”’ The doctor says this after he finds out about Kino and the ‘Pearl of the World’. I am treating his child for a scorpion sting. “He is a client of mine,” the doctor said. ‘The news came to the doctor where he sat with a woman whose illness was age, though neither she nor the doctor would admit it.Īnd when it was made plain that Kino was, the doctor grew stern and judicious at the same time. See if he has any money! ”’ The doctor is the major antagonist in the Pearl and is the embodiment of evil. I, I alone am supposed to work for nothing-and I am tired of it. His fat is symbolic for his need for more wealth and money which he gets this by refusing to treat people with no money as shown in ‘”Has he any money? The doctor demanded “No, they never have any money.
This quote shows the Doctor is not satisfied with his current life even if his lifestyle is more fortunate than that of Kino and other people of La Paz. He was growing very stout, and his voice was hoarse with fat that pressed against his throat’. The Doctor’s appearance is symbolic for his greed and is shown in ‘His eyes rested in puffy little hammocks of flesh and his mouth drooped with discontent. Greed is a major theme in the Pearl and is explored thoroughly through the Doctor. John Steinbeck uses the doctor as a symbol for the attitudes of white men to Native Americans. He is an arrogant, selfish person who has no regard for anyone else’s needs preferring to encourage ignorance, inequality and racism.
Because of his great wealth which is brought about by the constant oppression of the Native Americans of La Paz he thinks of himself higher in social status. He refers to them as lowly animals and this shows how poorly he treats people less wealthy than him. ’ In this statement he shows how little interest he has in the poor and how insignificant to him they are. The Doctor is a symbol for the oppression of the people of La Paz and this is shown in ‘Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for little Indians? John Steinbeck uses literary devices such as dialogue and setting to develop the Doctor’s appearance and personality that engages the reader. The successful novella called the Pearl was written in 1945 by John Steinbeck who explores the themes of oppression, greed, evil and their connections to his great wealth through the characterisation of the Doctor, an essential character in the book.
0 kommentar(er)
