1022 steinbeck, John
cannot occur until the pearl has been exorcised.
The story remains in the collective memory as a
cautionary parable: “It is an event that happened to
everyone.”
A similar pattern occurs in the story’s moral
register. The tale, Steinbeck informs his readers in
the novel’s brief preface, lives in the town’s memory
through constant repetition, where “in people’s
hearts, there are only good things and bad things
and black and white things and good and evil things
and no in-between anywhere.” The pearl becomes
a symbolic representation of evil, of the greed that
engulfs the town, pits neighbor against neighbor,
and isolates Kino from kin and community. The
idea of the pearl, of the wealth it might bring enters
into the dreams and desires of the townspeople, stir-
ring up “something infinitely black and evil” (30).
The town’s universal lust for the pearl makes Kino,
psychologically at least, the enemy of all who would
possess it. Recognizing both the risks inherent in
the town’s altered behavior toward them and her
husband’s increased fixation on the material wealth
made possible by the pearl, Juana must confront her
husband for the survival of her family. “This thing is
evil,” she tells her husband. “This pearl is like a sin.
It will destroy us!” Kino’s reaction, striking his wife
in the face, only confirms how much of the pearl’s
evil has embedded itself in him. Baring his teeth,
he “hissed at her like a snake,” Steinbeck writes. It
is only after the death of their child that Kino can
throw the pearl back into the sea, separating himself,
his family, and his community from its influence and
ensuring their survival, just as the oyster protects
itself from the irritating grain of sand.
Michael Zeitler
STEiNbECk, JoHN The Red Pony
(1937)
In The Red Pony, a family’s realistic portrayal is an
important theme for John Steinbeck. Jody Tiflin is
a young boy with a vivid imagination and an active
mind. A simple walk home from school encom-
passes the fantasy of leading a marching band as well
as conjecture about the mountains surrounding the
Salinas Valley. His mother and father run a ranch in
that valley, and there are always chores for Jody to
do. In addition to the family, a hired hand named
Billy Buck lives on the ranch.
In both the first and third sections, Jody is made
responsible for a horse. He relies on Billy’s skills, but
in both cases the horse dies, and Jody is heartbroken.
In the second section, an elderly Hispanic vagrant
comes to the ranch, claiming to have been born
there. Jody’s parents are unwilling to support this
man, nor do they want him to influence Jody. There
is an undercurrent of racism and bigotry of which
Jody becomes aware, and that embarrasses him.
Jody’s maternal grandfather comes for a visit in the
last section of the book. Once again, Carl is impolite
and cruel to an old man. Jody has something Carl
does not—compassion for his grandfather.
Steinbeck creates a 20th-century family that
is not perfect. The father is a bully, the mother is
somewhat complacent, the hired hand is tolerated,
and the boy is not a carbon copy of his father. His
life may well become the ranch, but he will carry
his responsibilities and obligations without cutting
himself off from other people and his own feelings.
He has a healthy compassion, but he is now well
aware that reality is not always kind.
Elizabeth MaliacomInG oF aGe in The Red Pony
Coming of age is a very common theme for authors,
especially those of the 20th century. John Steinbeck
wrote his version in The Red Pony. This short novel,
written in four sections (not to be mistaken for
chapters) but all of a piece, details the story of how
Jody Tiflin learns some very grown-up lessons and
begins to move toward being a man.
The first lesson Jody learns is that no one can
know everything and no one is perfect. This boy
idolizes the hired hand Billy Buck because Buck
knows everything there is to know about horses.
The title of the book refers to a young pony that
Jody is given. Billy teaches him to take good care
of this pony, Gabilan, but his father’s carelessness or
disregard for the colt’s well-being results in Gabi-
lan being left out in the rain, where he catches a
chill, which leads to pneumonia. Jody trusts in Billy
Buck’s vast knowledge of horses to make the colt
better, but Gabilan dies. Jody has participated in
and witnessed every difficult move Billy has made in