The Pearl Tone Essay – The Doctor
In the novel The Pearl, John Steinbeck uses diction to communicate his
disdain towards the doctor. The author’s choice of words such as “chamber,”
“dressing gown,” “high bed,” and “silver” all build this character into an
indulgent man. However, Steinbeck also uses words like fat, hoarse, flesh, puffy,
and silly to describe a man who is unappealing, repulsive, and gluttonous.
Steinbeck sees this man’s outer ostentatious persona and juxtaposes it with his
inner vacant soul. He is repulsed by the doctor who supposedly has so much and
still is empty.