No matter how hard one strives to move in contrast to the natural flow of God, it becomes exhausting and reward less in the end. A pearl diver aims to find pearls, but to attain wealth via it is not in his power. Struggle become futile when one goes against the natural course of God. But right after finding precious pearl, his perception changed and his desire to obtain wealth and comfort overcame his simple and contended style of living.
As a pearl diver living in a brush house, Kino has not regretted his life nor his place before. In the opening scene of the novel Kino observes the natural world around him, his actual place and position in this world. It was not in Kino’s fate to enjoy richness and comfort hence, he struggled and gained nothing in the end, but lost his only son in the mean process. Thus, their struggle becomes futile and similarly Kino couldn’t do a thing even after opposing nature. Hence, fate brings what is determined by the creator and humans struggle to change what is predetermined.
Thus, Ants took least notice of his foot and started crawling on his foot changing their route neither they stopped nor they cared or feared. However, he could not and eventually the nature wins. He stamps his foot on the ants in the sand ground to displace the row of ants, which shows that he wants to fight nature. Simultaneously, in chapter 6, Kino is struggling to cash the pearl and in the due process he faces all types of hurdles and bottle necks. ‘Lion-Ant’ kills the dusty smaller and weaker ants via its trap, made Kino belief that life cycle and fate cannot be changed even with will or with interference. He wants the nature to take its course and does not want to interfere in its natural process. Ants in chapter one depict how Kino thinks and belief (Steinbeck, 3). The pearl, canoe, ants and the struggle for saving pearl is all a mere depiction of how one strives to grasp something, which is not written in his fate. Through mere characters of Kino and Juana Steinbeck painted a picture of moral struggle in everyday life.
#Author's purpose for writing the pearl john steinbeck full
The Pearl by John Steinbeck is full of symbolism and contains in-depth biblical integration of morals.