The Pearl by John Steinbeck was an interesting and insightful book. It tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver, and his family. When his baby, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion, Kino and his wife Juana cannot afford a doctor. Shortly after, however, they miraculously discover a large and beautiful pearl. Believing that it will not only pay for Coyotito's treatment but also open up a new future for his family, Kino is excited to sell it. However, the precious possession will soon bring strife and evil upon the family. Therefore, the pearl that Kino deeply believed would make their dreams come true, turns their lives into a nightmare. While reading The Pearl, it became clear that there is an ideology present in the novel. This ideology is not very prominent, as the author only mentions it sparsely. Halfway through the book, Kino recounts something his father told him: “…each [person] must stick to his place and must not run here and there…” (Steinbeck 46). This is one of the few explicit mentions of the novel's underlying ideology, yet the ideology is present throughout the story. At first Kino and his family lived peacefully, in the bush village where they were born; they were poor, but their humble existence was comfortable. After obtaining the great pearl, however, Kino becomes fascinated by the possibilities it presents. He is determined to sell it for a large sum in the city of La Paz, but pearl buyers try to defraud him. While it could be argued that they are simply selfish and dishonest characters, their desire to oppress Kino and "keep" him poor could also stem from a subconscious ideology that a person should not try to change the "place" they were born into. Kino, however, figures out the pearl buyers' scam and plans... middle of the paper... The strategy of associating the plot with this historical context was very important in understanding the story and understanding the conflicts that arose. One of my weaknesses as a reader is that I can very quickly lose interest in a text without dialogue; sometimes I can't appreciate skillfully written descriptive passages because the lack of conversation between the characters bores me. From this, I realized that I am deeply interested in how humans interact, as interactions through dialogue are what I was drawn to and enjoyed most in The Pearl and other books I have read. However, from this I reflected that I must also learn to appreciate areas of text devoid of dialogue because they serve the plot of a novel in unique and essential ways. Works Cited Steinbeck, John. The Pearl. New York: Penguin Group, 1992. Print.