1. Discuss the various animal imagery that functions throughout the novel: the ants, the scorpion, the hissing snakes, the schools of fish, the Oysters, the Dogs, and the Pearl buyers as Octopuses, etc.
2. Describe in detail Kino and Juana's simple life before and after the discovery of the Pearl.
3. How does Steinbeck characterize the doctor? How does he let the reader know that the white powder which the doctor administers to Coyotito is actually a poison which would kill the baby if the doctor did not return?
4. How does the priest function as a travesty of religion?
5. Why are the pearl buyers referred to as "fatherly" and "benevolent"? How does this contradict their real purposes? Are they also victimized?
6. Why are the "dark ones" and the trackers never identified? What is gained by Steinbeck's not identifying them?
7. A symbol can change its meaning during the course of a novel. How does pearl change its meaning during the course of this novel?
8. Kino believes that it would be better to kill a person than to kill a canoe because a canoe has no relatives to revenge it. What types of values are operative in such a statement?
9. Kino and Juana function more or less on a primitive level in their lives and in their religion, yet they both want a church wedding and a christening for Coyotito. How are these values consistent with their lives? How are they contradictory?
10. What is the function of the many songs that Kino hears during the course of the novel?
11. ‘Great expectations make frustrated men’. Using illustrations from the novel, write an essay supporting this statement.
12. Discuss how the author of the novel has used symbolism.
13. Coexistence is paramount to survival in any society. Justify this statement using illustrations from The Pearl by John Steinbeck.
14. “A great fortune can always bring people together even the least expected.” Using illustrations from The Pearl by John Steinbeck, write an essay in support of this statement.
15. ‘Every cloud has a silver lining,’ with reference to Kino in The Pearl justify the assertion.
    
16. When they found the Pearl of the World, Juana and Kino are excited and hopeful of a better life.
    Write an essay to show what happened to Kino’s life after the discovery. 

When Kino finds what is considered the greatest pearl, he believes life will be so good for his family. He plans to sell it and use the money to pay for a church wedding for himself and Juana, to send his son Coyotito to school, to buy the family new clothes, buy a new harpoon, buy a rifle and a lot of other things unfortunately, all these dreams and expectations are killed by the extreme selfishness that drives most of the towns people to want the pearl for themselves. (Accept any other relevant introduction)

Symbolism is a useful tool in story telling because it helps the author add a deeper meaning to the story.
Kino views the pearl as the blessing of a lifetime. At first the pearl is a symbol of freedom. Kino and his family could finally be freed from the oppression of poverty and a meagre existence. This means beautiful wedding for his wife and education for his son.

​Below are the Essential Questions, Theme Topics (Motifs), Thematic Questions, and Key Literary Terms that we will use for our analysis of The Pearl. These questions, theme topics, and terms will guide our discussion and analysis during this unit, so it is important for you to be familiar with them as you read. Use this overview to help guide your annotations and read through the background information before you read the novel.