We had to read The Pearl by John Steinbeck in English. Only 90 pages, so technically it counts as a novella, right? I should join that novella reading challenge…
Anyway, we had to annotate like CRAZY. You should SEE my annotations, it’s freakin’ scary, man. I want to post pictures to scare people. Actually, it works out okay… now people are trying to hold an auction over my book to use for their class and get away with no annotating. Too bad I wrote my name inside the cover.
Summary time: Kino and his wife Juana and their little baby Coyotito live in a brush house on the beach in La Paz. They’re poor because this dominating other culture took over their original culture and now instead of practicing the “ancient magic” they say Hail Marys and instead of being good in society they’re lower level fisherman, etc.
One day Coyotito gets bitten by a scorpion. The doctor, being extremely prejudiced, won’t see them. Juana cures it on her own and later they go out and go fishing and GUESS WHAT THEY FIND:
A PEARL!!!
Now everyone wants Kino’s pearl and it’s a battle to the end to see who will keep it and what it means to them and how much is at stake to get it. Lots of themes running through this book.
I had to write an essay on this book too, so I would know.
My rating: ♠♠♠
