Context of the Pearl - Cultural Aspects

​Context of The Pearl:
Cultural Aspects

By Jai-Sun Bolden

Fill in the Blanks

Steinbeck sets his novella in the country of

(country south of California that starts with an M and ends with an O) during the turn of the 20th century (1900s). Where is the novel set?

Fill in the Blanks

Specifically, the novella is set in La Paz, Mexico. This coastal region lies on the Baja Peninsula below California and is separated from the Mexican mainland by the

of California, otherwise known as the Sea of Cortez.

Multiple Choice

Steinbeck sets his novella in the country of Mexico during the turn of the 20th century, or early 1900s. When does the novel take place?

• early 1700s

• early 1800s

• early 1900s

• early 2000s

Multiple Choice

During the Colonial Period, the arrival of colonist from Spain in Mexico during the 1700s created a chasm (an extremely large break, split, separation, or difference) in the social structure, between the rich and poor. What is a chasm?

• a small difference

• change of equal size

• a great difference

• random change

Fill in the Blanks

During the Colonial Period, the arrival of colonist from

in 1700s created a chasm (an extremely large break, split, separation, or difference) in the social structure, between the rich and poor. What country did the colonists arrive from?

Multiple Choice

The Spanish colonials became rich and wealthy. They had education, wealth, and resources that the Native people to Mexico did not have. The rich Spaniards dominated the poor native people of Mexico. Who were the rich and who were the poor?

• Rich Spaniards vs. Poor Natives

• Rich Natives vs. Poor Spaniards

• Rich Spaniards vs. the Poor Spaniards

• Rich Natives vs. Poor Natives

Open Ended

Kino, the main character in the novella, lives in a pearl diving and fishing community occupying small brush houses adjacent to the water. His people have very little education, leaving them dependent on oral tradition and their community for guidance and advice. The wealthy Spanish people (descendents of Spanish colonials) , who live in a nearby town, often exploit this inexperience and cheat the natives. They convince the pearl divers that their findings are not valuable, thereby perpetuating their own wealth. They also use a corrupt (dishonest and crooked) church to convince the natives that they are best to stick to their simple lives without dreams of breaking through social barriers, or else they would be rebelling against God and the positions they were born into. What are three negative forces working against Kino and his people?

Open Ended

Knowing what you know about the context of The Pearl, write your prediction about a positive event and a negative event that will happen to Kino. Structure your answer like >>> Kino will..., but....

Draw

Knowing what you know about the context of The Pearl, draw a picture of something negative that could happen to Kino.