Student Question
What is the purpose of the introduction in The Pearl?
Quick answer:
The introduction in The Pearl serves multiple purposes: it establishes the story as a moral lesson or parable, rooted in oral tradition, and sets up key themes like the deceitfulness of power and wealth. It introduces the main characters—Kino, Juana, and Coyotito—and highlights the story's allegorical nature, emphasizing family and the timeless struggle against greed. This context helps readers understand the novel's lessons and allegorical framework.
The introduction of Steinbeck's Pearl is representational of the author's personal struggle against the deceitfulness of power, wealth and fame. The "pearl" reaches an almost mythological status representing dreams and ambitions. The text also confronts controversial philosophies such as simony and the rejection of diverse social and multicultural relations. The biographical parallel can be found in the first three pages of the introduction. Hence, the introduction is the context by which we understand the text as an allegory similar to John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.
The introduction to The Pearl not only serves to set up the plot, but also lets the reader know that the story is a moral lesson, a "parable," based upon a folk tale. The repetition of 'they tell' and the use of 'they say' adds to the element of the oral tradition that lies within the heart of folk tales. It introduces the three main characters in the...
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novel, Kino, Juana, and the ill-fated child, Coyotito. The reader also is warned that this will be a tale of both 'good' and 'bad' ; most folk tales and all parables teach a lesson. Thus, this introduction also serves to let the reader know that alesson will be learned by the end of this novel.
What is the purpose of the introduction in The Pearl by John Steinbeck?
First, the epigraph at the very beginning of the novella by definition serves as a brief summary of the story and also hints at what the lesson or moral of the story will be. Next, the purpose of the exposition is not only to describe the setting, but also to show Kino's relationship to nature at that point in his life.
John Steinbeck is known for his imagery, especially when it comes to nature. His introductions are very detailed and descriptive, and usually, the dialogue doesn’t begin until the reader knows exactly what the setting is like. In The Pearl, it is evident that Kino has a good relationship to nature while he absorbs his surroundings after he wakes. During this time, he hears a harmonious song, the Song of the Family, which reflects his attitude. For example, he observes ants with the “detachment of God,” and he knows exactly where he is in relationship to nature; he respects it and lives alongside it, but he knows that, as a man, he is above nature, just as God is superior to man.
The inciting incident, the scorpion, is the catalyst to changes that begin to take place in Kino’s relationship to nature. After this encounter, the Song of the Family changes to that of the enemy, and from that moment on, his relationship to natures begins to deteriorate.
What is the purpose of the preface in the novel The Pearl?
The beginning of the novel is intended to demonstrate how timeless and allegorical it is.
The story begins with a brief description of the family. This is important because family is key in this story. It is the little three person family against the word. It also describes how important the pearl is to the family, and how important the story is to the town. Then, he goes on to introduce it with ellipses.
If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it. In any case, they say in the town that..."
The ellipses reinforce the idea that the story goes on and on. It is timeless, and has been repeated in one form or another from the beginning of time to the end of time. The reader should pay attention to the story because it demonstrates the effects of greed on a town.