I would recommend that someone read The Pearl to gain historical understanding of the struggles that Native Americans of the Baja Peninsula faced during the years of Spanish occupation from the 1500s until the Mexican War of Independence in the early 1800s. Though fictional, The Pearl truly represents the years of exploitation and discrimination that Native Americans endured under the Spanish.

I would recommend that someone read The Pearl to understand how an author can create complexity and ambiguity from a simple folk story. The Pearl was inspired by a Mexican folktale. John Steinbeck took this short story, added depth to its characters, and transformed it into a short novella.

I would recommend that someone read The Pearl to prepare to read one of the twentieth century’s literary masterpieces, since The Pearl contains many themes and political calls to action that John Steinbeck further developed in his longest novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Like The Grapes of Wrath, The Pearl shows how the rich and powerful, instead of protecting their vulnerable neighbors, exploit them for further unnecessary riches. The Pearl shows class struggle at a micro-level, the level of one family, whereas The Grapes of Wrath expands the theme to show how economic injustice affects a broad range of society.

I would recommend that someone read The Pearl to introduce themselves to the concept of the “tragic hero.” Kino, a protagonist with many good qualities, often leads himself to his downfall by letting his lust for the pearl get the best of him. The reader sees this when Kino viciously attacks his beloved wife, Juana, after she tries to throw the pearl away. The reader also sees this when Kino stubbornly holds onto the pearl even though he knows it will turn the town against his family.