Friday, May 2, 2014

May 2 class notes

Kino -father
Juana--mother
Coyotito--baby

setting -- shore of a Mexican

Cape Cod - sharks
Mexico - scorpion- symbolizes evil
details:  claws or pinchers, stingy tail, quick,, sneaky, smaller= more deceitful,
easily crushable, stings, black or red=bloody, natural devil

stylistic strategy Steinbeck wants story to sound like a myth

"and to the sea in calm, to the light and the dark and the sun and the moon, and the songs were all in Kino in his people" (17)

3 biggest action points:
1. scorpion attacks baby
2. venture to the doctor who rejects them because he is a rich racist
3.  finds the pearl

Pearl as a symbol:  grain of sand contaminates an oyster, then to beat the contamination, it layers the sand

incredibly valuable things are often very dangerous
dichotomy= opposing meaning creating conflict
pearl = purity  on the other pearl = contamination
pearl= baby saving life saver

pearl in "torn hand smashed against the doctor's gate" forshadows trouble

at once= pearl has healed the baby "swelling has gone down"

pearl attracts other fishermen who all rush forward==both good and bad
good=they want to celebrate
bad=they want his pearl

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