЂ™s not really the point вЂ“ Steinbeck has crafted something which never feels forced or voyeuristic, but as though it were part of the lifeblood of people like Kino. What I loved most about the book was its style and tone, which felt authentically as though it were an inherited folk-tale, told through the generations. That is, those of their race (which I think is Mexican-Indian) care for one another вЂ“ the rich townsfolk are selfish colonisers who refer to Kino and his people as вЂanimalsвЂ™. They are Mexican pearlers, living in La Paz in extreme poverty вЂ“ but a close, kind community. It tells of Kino, his wife Juana, and their baby Coyotito. That is certainly reflective of its tone and atmosphere. And whatever my feelings about the former work вЂ“ The PearlВ is captivatingly brilliant.ДЄt only ninety pages long, The PearlВ is barely a novella вЂ“ the blurb of my copy labels it a short story, but I think it is most fitting to call it a fable. Well, there could scarcely be more different novels than Of Mice and Men and The PearlВ вЂ“ itвЂ™s difficult to believe theyвЂ™re by the same author. I hadnвЂ™t disliked Of Mice and Men, but IвЂ™m yet to click with any of the Great American Novels (on the list which left me cold at best: The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Moby DickВ вЂ“ although I did love To Kill A Mockingbird). So, when my book group chose The PearlВ (1947) for this monthвЂ™s read, I was happy to give Steinbeck another go.

Song of the pearl john steinbeck