. The Pearl by John Steinbeck is the retelling of a legend about a fisherman who finds a huge pearl, realizes the discovery is destroying his life, and returns the pearl to the sea. It is told in a style so authentic that readers feel they are hearing the story from one of the villagers who knows all the characters.Some critics have pointed out that this book was really the author’s statement about the danger of creating an imbalance in the natural environment. When the fisherman throws the pearl back into the sea, he is restoring the natural order. In fact, Steinbeck was a member of an expedition to explore marine life when he heard the legend of “the pearl of the world.”Other critics have suggested that Steinbeck’s concern for the conditions of the working class was reflected in the relationships among the characters. The priest becomes interested in the poor fisherman’s family after the pearl is found because he hopes to receive a donation that will enable him to improve his church. The doctor who has refused to treat the fisherman’s baby in the past is eager when he knows that the fisherman has found a valuable pearl. An even more direct example of exploitation is the way that the pearl merchants take advantage of the fisherman in the village.Finally, the work has shown the struggle between good and evil. Although the fisherman dreamed of buying peace and happiness with the pearl, he realises that these spiritual gifts are beyond price. They cannot be purchased. "Perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it." Steinbeck himself wrote in the introduction. Precisely this personal interpretation gives The Pearl such enduring appeal.
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