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Completed	26 April 2009
Title	The Pearl
Author	John Steinbeck
Published	1947
Quote	"All manner of people grew interested in Kino----people with things to sell and people with favors to ask. Kino had found the Pearl of the World."
Review	This is pure Steinbeck. Once again, he takes an otherwise happy person and just reduces him to misery. In this case, it's Kino, who lives contentedly in a grass hut on the beach in Mexico. He is dirt poor. But happy. He and his wife have a baby. They live far from the town and are veritable outcasts. But one morning, a scorpion bites the baby. They need the help of the doctor in town. But of course, the doctor doesn't serve the poor outcasts on the beach. So Kino gets this idea of diving for pearls; although he's an avid diver, this time he is determined to find a pearl that will warrant the doctor's time. And find the pearl he does. It's a huge pearl. And with the pearl comes thoughts of affluence. And with that, Kino hopes and dreams of building a better life for his child. He envisions his child learning to read. His wife will now wear shoes. They can now be married in the church. The pearl will enable them to fulfill these ambitions. But soon the wife starts insisting that the pearl is evil. But what's so "evil" about wanting a better life? It's not greed; it's just plain-vanilla ambition. And that's not such a bad thing. But, of course, in true Steinbeck fashion, Kino and his family run into bad luck. They blame it on the pearl. This book was an interesting and fast read, but it left me a bit frustrated. One of these days, I'd like to read a Steinbeck novel that has a happy ending. I wonder if such a thing even exists.

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