Throwing Back the Pearl

As an English teacher and book lover, I thoroughly enjoy reading the classics of literature. One of the books I read this month was John Steinbeck's The Pearl. By looking at the size of the book, you wouldn't expect to come away with having learned a valuable lesson, but that's exactly what happens. I learned a lesson that could basically make every problem I will ever face vaporize into thin air if I utilize its principles.

The story begins with exposing the simple, everyday goings-on of a poor Mexican family just coming to life. Kino and his wife, Juana, have a small baby, Coyotito. They truly relish the simplicity of life: the smells of cooking corn cakes, the sight of the sun rising and setting each day, and the sound of their son cooing and gurgling.

The conflict arises when Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion. They are aware of the risk of death if a doctor isn't seen right away. As a result, they head into town knowing that they don't have enough money to see the doctor; nevertheless, they're hopeful the doctor will sympathize with them and treat their son. The doctor, pompous and arrogant, will have nothing to do with them, however. Kino, frustrated and determined to help his son, heads out into the sea to find a pearl that will fund his son's healing and recovery. Surprisingly, Kino finds a giant pearl--a pearl no one else has ever been fortunate enough to behold. This pearl seems to embody the power to answer any questions Kino has ever had about his life. His son will now be able to go to school, he and his wife will now have new clothes, and any other need in his life will now be met.

The townspeople are now in a state of commotion, chaos, and jealously, and the pearl buyers, who have already heard of the great pearl and its beauty, are in conspiracy with each other, refusing to buy the pearl for what it's worth. Moreover, even though the baby has healed on his own, the doctor pretends that something is still wrong with him. He gives the baby something to make him sick just so he will have to heal him--all for money. To make matters worse, thieves hunt for the pearl in the middle of the night, putting Kino and his family in serious danger. Kino even ends up killing someone over the pearl. The entire time this has been transpiring, Juana has been the voice of reason. Continuously, she attempts to persuade Kino to throw back the pearl, but he refuses. One night, he catches her on her way to the ocean to throw it back, and he hits her. His family is officially tearing apart. As a consequence from all of these events, he and his family are forced to run away.

Thirsty, tired, hungry, and dirty, the family is hunted as they climb the dry, deserted mountains to a place of safety. They are eventually hunted down, however, and the baby pays the ultimate price for his father's greed.

After reading this book, my mother said that she had read this in high school. This just goes to prove that the lesson in The Pearl is timeless and that we can translate its message into every avenue of our lives. For instance, I thought of my former eating and weight issues in relation to this lesson. At one time, I achieved a weight I thought would bring me the peace and happiness I had desired for years. Oddly enough, that peace and happiness was never satisfied, and because of it, I lost relationships, my strength, my personality, my hopes, my dreams...it stripped me of life. I lived this way until I made a decision: a decision to throw back my pearl.

Sometimes it's necessary--crucial, even--to throw back our "pearls." It's one of the hardest things we will ever be faced with because it doesn't make sense. When we make ourselves believe that all of our problems will be squelched if ________ happens, it's difficult to believe life could be great in any other capacity. More often than not, however, we search our entire lives for a pearl, not knowing that we often find more than what we bargained for in the process.

In short, love, as sacred and as pure as it truly is, is all we need to live happy, successful lives. God gave us His ultimate example, and if we model ourselves after it, we will always have provision.