Reflection on "The Pearl"--> Parable in my life...

“If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it In any case, they say in the town that…”

The story of “The Pearl” can relate to my life in the following ways. First of all, John Steinbeck lets us know from the beginning that the story of “The Pearl” was meant to be a parable, or a story that teaches us a lesson through its moral. I believe the moral of this story is not to let greed overpower your love for what is truly important.

This can relate to my life because sometimes I get so caught up in thinking about myself, and how certain things benefit or don’t benefit me that often times I lose sight of what is important. For example, one morning I found myself muttering and complaining about how I didn’t have enough jackets. But when I truly began to think about it, I realized that I had more than enough jackets! In fact, I had over 6 (probably more, now that I think about it…). This made me realize how selfish and pig-headed I was being in wanting more things for myself. One was plenty, and if a jacket was warm then of course it wouldn’t matter how many I had! I now know I am concentrating too much on my outer appearance. Of course, I know my friends have loved me through thick and thin, so of course it doesn’t matter how many times I wear a jacket to school! They loved me before, and they’ll love me the same now. And if they don’t, then maybe it’s time to find some true friends.

The second way this story can relate to my life is because I think sometimes like Kino, I am extremely stubborn. The moral of this story warns us against being greedy but I think it also wants to tell us that maybe we should listen to the advice of others instead of dismissing them because we think we are better than them. I understand that Juana is on a “lower station” than Kino but in all reality they’re husband and wife—If Kino had listened to Juana in the first place, then baby Coyotito might still be alive. When I was reading the book, I wanted to scream at Juana at first because she actually considered throwing away the precious jewel but when I re-read the book again, I wanted to scream at Kino for not listening to her. In my life, I’m sure my mother feels the same way towards me. I think that to become a better person, I need to stop thinking about what’s wrong with my parents but to actually listen to them and prevent further danger from happening to myself and others.

In conclusion, I think this story can show us lots of valuable life lessons!