1. The Pearl
By john Steinbeck

2. Synopsis The story’s protagonist is a fisherman named Kino
Setting: Kino lives a peaceful, rustic life with his wife, Juana, and baby son, Coyotito, on the outskirts of a Mexican town called La Paz around the year 1900
Plot: One dark day, a stray scorpion stings baby Coyotito, making him critically ill
Kino goes pearl diving in hopes of finding a pearl to pay the doctor with, and then he finds one—what luck!
Conflict: But it is really so lucky? While Kino is dazzled by the pearl and its promise, it ends up bringing nothing but misery
Terms to know: synopsis, plot, conflict, protagonist, setting

3. Narrator Third Person (Omniscient) Multiple perspectives and opinions
The narrator spends a lot of time observing and reporting from a distance on the goings on of the town
But the narrator also gets us into the minds of Kino, Juana, the doctor, and even gives us access to the thoughts of minor characters such as the priest
Terms to know: Narrator, third person, omniscient Ask: What is the difference between narrator and author? What other types of narration do you know?

4. Ways of reading The Pearl
A cautionary tale—this is a type of story that gives the reader a warning
A parable
Definition: a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle; parables provide an instructive example or teach a moral lesson
“The Good Samaritan” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”
A cultural commentary
Definition: A broad category for artworks that comment on various aspects of contemporary culture, often quite critically, as in works that focus on the misdeeds of political figures, the imperial actions of governments, or global economic inequalities
Kino's people (indigenous or Native American) are culturally coded as "other" and inferior within the novel's colonial setting; Steinbeck critiques both colonialism and capitalism by depicting the exploitation of Kino and his family by the men who will stop at nothing to posses Kino's shiny pearl. Steinbeck exposes materialism, avarice, and class-based division; he allows Kino to experience injustices the hard way.
Terms to know: cautionary tale, parable, cultural commentary, capitalism, colonialism. The Pearl is a novella that works on a few levels all at once—it is a rich reading experience, meant to be understood simply, yet it exposes the complicated natures of capitalism and colonialism. It also exposes human vices like greed.

5. A Brief Tangent: On Words
Denotation means definition, as in the dictionary definition of a word
Definition of denotation
1: an act or process of denoting
2: meaning; especially : a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea comparing a word's denotation with its connotations
Connotation means associations we make with certain words
Definition of connotation
1a : something suggested by a word or thing : implication the connotations of comfort that surrounded that old chair
b : the suggesting of a meaning by a word apart from the thing it explicitly names or describes
Terms to know: denotation, connotation.

6. Capitalism—definition:
Merriam-Webster.com
an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market
Capital—definition:
accumulated assets (as money) invested or available for investment: as
a : goods (as equipment) used to produce other goods
b : property (as stocks) used to create income
Connotation and denotation—what is on this slide is DENOTATION; ask students what they think of when they think of capitalism (e.g. it’s good, America is the best because of this system, etc.—see what they know and think)

7. Colonialism—definition:
Merriam-Webster.com
control by one power over a dependent area or people
Encyclopedia Britannica.com
a political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world
Ask—is this something we value? Something we need to acknowledge? What about the people who were also exploited?