"For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one
thing and they want something more. And this is said in disparagement,
whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that
has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have."
I am currently teaching a junior/senior elective literature course. So far they have read Kindred by Octavia Butler, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and The Pearl by John Steinbeck. My seniors are done on Tuesday, so we are in the middle of prepping for their final exam. Since I taught the first three books, I figured I might as well read Steinbeck's novella to help them prepare. Thankfully I had a copy on my shelf, so I dove in the other night, determined to finish (because apparently I can only start books recently, not finish them).
When I told my students I was going to read the book so I could help them prepare better, they all told me, in varying ways, that the book was boring, stupid, and horrible. I was a little surprised, since most of them liked Of Mice and Men, which is part of the curriculum for the tenth grade classes. But, I know that sometimes you can like a book by an author and then hate another work.
I dove in with that in mind, and tried to keep that perspective in mind as I flew through the 90 page book. I think I am becoming more familiar with Steinbeck, but I was a bit taken aback by the tone in the book.
The Pearl is a retelling of a Mexican folktale. The focus is on a couple, Kino and Juana, who are down on their luck and struggling. They find a beautiful pearl worth more money than they can dream of...and their world crumbles apart. The book is very much one of those "moral" books. And I know that is exactly why my high school students hated it.
I personally can't stand books that preach too much, or that shove a lesson down your throat. That doesn't mean I don't seek those things out, because I do, but I don't like the lesson being flashed in front me on every other page. It drives me crazy.
And I can imagine that is what drove my students nuts as well. Steinbeck's tale certainly has an agenda-to remind us all that gaining wealth comes with consequences, and that sometimes if you dream too high, it will all come crashing down. And that message comes through loud and clear. That isn't to say the book is bad. It isn't. It still has the same voice of Steinbeck. There were passages that I absolutely loved, but the overall book didn't do it for me. But, I'll push through with my kids and help them study for the exam as best I can. :)
I've heard that a lot of people don't care for Steinbeck's shorter works. I haven't gotten to any of the big ones, like The Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden, so I can't really weigh in. Let me know where you fall on the Steinbeck fan-scale.
I was not a fan of this one, though it's not my least favorite of his (The Winter of our Discontent takes that place). It didn't help that I listened to an audio version read by Frank Mueller, who some people seem to like, but I can't stand. He read it like a gruff old cowboy crossed with a spiritual mystic, which didn't help the tone of the book AT ALL. :D
ReplyDeleteI liked The Winter of our Discontent, but my favorite is still Travels with Charley (I have read the big two yet).
DeleteYeah, that kind of reading style would have made this worse. ;)
Dear Allie,
ReplyDeleteWhat amazes me time and time again is what a fantastic teacher you are. You push through a book you don't like in order to help your students, you spent hours preparing the Hunger Games simulation and you put at least as much thought in your students' reading as in yours. You combine the two characteristics that make a teacher an extraordinary one: being enthusiastic about your subject and passionate about your students.
Seriously, if there were more teachers like you the world would be a better place.
You got me all sniffly. Thank you so much for your kind words.
DeleteMy place on the Steinbeck fan scale is at the top, i.e. I just love anything he ever did ever! I have read The Pearl and I know I liked it well enough and I didn't necessarily think it was that preachy, BUT I did read it ages ago so that might all have changed now- I'm still not sure how I feel about books that preach, but I think it's along the lines of, if it's done well, then I'm down with it.
ReplyDeleteI liked the story...I just thought that it was too much in some parts.
DeleteAnd I do love Steinbeck, but I'm still exploring him. I haven't read the big 2 (East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath), so I'm still a bit undecided (leaning towards loving him).
Dang, and The Pearl was on my fuzzy mental list of books by Steinbeck that I might actually read! I'm just here to tell you that I thought Grapes of Wrath was great when I read it--actually I would happily read it again over any of the other ones. My problem is that Steinbeck is too close to home and I have a silly prejudice against reading boring home-grown books when I could be reading something exciting and exotic. I have therefore never read him properly, except for GoW. This is idiotic but true.
ReplyDeleteHahaha. I actually kind of know what you mean. And still read The Pearl if it interests you! I tried to read it as though I was one of my students, so perhaps that's why it bugged me...but it is still a really good book with a lot of great language!
DeleteI really hated this book, and Steinbeck is one of my favorite writers. I think allegory/fable is just not my genre.
ReplyDeleteYeah...I'm not the biggest allegory fan either. Sometimes I don't mind, but this just seemed like it was too much on that, and not enough of the Steinbeck I like.
DeleteMy high schooler did not like The Pearl either because it was a real downer for him. (I totally agreed.) But you should also share with your students what passages you really loved from the story and why. At least maybe then they can learn to find something to appreciate even if they find that overall they did not like it.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly why my kids didn't like it. But after I pointed out that every other book we read this semester were also "downers," they agreed to talk about the book a bit more. Sometimes you just have to build that kind of connection!
DeleteI also had to read this when I was in high school so I understand how your students felt. This is not one of my favorites of Steinbeck's. You must be a favorite teacher, though, to work with your students like that. My teachers would never be so personable, XD
ReplyDeleteOh thank you. I always tell my kids that my number one goal is to have them enjoy reading and writing. If that means I need to dance like an idiot in the front of the classroom, or read in "voices," then I will. :)
DeleteI feel like this could be read by a younger age group. I used it with my sister in junior high - I think younger students are used to more obvious moralizing. When you get to high school, you expect depth and subtlety, which maybe makes other Steinbeck books a better choice? I'm not a teacher, but I think that not all novels by one author are at the same level.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a good point! Since these are juniors and seniors, they are a bit past that stage of moralizing. I also think that they had high expectations coming off reading Of Mice and Men as sophomores. I think if the school wants to have a classic text be part of the class, The Picture of Dorian Gray would be a great choice.
DeleteOh! And I love what you said about novels not being at the same level, even if they are by the same writer. I completely agree!!
DeleteI haven't read any of Steinbeck's shorter works but I did really enjoy Grapes of Wrath and especially East of Eden. I never had to read Steinbeck in school (I don't think) but I think it's fantastic that you read along with your students to help them. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read either one of those! :) I can't wait to get to them at some point...I have high hopes.
DeleteI'm a big fan of Steinbeck, but I hated this one. Travels With Charley is my favorite and Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday are both really good. East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are more depressing, but incredibly moving books.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you responded, I know how much you love Steinbeck! :) I've liked Charley the best too, but I have read as many (only Charley, Winter of our Discontent, Of Mice and Men, and this one).
DeleteI'm a huge, huge, huge Steinbeck fan. I think he is one of the kindest and most brilliant American writers to ever have lived.
ReplyDeleteYou already know how I feel about East of Eden, and I found Grapes of Wrath to be almost as good (like 51% to East of Eden and 49% to Grapes of Wrath - SUPER close... ask me another day and I might have flip-flopped).
I enjoy his short work - I liked The Pearl, but I can see what you mean about the more obvious nature of his short work (and, yes, it's there to an extent in his lengthier stuff, too). But Steinbeck did deal in didactics - he wanted people to question themselves and their actions. I think his longer works have the benefit of getting much more character and plot development, though, which distracts from the straightforward morality lessons of his short pieces.
If you want to give his short work another shot, I would suggest The Red Pony. It's actually a small collection of short stories based on the same boy and his family.
Haven't read The Pearl but I really liked both Of Mice and Men and Grapes of Wrath. I can see not caring for the moral though, especially if it's a hit-you-over-the-head type.
ReplyDeleteI have a love/hate relationship with Steinbeck. I haven't read This one since high school, but I remember we read it immediately following The Red Pony. It was an awful unit for most of the class.
ReplyDeleteYou're a very committed teacher and it's clear that you want your students to not only succeed, but excel. There needs to be more English teachers like you.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a story about a woman carrying a basket of eggs to the market, dreaming about how if she sold the eggs well, she could get another hen and then have more eggs to sell and then maybe be able to buy a goat and sell it's milk and then buy something more and more and more ... and in the end, she drops the basket, all the eggs are broken and she didn't have anything to sell because she got lost in dreaming about what could be. It seems to be somewhat the same morale ...
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about Steinbeck. I loved The Moon is Down, Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden but I didn't like Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday all that much.