Reading the pearl gave the reader (i.e., me) a sense of appreciation; not just for the benefits and luxuries that are widely overlooked in the current culture, but for the seemingly simple ways of natives and their lifestyle. It was interesting to let the story engross my mind in the culture of La Paz, discouraging as it was at times. Often times, the average, middle class students of public schools in America forget that every day they are living in luxury. It was insightful to meet a people who, spit on by the more privileged in their town, were genuinely appreciative to rest their heads on mats laid on the hard earth's surface and to wake up each morning covering their mouths from the harmful, polluted air.
However refreshing this thought is, there were certainly aspects of the natives' lives that felt condemning when experienced by the reader. In our culture, children are all generally given the opportunity to succeed and to rise above any initial standpoint. For example, even if a child in modern America were to be raised in an impoverished family, their parents could send them to school, where, if needed, clothes and supplies would almost always be provided. If the child did well, they could eventually get scholarships, then jobs, and then a decent salary. Thus, an individual coming from a home with a total yearly income of about 20,000 dollars could potentially earn a salary of 60,000 dollars or more on their own.
When the current-day American reader feels the restrictions of an uneducated society living without the aid of social programs, they start to perceive the hopelessness that traps the natives of La Paz, despite their peoples'- at least on the surface- tranquil states of mind. The audience starts to get an itch in their brains; the itch every human being experiences when faced with an issue as helpless as this. Their minds desperately scratch at thoughts and schemes of ways to get out- couldn't they just escape? why don't they try to leave?- only to find themselves unsatisfied.
I, personally, am not one to cry during movies or while reading books, but I can't say that I wasn't a little bit disturbed after reading about Kino and his family. Not only was the story filled with evil, misfortune, and greed; but the setting was drenched in tragedy. And the most disconcerting thought is that Kino, Juana, and Coyotito may be real. I tend to push fictional readings away from my mind with a self-assurance that "it's fictional". However, this isn't (sadly) really the case for The Pearl. There are many a culture- while I am living in one where many of my peers have almost unlimited freedoms and advantages- that are just like this depressing cluster of natives in La Paz. They are unfortunate; disrespected; and worst of all, cut-off from all opportunities for better life. And while I wish so much that I could erase the haunting woe of Kino's life from my mind, reading The Pearl is one of those experiences that a kid like me can look back on and think, "life for me isn't half bad."
However refreshing this thought is, there were certainly aspects of the natives' lives that felt condemning when experienced by the reader. In our culture, children are all generally given the opportunity to succeed and to rise above any initial standpoint. For example, even if a child in modern America were to be raised in an impoverished family, their parents could send them to school, where, if needed, clothes and supplies would almost always be provided. If the child did well, they could eventually get scholarships, then jobs, and then a decent salary. Thus, an individual coming from a home with a total yearly income of about 20,000 dollars could potentially earn a salary of 60,000 dollars or more on their own.
When the current-day American reader feels the restrictions of an uneducated society living without the aid of social programs, they start to perceive the hopelessness that traps the natives of La Paz, despite their peoples'- at least on the surface- tranquil states of mind. The audience starts to get an itch in their brains; the itch every human being experiences when faced with an issue as helpless as this. Their minds desperately scratch at thoughts and schemes of ways to get out- couldn't they just escape? why don't they try to leave?- only to find themselves unsatisfied.
I, personally, am not one to cry during movies or while reading books, but I can't say that I wasn't a little bit disturbed after reading about Kino and his family. Not only was the story filled with evil, misfortune, and greed; but the setting was drenched in tragedy. And the most disconcerting thought is that Kino, Juana, and Coyotito may be real. I tend to push fictional readings away from my mind with a self-assurance that "it's fictional". However, this isn't (sadly) really the case for The Pearl. There are many a culture- while I am living in one where many of my peers have almost unlimited freedoms and advantages- that are just like this depressing cluster of natives in La Paz. They are unfortunate; disrespected; and worst of all, cut-off from all opportunities for better life. And while I wish so much that I could erase the haunting woe of Kino's life from my mind, reading The Pearl is one of those experiences that a kid like me can look back on and think, "life for me isn't half bad."
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