I've always enjoyed John Steinbeck. I like the style of writing from the 1930s. Crisp, to the point, directed at the real human condition. None of the stylistic flourishes that distract me from the story.
I would have sworn that I had read this book in my youth, but after reading it, I know that I hadn't. Funny how you think you know the corpus of work of an author but discover gaps in what you think you've read. Well, I'm glad I finally "got around" to this book. Very enjoyable.
The story is simple: a poor Indian family discovers a pearl and it brings them no end of trouble until they throw it back in the sea. I notice that one of the critics takes the simple story and "discovers" that its hidden meaning is "the diver Kino believes that his discovery of a beautiful pearl means the promise of a better life for his impoverished family. His fall from innocence is one of Steinbeck's most moving stories about the American dream." That is a bit much. The story stands on its own. I don't think Steinbeck was making a grand point about "the American dream".
What I do find in the story is Steinbeck's clear comments about the gulf between poor and rich, the cruelty of people, the depravity of some, the innocence of others, and the rich tapestry of life. If anything, this "meaning" is that life is deeply rooted and even the discovery of an object of "great wealth" probably won't change the underlying pattern of life. Society is more than the individual. Life is a stream and not individual events. And "nature" is indifferent to the individual.
1 comment:
I like John Steinbeck's books too. I read Grapes Of Wrath while in high school.
I have read stuff about the meaning of certain scenes and wondered at these. I think John Steinbeck's lines and scenes speak for themselves and that they are very entertaining with out some special meaning or symbolism.
I feel like re-reading one of his stories now; perhaps Tortilla Flat....
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