CRUEL OPTIMISM IN JOHN STEINBECK’S THE PEARL
Keywords:
cruel optimism, domestic conflict, social alienation, obsessionAbstract
This study discusses the impacts of cruel optimism portrayed in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. This is qualitative research with the novel as the primary data source. Supporting data are obtained from books, scholarly journals, articles, and websites. Data are collected through intensive reading and note-taking of relevant parts of the text related to the research focus. The data are then classified and analyzed using Berlant's concept of cruel optimism and Wellek and Warren's sociology of literature. This study focuses on three main impacts of cruel optimism, i.e., domestic conflict, social alienation, and obsession. These impacts are shown through the character Kino who becomes excessively attached to the pearl because he views it as the only opportunity to escape poverty and achieve a better future. This attachment gradually leads to conflict within his family, alienation from his community and social life, and obsession that characterized by paranoia and destructive actions. The findings reveal that excessive attachment to an object believed to bring hope, happiness, wealth, and social mobility becomes a source of conflict, isolation, and emotional suffering even death. Inconclusion, Steinbeck in the novel vividly reflects the condition of contemporary society who remain attached to unrealistic hope and instant solutions in pursuit of a better life despite their harmful consequences.References
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