john steinbeck’s the pearl: a chinese translation with an...

約翰．史坦貝克之《珍珠》：中譯與評介

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl: A Chinese Translation

with an Introduction

指導教授﹕鍾玲教授

Advisor: Professor Chung Ling

研究生﹕高統位

By Kao Tung-wei

國立中山大學外國語文研究所

碩士論文

A Thesis

Submitted to

The Graduate Institute of Foreign Languages and Literature

National Sun Yat-sen University

中華民國九十年六月

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl: A Chinese Translation

with an Introduction

A Thesis

Submitted to

The Graduate Institute of Foreign Languages and Literature

National Sun Yat-sen University

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts

Advisor: Professor Chung Ling

by

Kao Tung-wei

June 2001

Acknowledgement

Among all the people whom I owe my gratitude to, I would like to thank most

of all my advisor, Professor Chung Ling, for her generous support and constant

encouragement. Without her patient corrections and insightful suggestions, the

completion of this thesis would have been impossible. Special thanks go to the

thesis committee members, Professor Yu Kwang-chung and Professor Kao Tien-en,

whose careful reading and perceptive comments help better this thesis.

I am also grateful to Professor Chen Ruey-shan, who recommended The Pearl

to me. Thanks are also due to Shih Yao-hsi, whose proofreading did help a lot, and

Lin Fang-li, who taught me Spanish pronunciation. Finally, I would like to

dedicate this thesis to my parents who love and support me forever.

論文名稱：約翰‧史坦貝克之《珍珠》：中譯與評介

頁數：148 頁

校別組別：國立中山大學外國語文研究所

畢業時間及提要別：八十九學年度第二學期碩士學位論文提要

研究生：高統位指導教授：鍾玲教授

論文提要：

約翰‧史坦貝克［1902–1968］到 1935 年出版《薄餅坪》才獲得文壇地

位，而他的《人鼠之間》［1937］是另一成功之作。當他的代表作《憤怒的葡

萄》在 1940 年獲頒普利茲獎時，他成為最傑出的美國小說家之一。他其他廣

受閱讀的作品包括《小紅馬》［1933］、《製罐巷》［1944］、《珍珠》［1947］、《伊

甸園東》［1952］及《不滿的冬天》［1961］。他在 1962 年獲得諾貝爾文學獎。

在他的作品之中，《珍珠》一直受到英文讀者的喜愛。本論文旨在翻譯該部作

品，並作一評介，希望有助於中文讀者欣賞史坦貝克之敘述才華及對此中篇

小說之了解。

本論文分為評介及譯文兩部分。評介部分之首章簡介史坦貝克的生平及

主要作品，並討論及分析《珍珠》。第二章探討翻譯時所遭遇的問題及解決之

道。第三章是結論。

John Steinbeck’s The Pearl:

A Chinese Translation with an Introduction

An Abstract

John Steinbeck (1902-1968) didn’t reach success until he published Tortilla

Flat in 1935, and his Of Mice and Men (1937) was another success. He achieved

his fame as a great American novelist when his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath

was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. His other works that are widely read

include The Red Pony (1933), Cannery Row (1944), The Pearl (1947), East of

Eden (1952) and The Winter of Our Discontent (1961). He won the Nobel Prize for

Literature in 1962. Of his works, The Pearl has always been a favorite among

English readers. This thesis aims to provide a Chinese translation of The Pearl and

help Chinese readers appreciate Steinbeck’s narrative talent.

The thesis is composed of two parts: the first part gives an introduction in

English to John Steinbeck’s life and works and translation problems I encountered;

the second part is the Chinese translation of The Pearl. The English introduction

part contains three chapters. The first chapter includes an overview of John

Steinbeck’s biography and major works as well as a discussion on The Pearl. The

second chapter is concerned with the problems I encountered during my rendering

the novella into Chinese. The final chapter gives a conclusion.

Table of Contents

Introduction

I. John Steinbeck’s Major Works and The Pearl 1

II. On Translation 27

III. Conclusion 44

Chinese Translation

The Pearl

《珍珠》 46

Notes 141

Works Cited 145

Introduction

Kao 1

I

Steinbeck’s Major Works and The Pearl

In 1902, John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, a scenic, fertile valley in

California. His father ran a flourmill, and his mother was a teacher. After

graduating from Salinas High School, John Steinbeck went to Stanford University

in 1920. Yet he left the university without a degree in 1925. His first novel, Cup of

Gold (1929), about Henry Morgan, the 17th-century pirate, was not a success. In

1930, he married Carol Henning from San Jose, whom he had met in Los Angeles.

The Salinas Valley and California in general provided the background for some of

his works, such as The Pastures of Heaven (1932), To a God Unknown (1933) and

The Red Pony (1933). Steinbeck achieved fame and success with his novel Tortilla

Flat (1935), which is concerned with the poor drifters of Monterey during the

Depression of the 1930s. Tortilla Flat not only won the Gold medal of the

California Commonwealth Club for the year’s best novel but also became a

best-seller. His In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937) and The

Grapes of Wrath (1939) all deal with laboring classes. In Dubious Battle is

concerned with a strike and the predicament of the migrant workers in California’s

farms and orchards, and Of Mice and Men deals with the relationship between two

ranch hands. Steinbeck’s most famous work, The Grapes of Wrath, won the

Kao 2

Pulitzer Prize for the best novel in 1940. The novel depicts the southwestern

American tenant farmers’ long and hard journey to California.

In 1940, Steinbeck made an expedition to the Gulf of California with his

friend Ed Ricketts, and they wrote the journal of the expedition, Sea of Cortez

(1941). The work consists of a scientific record of marine animals near the coast as

well as the daily log of their movements and discussions. In the 1940s, Steinbeck

wrote some works about the war, such as Bombs Away (1942), The Moon is Down

(1942) and Once There Was a War (1958), which was a collection of the articles he

wrote as a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune in 1943. His first

marriage ended in 1942, and one year later, he married a dancer, Gwyndolen

Conger, with whom he had his only two sons, Tom and John. In 1947, The Pearl, a

novella based on a Mexican folk tale, was published. Steinbeck employed

California as the background for his Cannery Row (1945), The Wayward Bus

(1947) and East of Eden (1952). Cannery Row is concerned with the relationship

between the philosopher-scientist, Doc, and the outcasts and wastrels of the Row.

The Wayward Bus deals with a journey of representative types of Americans on a

bus that is driven off the highway by a heavy storm. The Wayward Bus was very

popular and was chosen as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. In 1948,

Steinbeck was elected to the American Academy of Arts. His second marriage

Kao 3

ended in 1948, and he married Elaine Scott, the former wife of film star Zachary

Scott, in 1950. His East of Eden consists of the autobiographical parts about his

family as well as a description of the Salinas Valley. In 1960, Steinbeck wrote The

Winter of Our Discontent, a satirical record of the rich modern American society’s

declining morality. Unlike most of his works, The Winter of Our Discontent is set

in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York, where he has lived since 1943. In 1962,

Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. Steinbeck died in New York

in 1968, and was buried in Salinas, California.

The Pearl is derived from a story John Steinbeck heard on his expedition to

the Gulf of California in 1940. In “My Short Novels,” as John Steinbeck indicates,

“in Mexico I heard a story and made a long jump back to the Tortilla Flat time. I

tried to write it as folklore, to give it that set-aside, raised-up feeling that all folk

stories have. I called it The Pearl” (40). In Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck recounts

the seed story of The Pearl:

An event which happened at La Paz in recent years is typical of such

places. An Indian boy by accident found a pearl of great size, an

unbelievable pearl. He knew its value was so great that he need never

work again. In his one pearl he had the ability to be drunk as long as

he wished, to marry any one of a number of girls, and to make many

Kao 4

more a little happy too. In his great pearl lay salvation, for he could in

advance purchase masses sufficient to pop him out of Purgatory like a

squeezed watermelon seed. In addition he could shift a number of

dead relatives a little nearer to Paradise. He went to La Paz with his

pearl in his hand and his future clear into eternity in his heart. He took

his pearl to a broker and was offered so little that he grew angry, for

he knew he was cheated. Then he carried his pearl to another broker

and was offered the same amount. After a few more visits he came to

know that the brokers were only the many hands of one head and that

he could not sell his pearl for more. He took it to the beach and hid it

under a stone, and that night he was clubbed into unconsciousness and

his clothing was searched. The next night he slept at the house of a

friend and his friend and he were injured and bound and the whole

house searched. Then he went inland to lose his pursuers and he was

waylaid and tortured. But he was very angry now and he knew what

he must do. Hurt as he was he crept back to La Paz in the night and he

skulked like a hunted fox to the beach and took out his pearl from

under the stone. Then he cursed it and threw it as far as he could into

the channel. He was a free man again with his soul in danger and his

Kao 5

food and shelter insecure. And he laughed a great deal about it.

(102-03)

Steinbeck further comments on the seed story, indicating how hard it would

be to believe this is a true story:

This seems to be a true story, but is so much like a parable that it

almost can’t be. This Indian boy is too heroic, too wise. He knows too

much and acts on his knowledge. In every way, he goes contrary to

human direction. The story is probably true, but we don’t believe it; it

is far too reasonable to be true. (103)

John Steinbeck wrote his version of this story as “The Pearl of the World” in

Woman’s Home Companion in 1945. The work was published as The Pearl by

Viking Press in 1947. In The Pearl, he keeps the basic pattern of the seed

story—the discovery of the pearl, the attacks, the flight, the return and the disposal

of the pearl, but he also makes certain changes. As Martha Heasley Cox has

pointed out, “while Steinbeck has based his novella on the ‘true story’ he heard, he

has expanded its meaning, ordered and controlled its action, and focused the

reader’s attention on the aspects of the story he wishes to stress” (111). In The

Pearl, Steinbeck changes the Indian boy into Kino, a maturer man, an Indian pearl

diver who has a wife, Juana, and a baby, Coyotito. Instead of “the ability to be

Kao 6

drunk as long as he wished, to marry any one of a number of girls, and to make

many more a little happy too,” the pearl provides Kino and his family with dreams

of a marriage in the church, new clothes, a new harpoon, a rifle as well as

Coyotito’s education that can terminate the Indian people’s ignorance and

illiteracy and protect them from being cheated in the future. The pearl is finally

thrown back to the sea, too, but it has brought about the conflict between Kino and

Juana, destroyed their canoe and brush house, and caused the death of their baby.

The young Indian boy’s friend becomes Kino’s kind and understanding elder

brother, Juan Tomas. Meanwhile, Steinbeck adds several characters—a greedy

doctor, a snobbish priest, and the observant beggars. Indicating the different ideas

of time in the two versions, Martha Heasley Cox points out that “the original story

has no indication of time limitations; Steinbeck’s version takes five days to lead its

victims from happiness and hope to desolation and despair” (111).

Unlike John Steinbeck’s most works that employ California as the

background, The Pearl is set in La Paz, Mexico. In the second chapter of the

novella, the location of the town, where the story develops, is portrayed: “The

town lay on a broad estuary, its old yellow plastered buildings bugging the beach”

(17). In addition, the location of the Indian brush houses is depicted: “The brush

houses of the fishing people were back from the beach on the right-hand side of

Kao 7

the town, and the canoes were drawn up in front of this area” (18). Although the

town is depicted to be on an estuary, the locations of the town and the brush

houses are not specific. Yet the name of the town is mentioned in the fourth

chapter when Kino is going to sell his great pearl: “Thus, in La Paz, it was known

in the early morning through the whole town that Kino was going to sell his pearl

that day” (43). La Paz is the capital of Mexico’s Baja California Sur, a town

famous for pearling and fishing. La Paz and the Indian village of brush houses

near the town are the locales for The Pearl.

Unlike Steinbeck’s most works, the main characters of The Pearl are Indian

pearl divers in Mexico rather than laborers, migrant farmers, outcasts or

Mexican-Americans in the States. The Pearl is one of Steinbeck’s few works that

deal with the Indians, that is, the natives in Mexico. Charles R. Metzger further

indicates:

John Steinbeck completed twenty volumes of novels, short stories,

plays, motion picture books, and film scripts during the years 1929

to 1962. Half deal in part or altogether with Mexicans of one sort or

another. Of this half only three works treat of native-born Mexicans

living in Mexico, i.e., The Forgotten Village, The Pearl, and Viva

Zapata! Seven deal with Mexican-Americans, i.e., with Mexican-born

Kao 8

immigrants to Upper California, or with California-born natives of

Mexican descent. (141)

Kino, the hero of The Pearl, is an Indian pearl diver and fisherman, and the

heroine is his wife, Juana. The development of the novella centers on Kino, Juana

and their baby, Coyotito. Kino is a representative of the Indian pearl divers and

fishermen who lead a simple and poor life near La Paz. But the Indian pearl divers

are poor because they are exploited and cheated by the Spanish1. As a result, the

Spanish mostly lead a luxurious life while the Indian fishermen a poor and hard

life. Kiyoshi Nakayama points out:

In his Mexican novella Steinbeck reveals the keen economic

antagonism between the poor exploited pearl fishermen (native

Indians) and the rich, greedy, Spanish professionals (the doctor, the

priest, and the pearl brokers). The former live in primitive brush

houses in an isolated community on the fringes of the town; the latter

lead a luxurious life in the stone houses of the wealthier section.

(204)

The exploitation and persecution of the Indian pearl fishermen are revealed when

Kino is afraid and feels humiliated to bring his sick baby to a white doctor: “This

doctor was of a race which for nearly four hundred years had beaten and starved

Kao 9

and robbed and despised Kino’s race, and frightened it too, so that the indigene

came humbly to the door” (13-4). Mexico was Spain’s colony for three hundred

years, from 1519 to 1820, yet Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821.

Indicating the beginning of Spain’s colonization, Daniel Levy and Gabriel Szekely

note that “only a few hundred Spaniards under Hernan Cortes conquered Mexico

in 1519” (22). Indicating the end of Spanish rule, Jacques Lambert states that

“independence was finally won in 1821 and proclaimed by Iturbide, who for a

short time was the emperor of liberated Mexico” (55). Yet Iturbide is also a

Spanish descendant. In Mexico’s colonial period, the Spanish belonged to the

ruling class while the Indian the lowest class. Daniel Levy and Gabriel Szekely

point out:

Certainly most Mexicans were not favorably affected by the

colonization; a rigidly unequal social hierarchy insured that. At the

top were the Spaniards, or peninsulares, followed by criollos, who

were of Spanish descent but born in Mexico, followed much further

down by mestizos, and still further down by the Indian masses. (23)

However, after Mexico’s independence, the Spanish or the Creoles, the Spanish

born in Mexico, still dominated Mexico and took advantage of the native Indian

people. As Lambert has pointed out, “the Creoles’ independence, instead of

Kao 10

starting to decolonize Latin America by freeing the natives, only helped to

subjugate them completely” (57).

The Indian pearl divers portrayed by Steinbeck appear benevolent and

innocent. In the fourth chapter, the innocence and benevolence of the Indian

fishermen are revealed in their discussions about what they would have done if

they had possessed the great pearl:

And one man said that he would give it as a present to the Holy Father

in Rome. Another said that he would buy Masses for the souls of his

family for a thousand years. Another thought he might take the money

and distribute it among the poor of La Paz; and a fourth thought of all

the good things one could do with the money from the pearl, of all the

charities, benefits, of all the rescues one could perform if one had

money. All of the neighbors hoped that sudden wealth would not turn

Kino’s head, would not make a rich man of him, would not graft onto

him the evil limbs of greed and hatred and coldness. (45)

In Steinbeck’s narrative, the Indian fishermen are so innocent and kind that they

always are considerate towards others, as demonstrated by their various wishes to

give a gift to the Pope, do Masses for their family, distribute the money to the poor,

give charities, benefits and rescues. The nature of the Indian fishermen depicted by

Kao 11

Steinbeck appears to be so benign and flawless that it is clear that he sides with the

Indian and speaks for them.

The colonialism portrayed in The Pearl can be explored in terms of Edward

W. Said’s idea about imperialism and colonialism:

At the heart of European culture during the many decades of imperial

expansion lay what could be called an undeterred and unrelenting

Eurocentrism. This accumulated experiences, territories, peoples,

histories; it studied them, classified them, verified them; but above all,

it subordinated them to the culture and indeed the very idea of white

Christian Europe. This cultural process has to be seen if not as the

origin and cause, then at least as the vital, informing, and invigorating

counterpoint to the economic and political machinery that we all

concur stands at the center of imperialism. And it must also be noted

that this Eurocentric culture relentlessly codified and observed

everything about the non-European or presumably peripheral world,

in so thorough and detailed a manner as to leave no item untouched,

no culture unstudied, no people and land unclaimed. All of the

subjugated peoples had it in common that they were considered to be

naturally subservient to a superior, advanced, developed, and morally

Kao 12

mature Europe, whose role in the non-European world was to rule,

instruct, legislate, develop, and at the proper times, to discipline, war

against, and occasionally exterminate non-Europeans. (72)

Because of this Eurocentrism, the Spanish colonizing Mexico must think that the

Indian pearl fishermen in La Paz should be obedient to the superior Spanish, and

the role of the Spanish is to “rule, instruct, legislate, develop, and at the proper

times, to discipline, war against, and occasionally exterminate” the subjugated

Indian people. The following will discuss how Steinbeck in The Pearl presents the

ways the Spanish instruct, discipline, exterminate and rule the Indian.

In the colonial period, the white Spanish exploited the Indian, but after

Mexico’s independence, the Spanish descendants continue to “colonize” these

Indian people by instructing and disciplining them religiously. In The Pearl, the

white priest employs religious ideas to rationalize the Spanish people’s

colonialism. Kino indicates that the priest says bringing the pearls to the capital for

sale is against religion; we all know sale of pearls actually has nothing to do with

religion, and the priest is coercing the Indian into accepting their exploited status

and prohibiting them from selling the pearls in the capital:

I have heard our father tell of it. It was a good idea, but it was against

religion, and the Father made that very clear. The loss of the pearl was

Kao 13

a punishment visited on those who tried to leave their station. And the

Father made it clear that each man and woman is like a soldier sent by

God to guard some part of the castle of the Universe. And some are in

the ramparts and some far deep in the darkness of the walls. But each

one must remain faithful to his post and must not go running about,

else the castle is in danger from the assaults of Hell. (47-48)

The priest uses religious reasoning to persuade the Indian into accepting their

plight and remaining the exploited objects of the white Spanish. Furthermore, he

makes this vicious sermon to the Indian every year to make them internalize it. As

Kiyoshi Nakayama also points out, “in La Paz, perhaps as in any town in Mexico,

social rank was established during the Spanish conquest, and continuing

subjugation was sanctified by religion” (205).

Besides the religious instruction, the Spanish colonize the Indian by

disciplining and even exterminating them. In The Pearl, after Kino refuses to sell

his great pearl at a low price, the Spanish attack Kino, burn his house, and hunt

him because Kino has defied “the whole structure, the whole way of life” (55).

Kino has defied the colonial inequality imposed on the Indian, so the Spanish

would discipline and even exterminate him. In the fourth chapter, after Kino went

out, “Juana heard the little rush, the grunting struggle, the blow” (57). Kino was

Kao 14

attacked, so “blood oozed down from his scalp and there was a long deep cut in

his cheek from ear to chin, a deep, bleeding slash” (57). Because Kino defies

Spanish colonialism, the Spanish discipline him by attacks. In the fifth chapter,

Kino is disciplined again by another attack: “He was swept to his knees and swept

again to the ground” (60). The Spanish further discipline Kino by breaking his

canoe: “He [Kino] came to his canoe. And when the light broke through again he

saw that a great hole had been knocked in the bottom” (63). The Spanish even

discipline Kino by burning down his house: “He [Kino] saw a little glow ahead of

him, and then without interval a tall flame leaped up in the dark with a crackling

roar, and a tall edifice of fire lighted the pathway. Kino broke into a run; it was his

brush house, he knew” (64). The attacks, the breaking of Kino’s canoe and the

burning of his house can all be regarded as the Spaniards’ violent means of

discipline imposed on Kino and his family. It may be inferred that these means of

violence are either performed by some individual Spaniard or arranged by the

Spanish pearl monopolist. When Kino and his family intend to flee, a Spaniard

tries to exterminate them. In the sixth chapter, a Spaniard and two hunters he hires

try to hunt down Kino and his family: “These people from the inland, these

hunters, could follow, could read a broken straw or a little tumbled pile of dust.

Behind them, on a horse, was a dark man, his nose covered with a blanket, and

Kao 15

across his saddle a rifle gleamed in the sun” (74). This Spaniard would use the

rifle to shoot Kino and his family. The role of the Spanish is to discipline or even

exterminate the Indian as long as they defy the Spanish colonialism.

The Spanish rule the Indian by dishonest manipulation. In The Pearl, the

Indian work hard to find the oysters in the sea. But no matter what pearls they find

in the oysters, they can only sell the pearls to the Spanish for little money. The

Spanish pearl dealers together swindle the Indian pearl divers out of their money.

“For there were not many buyers really—there was only one, and he kept these

agents in separate offices to give a semblance of competition” (26). In addition,

the Spanish rule the Indian by weapons. Under the Spanish colonialism, the Indian

fishermen can do nothing but tolerate their exploitation:

The brothers, as they walked along, squinted their eyes a little, as they

and their grandfathers and their great-grandfathers had done for four

hundred years, since first the strangers came with argument and

authority and gunpowder to back up both. And in the four hundred

years Kino’s people had learned only one defense—a slight slitting of

the eyes and a slight tightening of the lips and a retirement. Nothing

could break down this wall, and they could remain whole within the

wall. (48)

Kao 16

Since 1519, the white Spanish have ruled the Indian pearl divers by the use of

guns or rifles. The Indian cannot fight with the Spanish, but they would, on the

surface, accept the Spanish colonialism, and would tolerate and withdraw from the

colonizers. However, deep down, their rage is fermenting.

In The Pearl, Steinbeck presents Spanish colonialism by showing how the

Indian fishermen were suppressed, and becomes a pioneer exploring such a subject

in the 1940s. As Lenthiel H. Downs and Donald Heiney point out, “he [Steinbeck]

admires everything that is not a material success: the have-nots, the misfits, the

racial minorities unjustly deprived of their civil and economic rights, the simple,

the poor, and the oppressed” (104-05). The oppressed Indian pearl fishermen, not

having any material success, represented by Kino and his family in The Pearl,

would naturally attract his admiration. In The Pearl, Steinbeck presents the

materialistic white society in La Paz and the struggle of his hero, Kino, against

materialism. While the materialistic society is represented realistically in the

novella, both the society and Kino’s spiritual struggle can be interpreted

symbolically as follows.

The predatory animals in The Pearl may symbolize the predatory nature of

the materialistic society. At the beginning of the first chapter, the predatory pigs

are portrayed: “The roosters had been crowing for some time, and the early pigs

Kao 17

were already beginning their ceaseless turning of twigs and bits of wood to see

whether anything to eat had been overlooked” (5). The images of pigs can be

interpreted as images of the materialistic society, and the food can be interpreted

as the primitive Indian fishermen that the society ceaselessly seeks to exploit for

financial interests. In the second chapter, the predatory dogs and pigs are depicted:

“On the beach the hungry dogs and the hungry pigs of the town searched endlessly

for any dead fish or sea bird that might have floated in on a rising tide” (17). The

images of the hungry dogs and pigs can be construed as the materialistic society,

again, and the dead fish or sea bird can be interpreted as the suffering Indian pearl

fishermen that the white society endlessly tries to gain benefits out of. In the third

chapter, the predatory great fishes are portrayed: “Out in the estuary a tight woven

school of small fishes glittered and broke water to escape a school of great fishes

that drove in to eat them. And in the houses the people could hear the swish of the

small ones and the bouncing splash of the great ones as the slaughter went on”

(36). The great fishes can be interpreted as the materialistic society, and the small

fishes can be read as the Indian pearl divers. The slaughter can be interpreted as

the exploitation. Thus, these predatory animal images successfully symbolize the

materialistic society. In addition, as Peter Lisca writes, “there is also in The Pearl

Steinbeck’s technique of interrupting the action to insert a passage illustrating

Kao 18

predatory nature as an implicit comment on that action” (229).

The doctor, the priest and the pearl buyers can be construed as the

representatives of the greed and materialism of the white society. The doctor is

very greedy and materialistic and only cares about monetary gain. When Kino

brings his sick baby to the doctor, he only asks: “has he any money?” (15). Kino

offers him all his fortune—“eight small misshapen seed pearls, as ugly and gray as

little ulcers” (16), yet the doctor refuses to treat the baby because these pearls are

“flattened and almost valueless” (16). But as soon as the doctor knows Kino found

a great pearl, he says “He is a client of mine. I am treating his child for a scorpion

sting” (26), thinking of Paris. He immediately visits Kino’s house to see the baby.

Actually, the baby has already recovered. But in order to win Kino’s trust and

cheat him of his money, the doctor gives the baby poisonous white powder in

capsules to make him sick again. As a result, “the baby’s face was flushed and his

throat was working and a little thick drool of saliva issued from his lips. The

spasm of the stomach muscles began, and the baby was very sick” (36-37). In an

hour, the doctor comes again to feign to rescue the baby from the poison: “He

asked for water, and in the cup of it he put three drops of ammonia, and he pried

open the baby’s mouth and poured it down” (37). Afterward, “gradually the

spasms subsided and the baby relaxed under the doctor’s hands” (38). After his

Kao 19

treatment, he asks Kino: “when do you think you can pay this bill?” (38). But he is

more interested in Kino’s great pearl, wondering where it is hid. “He thought Kino

might look toward the place where it was buried” (38-39), so he tried to follow

Kino’s eyes: “He saw Kino’s eyes flick involuntarily to the floor near the side post

of the brush house” (39). It can be inferred that at night the doctor comes himself

or sends someone to look for the pearl near the side post of the brush house

because only the doctor saw Kino’s eyes flick to the side post. Yet Steinbeck

portrays Kino as someone with high intelligence, so Kino thinks it is safer to dig

the pearl up and hide it instead in the dirt floor under his sleeping mat. Kino keeps

alert at night. Then Kino notices the intruder and attacks him, so the intruder runs

away without finding the pearl. The doctor stands for the materialistic society that

only cares about monetary gain, and even aims at the great treasure because of his

unquenchable greed.

A priest should be a spiritual instructor, but in Steinbeck’s portrayal, the priest

is greedy, cares not the Indian but desires donation. The priest appears as another

representative of the materialistic society. As soon as the priest hears the news

about Kino’s discovery of a great pearl, he thinks about “certain repairs necessary

to the church” (25). Kino’s great treasure reminds the priest of the possible

donation for the repairs of the church. He also wonders “whether he had baptized

Kao 20

Kino’s baby, or married him for that matter” (25). If he has, he might have good

reason to ask Kino to donate money. Thus the priest visits Kino’s house right away

to remind Kino of God and the church. Because the priest neither married Kino

and Juana nor baptized their baby, he has to mention the connection between

Kino’s name and that of another priest, telling Kino “thou art named after a great

man—and a great Father of the Church” (31). After seeing Kino’s great pearl, the

priest says “I hope thou wilt remember to give thanks, my son, to Him who has

given thee this treasure, and to pray for guidance in the future” (31). The priest

tries to remind Kino to thank God for his great find. Generally, the priest does not

care about Kino and other poor Indian pearl fishermen; now he suddenly cares

about Kino only because of his great pearl. After knowing that Kino and Juana

plan to be married in the church, the priest says “it is pleasant to see that your first

thoughts are good thoughts. God bless you, my children” (31). In the priest’s eyes,

Kino’s gratitude to God and Kino’s marriage in the church will bring money and

donation to the church. The priest should be a spiritual guide, but the society is so

materialistic that even the priest has become materialistic. In The Pearl, the priest

serves as an ironic sample of the materialistic society.

The pearl buyers are also the representatives of the materialistic society. In

the town, the pearl buyers “waited in their chairs until the pearls came in, and then

Kao 21

they cackled and fought and shouted and threatened until they reached the lowest

price the fisherman would stand” (26). The pearl buyers only intend to squeeze

more money from the pearl fishermen by offering the lowest price. Yet these pearl

buyers are only the agents of an even more avaricious boss. In other words, the

pearl sale industry is monopolized, and the pearl fishermen have no choice but are

exploited by this monopoly. No matter whether the pearl for sale is big or small,

good or bad, the boss of the materialistic pearl buyers is always the winner while

the Indian pearl fishermen are always the losers. That’s why Kino is only offered a

very low price for his great pearl by the pearl buyers: the first buyer only offers

Kino a thousand pesos, saying “this pearl is like fool’s gold. It is too large. Who

would buy it? There is no market for such things. It is a curiosity only” (51). The

second buyer pretends to have no intention to buy Kino’s great pearl, saying “I

will make no offer at all. I do not want it. This is not a pearl—it is a monstrosity”

(53). The third pearl dealer just offers Kino a magnification glass to look at the

pearl’s magnified surface, saying “ better pearls are made of paste. I know these

things. This is soft and chalky, it will lose its color and die in a few months.

Look—” (53). The fourth pearl dealer offers Kino five hundred pesos, saying “one

of my clients likes such things . . . Perhaps I can sell it to my client for six

hundred” (53). Feeling cheated, Kino snatches the pearl and intends to leave.

Kao 22

Immediately, knowing that they have played too hard, one of the pearl buyers says

“I might go to fifteen hundred” (54). But Kino leaves furiously. The pearl buyers

only stand for the rapacious society that exploits the Indian pearl divers. The

dealers unite to cheat Kino, and it can be interpreted that the whole white

community dishonestly manipulates the Indian.

While Kino struggles against this grasping society, his soul might also be

influenced by the materialism. As defined in the dictionary compiled by Steven

Olderr, the pearl is the symbol of “the human soul, innocence, purity . . . wisdom,

wealth . . . salvation” (100). However, Steinbeck gives a dualistic quality to the

pearl: other than a symbol of purity, it can also symbolize pollution and evil. In

The Pearl, the great pearl can also be interpreted as a symbol of Kino’s soul.

Commenting on his relationship with the pearl, Kino says “this pearl has become

my soul. If I give it up, I shall lose my soul” (68). His words reflect the idea that

the pearl symbolizes his soul. Howard Levant further indicates that “he [Kino]

realizes that the pearl is his, a symbol of his daring and strength, to own and to sell,

opposes his rising fear for the future” (193). When Kino first discovers the great

pearl, it looks “perfect as the moon” (24). At this moment, Kino’s soul is also as

perfect, pure and innocent as the pearl because he is an honest and simple pearl

fisherman free from greedy gain. The pearl, being “the Pearl of the World” (26),

Kao 23

can bring Kino a lot of wealth. Thus, Kino begins to imagine the materialistic

future, and he wishes to be married in the church and have new clothes, a new

harpoon and a rifle. His soul is polluted by his vanity as well as the acquisitiveness

associated with the wealth the pearl might bring. As Howard Levant points out,

“Steinbeck indicates the immediate, corrupting influence of ‘the world’ on Kino’s

organic values” (192).

On the other hand, the pearl might bring salvation to Kino, his family and his

race because it can provide Kino’s baby, Coyotito, with an education that will give

them knowledge and set them free. Thus Kino says: “My son will read and open

the books, and my son will write and will know writing. And my son will make

numbers, and these things will make us free because he will know—he will know

and through him we will know” (29). If Kino’s son goes to school, he can save

Kino, Juana and even his people from ignorance imposed by the white society.

Harry Morris further indicates:

Kino’s wants are sophisticated; he sees in the pearl not the objects that

can be bought, but beyond. Coyotito’s education will make the

Indians free, a social, political, and economic sophistication; new

clothes and a church wedding will give Kino and Juana position and

respectability, again a social sophistication; the rifle will give Kino

Kao 24

power, an intellectual sophistication. (155)

Kino is influenced by the materialism of the society, and he works out

sophisticated means to survive in this society.

But Kino’s pure soul is contaminated to a great extent by the cupidity of the

society. After Kino’s brush house is searched and he is attacked, Juana says: “This

thing is evil . . . This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us” (41). Her words can be

interpreted as that in order to pursue and keep the wealth of the pearl, Kino’s soul

is polluted by evil and sin. In the sixth chapter, when Kino looked into the surface

of the great pearl, “it was gray and ulcerous . . . And the pearl was ugly; it was

gray, like a malignant growth” (89). Like the pearl, his soul has deteriorated.

Influenced by the rapacity, he is no longer that Kino with a pure soul. His

materialistic and polluted soul might destroy his own family. He even becomes a

murderer. He kills an attacker. In the fifth chapter, “a dead man in the path and

Kino’s knife, dark bladed beside him” (61) are depicted. Later, Kino even kills the

three tracers: “The great knife swung and crunched hollowly. It bit through neck

and deep into chest, and Kino was a terrible machine now. He grasped the rifle . . .

He whirled and struck the head of the seated man like a melon. The third man

scrabbled away like a crab . . . Kino aimed and fired between the eyes” (86-87).

His soul has become violent and vicious because of his killing, and it does not

Kao 25

undergo transformation or rebirth until his baby, Coyotito, is killed. To protect his

family and the pearl, Kino kills the tracers, but his baby is accidentally shot. After

the baby’s death, Kino and Juana do not flee to the north to sell the pearl any more

although there are no more tracers trying to catch or kill them. Kino and Juana

might have a chance to sell the pearl for a good price in the capital or in a northern

town; on the other hand, they might be swindled there. Instead they return to La

Paz, and Kino throws the pearl back to the sea. The disposal of the pearl signifies

his soul’s catharsis and his return to innocence and purity, and thus he obtains

salvation. He renounces not only the great pearl, which is a great treasure, but also

the symbol of materialism. As Peter Lisca has pointed out, “his [Steinbeck’s] great

accomplishment in The Pearl is that he has been able to give this materialistic

level of meaning an archetypal reference, making of this simple story a parable of

man’s constant spiritual struggle to adjust himself to an essentially materialistic

world” (301). Steinbeck symbolically depicts in this novella humanity’s struggle

against greedy gain.

Evaluating The Pearl, Martin S. Day indicates that “of the numerous later

Steinbeck publications perhaps only the novella, The Pearl (1947), might sustain

his reputation” (481). In my opinion, The Pearl is a great novella because of its

symbolism. The predatory animals, such as pigs, dogs, and great fishes, can

Kao 26

symbolize the covetous white society while “anything to eat,” “dead fish or sea

bird” and “small fishes” can stand for the exploited Indian people. The priest, the

doctor and the pearl dealers together can symbolize the whole white community

that cheats the Indian for monetary gain. Kino’s great pearl can be a multiple

symbol of the soul, innocence, purity, wealth, materialism, evil, violence, salvation

as well as his greatest treasure, Coyotito. The need to cure the bitten Coyotito is

the cause of finding the great pearl. To provide Coyotito with an education is also

Kino’s greatest dream. The death of Coyotito brings catharsis and salvation to

Kino’s soul. The novella is so rich in symbolism that it has been a readers’ favorite

among Steinbeck’s many works.

In the novella, Steinbeck sides with the Indian by portraying the Spanish as

greedy or evil, and the colonized Indian as innocent or good-hearted. Also, in

Steinbeck’s portrayal, Kino alone fights against the whole white community, and

he, valiant and intelligent, becomes a super hero who overcomes every obstacle

the white bring to suppress him except for the accidental shot at his baby. Thus

Steinbeck is a pioneer in advocating the subversion of colonialism.

Kao 27

II

On Translation

Most of John Steinbeck’s works are translated into Chinese, and their

translations are available in libraries or bookstores in Taiwan. For example, The

Grapes of Wrath was translated by Yang Nai-dong (楊耐冬) and published by

Zhi-Wen Publisher (志文出版社) as Fen-Nu-De-Pu- Tao 《憤怒的葡萄》 in 1986;

Of Mice and Men was translated by Tang Xin-mei (湯新楣) and published by

Jin-Feng Publisher (金楓出版社) as Ren-Shu-Zhi-Jian 《人鼠之間》 in 1987; East

of Eden was translated by Qiu Hui-zhang (邱慧璋) and published by Yuan-Jing

Publisher (遠景出版社) as Yi-Dian-Yuan-Dong 《伊甸園東》in 1984. Yet, the

Chinese translation of The Pearl is hardly available although it was translated.1

Since the Chinese translation of The Pearl is out of print and unavailable, it is

worth my rendering. In addition, as Professor Yu Kwang-chung once said in class,

“if a work has not been translated for 20 years, it is worth re-translating.” Before

rendering The Pearl, I found two available editions of this novella: one was

published by Penguin Books in 1993, and the other was published by Bookman

Books in 1947. But in the Bookman Books version, there are some printing errors.

For example, the word “pot” is wrongly printed as “plot” (73); the word “path” is

misprinted as “patch” (102); the word “away” is wrongly printed as “way” (117).

Kao 28

Therefore, I decided to adopt the Penguin Books version as the source text for my

Chinese translation. While translating John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, I encountered

some problems. This chapter aims to explore my general principles of translation,

the major translation problems and how I have tried to solve them.

John Steinbeck adopts a simple, colloquial and unadorned language style in

The Pearl. The first sentence of the novella is a good example: “In the town they

tell the story of the great pearl—how it was found and how it was lost again. They

tell of Kino, the fisherman, and of his wife, Juana, and of the baby, Coyotito” (3).

The language style is neither flowery nor sophisticated. Because John Steinbeck is

a renowned genius in language, it can be inferred that he adopts this simple

language style to portray and represent the simple life and nature of the Indian

pearl divers in La Paz, Mexico. In translating the novella, I practice the basic

principles of fidelity and fluency, trying to render my translation as simple,

colloquial, natural and fluent as its original text. I have tried my best to represent

John Steinbeck’s writing style in The Pearl, faithfully following the original

English syntax, but, meanwhile trying not to distort or westernize my Chinese

sentences. Generally, the basic English syntax is retained as long as it can also be

applied to Chinese sentences, but sometimes it is necessary to partially rewrite or

alter the syntax in order to make my rendering sound natural and fluent as well as

Kao 29

avoid possible westernization. The following are the major problems I

encountered during my rendering as well as the solutions.

One problem I encounter is the trap of English syntax. Influenced by the

English counterpart, the syntax of the Chinese translation might become

westernized. Thus I must pay attention to the differences between English syntax

and Chinese one. Sentence structure with a “until” clause is a conspicuous

example of the syntactic differences. The English word “until” indicates that

something stops at the time mentioned, as well as that something does not happen

before the time mentioned. Generally, the word “until” is literally translated into

“zhi dao” (直到). But when I directly render the word “until” to “zhi dao,” the

rendering of the Chinese sentences might appear clumsy. For example, “He could

not move until the scorpion move, and it felt for the source of the death that was

coming to it” (9). If I literally render it into “ta bu dong, zhi dao xie zi dong, xie zi

ze zheng zai mo suo zhe na ji jiang jiang lin de si wang yuan tou zai he chu” (他

不動，直到蠍子動，蠍子則正在摸索著那即將降臨的死亡源頭在何

處 ), the Chinese sounds awkward and westernized. Thus I use

“deng …cai … ” (等．．．才．．．) expression to deal with the sentence

with a “until” clause, reversing the sentence structure, and my

rendering turns out to be “ta yao deng xie zi dong, ta cai dong, xie zi

Kao 30

ze zheng zai mo suo zhe na ji jiang jiang lin de si wang yuan tou zai he chu” (他

要等蠍子動，他才動，蠍子則正在摸索著那即將降臨的死亡源頭在

何處 ). In other cases, I use “zui hou … zhong yu…” (最後．．．終

於．．． ) expression to render “until,” retaining the original syntax.

For example, “The bubbles rose behind him until the water cleared

and he could see” (20). Instead of its literal rendering “qi pao zai ta

shen hou sheng qi, zhi dao hai shui zhong yu qing che le, ta kan de

jian le” (氣泡在他身後升起，直到海水終於清澈了，他看得見了 ),

which sounds clumsy, I may render it into “qi pao zai ta shen hou

sheng qi, zui hou hai shui zhong yu qing che le, ta kan de jian le”

(氣泡在他身後升起，最後海水終於清澈了，他看得見了 ), which

sounds natural in Chinese. Corresponding to the English word

“until,” there are approximate, idiomatic expressions in Chinese,

such as “deng …cai … ” (等．．．才．．．), “zui hou … zhong yu…”

(最後．．．終於．．． ), and so on.

The sentence structure with a “so that” clause is another

syntactic problem I encounter during my translation. “So that”

indicates “with the aim or result that.” Generally and literally, “so

that” is translated into “yi zhi” (以致 ) or “yi pian” (以便 ). But if I

Kao 31

literally render a sentence with a “so that” clause, the rendering

would sound unnatural in Chinese. For example, the literal

translation of the sentence “Juana laid Coyotito on the blanket, and

she placed her shawl over him so that the hot sun could not shine on

him” (19) would be “huang na ba guo you di duo fang zai mao tan

shang, bing qie ba ta de wei jin gai zai ta shen shang, yi zhi zhuo re

de yang guang bu hui zhao she dao ta le” (璜娜把果優迪多放在毛毯

上，並且把她的圍巾蓋在他身上，以致灼熱的陽光不會照射到他了 ),

but it sounds strange because of the use of “yi zhi” (以致 ). Thus I

use “zhe yang … jiu … ” (這樣．．．就．．．) expression to solve the

problem, and my rendering turns out to be “huang na ba guo you di

duo fang zai mao tan shang, bing qie ba ta de wei jin gai zai ta shen

shang, zhe yang yi lai zhuo re de yang guang jiu bu hui zhao she dao

ta le” (璜娜把果優迪多放在毛毯上，並且把她的圍巾蓋在他身上，

這樣一來灼熱的陽光就不會照射到他了 ). In addition, “yin ci” (因

此 ) may be used to render “so that” because a cause-and-effect

relation is implied. For example, “A town is a thing separate from all

other towns, so that there are no two towns alike” (25). Instead of its

literal rendering “mei yi ge cheng zhen dou yu tian xia qi ta de

Kao 32

cheng zhen jie ran bu tong, yi zhi mei you liang ge cheng zhen shi

xiang si de” (每一個城鎮都與天下其他的城鎮截然不同，以致沒有

兩個城鎮是相似的 ), which appears clumsy because of the use of “yi

zhi,” it may be more properly rendered into “mei yi ge cheng zhen

dou yu tian xia qi ta de cheng zhen jie ran bu tong, yin ci mei you

liang ge cheng zhen shi xiang si de” (每一個城鎮都與天下其他的城

鎮截然不同，因此沒有兩個城鎮是相似的 ).

The passive form is a major difference between English syntax and Chinese

one. The passive voice is extensively employed in English while it is only seldom

employed in Chinese. When we need to retain the English passive voice in

Chinese, we may sometimes use “bei … ” (被．．．) to directly represent the

passive form; however, it cannot be overused. “Bei … ” (被．．．) is an imported

expression influenced by English. Instead I use “gei…” (給．．．) to represent the

passive form of English sentences. For example, “The baby has been stung” (10). I

translate the sentence into “ying er gei zhe dao le” (嬰兒給螫到了 ), instead

of “ying er bei zhe dao le” (嬰兒被螫到了 ), to make my rendering

sound more natural. Furthermore, I may utilize “shou dao … ” (受

到．．． ) or “shou … ” (受．．． ) to retain the passive voice. For

example, “We do know that we are cheated from birth to the

Kao 33

overcharge on our coffins” (55). I render the sentence into “wo men

di que zhi dao wo men cong chu sheng dao jin guan cai jiu yi zhi

shou pian” (我們的確知道我們從出生到進棺材就一直受騙 ),

instead of “wo men di que zhi dao wo men cong chu sheng dao jin

guan cai jiu yi zhi bei pian” (我們的確知道我們從出生到進棺材就

一直被騙 ). In addition, I may change the passive voice into an active voice. For

example, “Because they were disturbed, the oyster shells were tightly closed” (21).

I translate it into “yin wei mu li gei ren jing dong le, jiu ba ke jin jin he qi” (因為

牡蠣給人驚動了，就把殼緊緊合起 ), instead of “yin wei mu li bei jing

dong le, ta men de ke jiu bei jin jin di he qi lai” (因為牡蠣被驚動了，它們的

殼就被緊緊地合起來 ), rendering its second clause in an active voice to solve

the problem.

The idiom or idiomatic expression is another major translation problem.

When an English idiom or expression is translated into Chinese, it is best to use a

similar Chinese expression. An idiom is a group of words combined together to

express a particular meaning. Yet in many cases, one cannot find a corresponding

Chinese idiom, so it has to be adjusted to the Chinese usage. For example, if “look

up” (24) is literally rendered into “wang shang kan” (往上看), it sounds awkward

in Chinese. Thus, I render it into “tai tou kan” (抬頭看), which is a common

Kao 34

Chinese idiom, employing the idea of raising the head to indicate the upward

movement. Similarly, I render “look down” (32) into “di tou kan” (低頭看) ,

which is also a common Chinese expression, rather than “wang xia kan” (往下看).

Meanwhile, utilizing some Chinese idioms or expressions can make the Chinese

translation sound more natural. Take the sentence “A late moth blustered in to find

the fire” (6) as an example. The English word “bluster” in the sentence means “to

behave noisily and aggressively.” Thus I employ the Chinese idiom “xu zhang

sheng shi” (虛張聲勢 ) to render it . Yet, if the sentence is directly rendered

into “yi zhi ye e xu zhang sheng shi jin qu zhao huo” (一隻夜蛾虛張聲勢進

去找火 ), the expression “zhao huo” (找火 ) sounds awkward. Thus I

apply the Chinese expression “fei e pu huo” (飛蛾撲火 ) to the

sentence, and it is translated into “yi zhi ye e xu zhang sheng shi jin qu pu

huo” (一隻夜蛾虛張聲勢進去撲火 ), which sounds more idiomatic in

Chinese. Furthermore, take the sentence “Now the tension which had

been growing in Juana boiled up to the surface and her lips were

thin” (41) for example. Its literal translation “xian zai yi zai huang na

xin li zeng zhang de jing zhang qing xu bao fa chu lai, ta de zui chun

bo bo de” (現在已在璜娜心裡增長的緊張情緒爆發出來，她的嘴唇

薄薄的 ) would bring about a contextual problem, because the second

Kao 35

clause of the translation about the lips does not express the tension

that Juana has experienced. Thus I apply the Chinese idiom “min

zui” (抿嘴 ) meaning “tightly closing the lips” to the second clause,

and I render it into “ta de zui chun min cheng yi xian” (她的嘴唇抿

成一線 ), using “min cheng yi xian” (抿成一線 ) meaning “[the lips]

tightly close to a line” to express her tension and solve this problem.

Sometimes it is necessary to interpolate words or change the original sentence

structure, especially to longer English sentences; otherwise, the rendering would

be either ambiguous or westernized. The following are some examples. In the first

chapter, the pictures in the doctor’s room are portrayed: “The pictures were

religious, even the large tinted photograph of his dead wife, who, if Masses willed

and paid for out of her own estate could do it, was in Heaven” (15). This sentence

would be unclear if plainly rendered into “tu hua dou shi zong jiao de, shen zhi ta

yi gu lao po de zhuo se zhao pian ye shi, ru guo yi zhao ta de yi zhu lai ju ban、

yong ta de yi chan lai zhi fu de mi sa ke yi zuo dao de hua, ta jiu zai tian tang le”

(圖畫都是宗教的，甚至他已故老婆的著色照片也是，如果依照她

的遺囑來舉辦、用她的遺產來支付的彌撒可以做到的話，她就在天

堂了 ). The Chinese syntax can repeat syntactic components more than that of

English can. To make the translation sound more fluent in Chinese, I experiment

Kao 36

with the English original and insert the word “pictures” in the first clause and the

words “are religious, too” in the second clause, turning them into “The pictures

were religious pictures, even the large tinted photograph of his dead wife are

religious, too. ” Basically, Chinese syntax tends to present successive short

clauses or phrases. Thus, I alter the original structure of the third and fourth

clauses, changing them into three clauses. I insert the word “are” in the new third

clause, the words “if Masses” in the new fourth one and the word “she” in the new

fifth one. I turn the original two clauses into “Masses are willed and paid for out

of her own estate; if Masses could do it, she was in Heaven.” To make the

translation sound more colloquial in Chinese, I render “could do it” into “zhen de

you xiao” (真的有效 ), and add “shuo bu ding” (說不定 ) to the beginning

of the last clause to render the subjunctive mood “could do it” in the

original. Thus my translation is shown as follows: “tu hua dou shi zong jiao hua,

shen zhi ta yi gu lao po de zhuo se zhao pian ye you zong jiao feng wei, mi sa shi

yi zhao ta de yi zhu lai ju ban, yong ta de yi chan lai zhi fu, ru guo mi sa zhen de

you xiao, shuo bu ding ta yi jing zai tian tang le” (圖畫都是宗教畫，甚至他

已故老婆的著色照片也有宗教風味，彌撒是依照她的遺囑來舉辦，

用她的遺產來支付，如果彌撒真的有效，說不定她已經在天堂了 ).

In addition, in the second chapter, the fish living near the oyster

Kao 37

bed are thus depicted: “Swarms of fish lived near the bed to live

near the oysters thrown back by the searching men and to nibble at

the shining inner shells” (20). This sentence should not be rendered

plainly into “yu qun zhu zai fan zhi di fu jin, wei le zhu zai gei xun

zhao zhe diu hui de mu li fu jin, wei le yao shi fa liang de nei ke”

(魚群住在繁殖地附近 , 為了住在給尋找者丟回的牡蠣附近，為了

咬食發亮的內殼 ); otherwise, it sounds awkward and equivocal.

Chinese syntax uses less subordinate clause (in this case, the clause

is “給尋找者丟回的牡蠣 ”), but more independent clause. In order to

make the rendering fluent, I have to change the original syntax and

add some words, turning the subordinate clause into an independent

clause: “The searching men threw back the oysters to the oyster bed;

to nibble at the flesh of the shining inner shells, swarms of fish

lived near the bed.” I insert the words “to the oyster bed” in the first

clause and “the flesh of” in the second one. My translation thus turns

out to be “xun zhao zhen zhu de ren ba mu li diu hui mu li fa zhi di,

yu qun wei le yao shi fa liang mu li nei ke de rou, ta men jiu zhu zai

fan zhi di fu jin” (尋找珍珠的人把牡蠣丟回牡蠣繁殖地，魚群為了

咬食發亮牡蠣內殼的肉，它們就住在繁殖地附近 ).

Kao 38

Furthermore, in the third chapter, Kino’s plan is commented on:

“A plan once made and visualized becomes a reality along with other

realities—never to be destroyed but easily to be attacked” (32). This

sentence would be obscure if translated accordingly into “yi dan

ding ding、 cheng xing de ji hua bian cheng xian shi, jiu yu qi ta de

xian shi zai yi qi——bu zai hui shou ren cui hui, dan shi rong yi

shou ren gong ji” (一旦訂定、成形的計畫變成現實，就與其他的現

實在一起 ——不再會受人摧毀，但是容易受人攻擊 ). To directly

translate “along with” into “zai yi qi” (在一起 ) sounds very

awkward. In order to make the first clause clear and idiomatic, I

alter the original clause structure and interpolate the words “was,”

“it”and “like,” changing the first clause into two clauses, turning the

clause into “Once a plan was made and visualized, it becomes a

reality like other realities.” My rendering thus turns out to be “ji hua

yi dan ding ding、yi dan cheng xing, jiu yu qi ta de xian si yi yang, ta

bian cheng xian shi——bu zai hui shou ren cui hui, dan shi rong yi

shou ren gong ji” (計畫一旦訂定、一旦成形，就與其他的現實一

樣，它變成現實 ——不再會受人摧毀，但是容易受人攻擊 ).

Moreover, in the fourth chapter, the interaction between a little

Kao 39

town and its units is depicted:

If every single man and woman, child and baby, acts and

conducts itself in a known pattern and breaks no walls

and differs with no one and experiments in no way and is

not sick and does not endanger the ease and peace of

mind or steady unbroken flow of the town, then that unit

can disappear and never be heard of. (43)

If I translate literally, the rendering would be “ru guo mei yi ge nan

ren、 nu ren、 xiao hai ji ying er dou yong yi zhi de mo shi lai xing

dong ji biao xian zi ji、bu da po bi lei、bu yu zhong bu tong、 jue bu

shi yan、 bu sheng bing、 bu wei ji xin de an yi ji ping jing huo zhen

shang wen ding de、wei zhong duan de yun xing, ran hou na zu cheng

de dan wei hui xiao shi、 zai ye ting bu dao ta de xiao xi” (如果每一

個男人、女人、小孩及嬰兒都用已知的模式來行動及表現自己、不

打破壁壘、不與眾不同、絕不試驗、不生病、不危及心的安逸及平

靜或鎮上穩定的、未中斷的運行 , 然後那組成的單位會消失、再也

聽不到它的消息 ), which would be awkward and nebulous because

the “if” clause sounds too long and complicated in Chinese. To make

the rendering sound more natural in Chinese, I have to reorganize the

Kao 40

original sentence structure and insert the words “in the conditions

below,” turning the long sentence into “In the conditions below ,

that unit can disappear and never be heard of: every single man and

woman, child and baby, acts and conducts itself in a known pattern

and breaks no walls and differs with no one and experiments in no

way and is not sick and does not endanger the ease and peace of

mind or steady unbroken flow of the town.” Thus my rendering turns

out to be “zai yi xia de zhuang kuang xia, na zu cheng de dan wei

hui xiao shi、 zai ye ting bu dao ta de xiao xi： mei yi ge nan ren、 nu

ren、 xiao hai ji ying er dou yong yi zhi de mo shi lai xing dong ji

biao xian zi ji、bu da po bi lei、bu yu zhong bu tong、jue bu shi yan、

bu sheng bing、bu wei ji xin de an yi ji ping jing huo zhen shang wen

ding de、 wei zhong duan de yun xing” (在以下的狀況下，那組成的

單位會消失、再也聽不到它的消息：每一個男人、女人、小孩及嬰

兒都用已知的模式來行動及表現自己、不打破壁壘、不與眾不同、

絕不試驗、不生病、不危及心的安逸及平靜或不危及鎮上穩定的、

未中斷的運行 ).

In addition, in the fourth chapter, Kino’s and Juan Tomas’

squints are portrayed:

Kao 41

The brothers, as they walked along, squinted their eyes a

little, as they and their grandfathers and their

great-grandfathers had done for four hundred years,

since first the strangers came with argument and

authority and gunpowder to back up both. (48)

If I render accordingly, the rendering would be “liang xiong di yi lu

zou qu, wei wei mi zhe yan, xiang si bai nian lai ta men zi ji、 gen ta

men de zu fu、 ceng zu fu zuo guo de na yang, zi cong zui chu yi zu

lai le, dai lai zhu zhang、wei wang、he jie yi zhu wei de huo yao” (兩

兄弟一路走去，微微瞇著眼，像四百年來他們自己、跟他們的祖父、

曾祖父做過的那樣，自從最初異族來了，帶來主張、威望、和藉以

助威的火藥 ), which is ambiguous and clumsy. Since Chinese syntax

tends to repeat its components; in this case, “as . . . had done” would

sound better if the meaning is spelt out, that is, “squinted their

eyes.” That is why “mi zhe yan” (瞇著眼 ) is repeated. To make the

translation sound more fluent in Chinese, I rewrite the sentence and

interpolate the words “squinted their eyes” in the third clause and

“four hundred years ago” in the fourth one, adding another clause

“they have squinted their eyes” at the end of the sentence, turning

Kao 42

the sentence into “As the brothers walked along, they squinted their

eyes a little, as they and their grandfathers and their

great-grandfathers had squinted their eyes for four hundred years;

since four hundred years ago , the strangers came with argument

and authority and gunpowder to back up both, they have squinted

their eyes .” Thus my translation turns out to be “liang xiong di yi lu

zou qu, wei wei mi zhe yan, xiang si bai nian lai ta men zi ji、 gen ta

men de zu fu、ceng zu fu na yang mi zhe yan；zi cong si bai nian qian

yi zu lai le, dai lai yi zu de zhu zhang、wei wang、he jie yi zhu wei de

huo yao, ta men jiu yi zhi na yang mi zhe yan” (兩兄弟一路走去，微

微瞇著眼，像四百年來他們自己、跟他們的祖父、曾祖父那樣瞇著

眼；自從四百年前異族來了，帶來異族的主張、威望、和藉以助威

的火藥，他們就一直那樣瞇著眼 ).

When I translate characters’ names into Chinese, they are rendered according

to their Spanish pronunciation. For example, “ Kino” ﹝′kino﹞is rendered into

“ji nuo” (奇諾) instead of “ke nuo” (克諾), and “Coyotito” ﹝kojo′tito﹞ into

“guo you di duo” (果優迪多). In addition, “Juan Tomas” ﹝hwan ′tomas﹞ is

translated into “huang duo ma shi” (璜．多瑪士), and “Juana” ﹝′hwana﹞ into

“huang na” (璜娜) instead of “zhu an na” (朱安娜). “Apolonia” ﹝apo′lonia﹞

Kao 43

is rendered into “a po luo ni ya” (阿波羅妮雅). Meanwhile, “na” (娜) and “ni ya”

(妮雅) are common Chinese words used for female names, so they can indicate the

gender of the two characters “Juana” and “Apolonia.” In addition, when I translate

the names of the places in Mexico, they according to Wai-Guo-Di-Ming-Yi-Ming

《外國地名譯名》2 are rendered. For example, Nayarit ﹝naja′rit﹞is rendered

into “na ya li te” (納雅里特), and La Paz ﹝la ′paz﹞into “la ba si” (拉巴斯).

Loreto is translated into “luo lei tuo” (羅雷托), and Santa Rosalia ﹝santa ro′

salia﹞into “sheng luo sha li ya” (聖羅沙利亞).

Kao 44

III

Conclusion

Although John Steinbeck is a famous and popular author honored

by the Nobel Prize for literature, his critical reputation has been

controversial. On the one hand, as Harold Bloom frankly points out,

“his best novels came early in his career: In Dubious Battle (1936);

Of Mice and Men (1937); The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Nothing after

that, including East of Eden (1952), bears rereading” (1). On the

other hand, Steinbeck is regarded as “the great political writer of his

time or —our most accomplished social novelist—observer and

recorder of the farm family, the farm worker, and the Great

Depression” (Benson 12). However, it seems that Steinbeck did not

care at all what the critics said, for he said when he received the

Nobel Prize for literature in 1962 that “literature was not

promulgated by a pale and emasculated critical priesthood singing

their litanies in empty churches, nor is it a game for the cloistered

elect, the tin-horn mendicants of low-calorie despair” (690). For him,

his work is for everyone, not only the serious critics. In The Pearl ,

Steinbeck explores the life of the primitive Indian people in La Paz,

Kao 45

Mexico, highlighting the exploitation and colonialism imposed by

the Spanish. His version of the “true story” he heard on his

expedition to the Gulf of California can be interpreted symbolically

as man’s spiritual struggle against materialistic society. As Ralph

Habas has pointed out, “the narrative is of a sort, moreover, that

gives him [Steinbeck] a beautiful chance to express his well-known

sympathy for society’s underdogs and indulge his fondness for

primitive and symbolical characters” (316). The Pearl abounds in

symbols, and the pearl serving as a multiple symbol enables readers

to apply different interpretations to the novella. Commenting on The

Pearl , Martha Heasley Cox writes, “though the omniscient narrator

guides the reader toward an interpretation or, at least, toward several

thematic statements, Steinbeck, in the prefatory comment, invites

every reader to take his own meaning from the story, to read his own

life into it” (123). I agree with Cox, and I have explored several

themes in the novella, such as anti-colonialism, spiritual purity

versus materialistic pollution as well as fatalism. The Chinese

translation of The Pearl is hardly available any more, and I hope that

my rendering and introduction of this novella will invite Chinese

Kao 46

readers to the world Steinbeck creates in his fiction.

Kao 47

《珍珠》

Kao 48

在這鎮上，他們都在講大珍珠的故事 ——講那珍珠如何尋獲又

失落。他們談到漁夫奇諾、他的老婆璜娜、以及嬰兒果優迪多 1。

因為這個故事大家一講再講，所以已深植在每個人的心中。就如同

所有的那些被大家一講再講而長存在人們心中的故事一樣，結果只

有好與壞，黑與白及善與惡，而沒有任何中間地帶。

「如果這個故事是一則寓言，或許每個人可從中自己解讀，讀

到自己的遭遇。不管怎樣，在鎮上，他們說 . . . 」

Kao 49

一

奇諾在近乎黑暗中醒過來。星星仍然發光，白晝已在東方的低

空畫出一抹微光。公雞已啼叫一陣子了，而早起的豬已開始不停地

翻轉樹枝及木片，看看是否還錯過什麼可吃的東西。在柴木屋 2外

的霸王樹叢裡，一群小鳥正吱吱喳喳，拍著翅膀。

奇諾的眼睛張開了，他先注視那變亮的方形 ——那扇門，然後

他注視果優迪多睡覺的吊箱。最後他把頭轉向他的老婆璜娜，在草

蓆上，她躺在他旁邊，她的藍色大頭巾蓋在鼻子及胸口之上，包著

腰背。璜娜的眼睛也張開了。奇諾想不起來他醒來的時候，有那一

次見她的眼睛是合著的。她的黑眼睛變成了反射的小星星。她正注

視著他，每一次他醒來 , 她總是正注視著他。

奇諾聽見海灘上晨浪細微的濺水聲。這很美好 ——奇諾再次閉

眼聽他的音樂。或許他獨自在傾聽，或許他所有的族人都在傾聽。

他的族人曾經非常會編歌，所以凡他們看到、想到、做過或聽到的

一切，都變成了歌曲。那已經是很久以前的事了。那些歌曲流傳了

下來；奇諾都會唱，但是並沒有增加新歌。那並不表示沒有個人的

歌曲。在奇諾的腦裡，現在正有一首歌，清楚且柔和，如果他說得

出來，他會稱為家庭之歌。

他的毛毯蓋在他的鼻子上，這樣他就免受潮濕空氣的侵害。身

Kao 50

邊有沙沙聲，所以他的眼皮眨了一下。那是璜娜起床了，幾乎沒有

聲音。打著堅實的赤腳，她走向果優迪多睡覺的吊箱，彎下腰並說

了一句安慰的話。果優迪多睜眼仰視了一下，就又閉上眼睛睡著了。

璜娜去到柴柴火坑，挖出一塊木炭，搧出火，並且把小灌木

枝折成碎片灑屑在木炭上。

現在奇諾起床了，用毛毯包住他的頭部、鼻子及肩膀。他腳

一伸就穿上涼鞋，出去外面觀看黎明。

在門外，他蹲下，集攏毛毯的兩端包住膝蓋。他看見一片片

的雲在海灣 3的高空紅得像火焰。一隻山羊靠近嗅嗅他，用冰冷的

黃眼睛凝視他。在他後方，璜娜的爐火雄雄昇起，長矛般的火光穿

過柴木屋牆的縫隙，投射一片搖曳的方形光影到門外。一隻夜蛾虛

張聲勢進去撲火。家庭之歌現在從奇諾後方傳來。而家庭之歌的節

奏就是那滾動的石磨，璜娜從石磨中把玉米碾成粉，製成糕餅當早

餐。

破曉現在很快地到來，一片清波，一片紅暈，一片明亮，然

後太陽一昇出海灣，就爆開一片光輝燦爛。奇諾眼睛朝下看，以避

開烈光。他聽得見屋內拍打玉米餅及聞得到烹調板上的濃郁香味。

螞蟻在地上忙碌著，大黑蟻有發亮的身軀，敏捷的小螞蟻是土灰色

的。一隻土灰色的螞蟻拼命地逃離蟻獅 4所挖的沙陷阱，而奇諾一

Kao 51

直以神的超然觀看。一隻膽小瘦弱的狗走近他，只消奇諾一聲輕

喚，狗便蜷伏在地，靈敏地把尾巴捲在兩隻後腳間，並且把下巴輕

巧地放在沙堆上。這是一隻黑狗，在應該是眉毛的部位，有金黃色

的斑點。這個早晨就像其他的早晨一樣，但卻是一個最美好的早晨。

奇諾聽見繩子的咯吱聲，璜娜把果優迪多從吊箱抱出，把他

擦乾淨，用她的圍巾繞一圈兜住他，貼近她的胸口。奇諾不用注視

他們，也可以看到這一切。璜娜輕柔地唱著一首古老的歌，那只有

三個音符，卻有無窮變化的音程。這也是家庭之歌的一部份。這全

是一部份。有時這會升為令人心痛的和音，卡住了喉嚨，說這就是

平安，這就是溫暖，這就是全部。

越過那灌木籬笆是其他柴木屋，煙也從屋裡冒了出來，也有

早餐的聲音，但是那些是別人的歌曲，那些豬是別人的豬，那些老

婆不是璜娜。奇諾年輕又強壯，他的黑髮垂在他褐色的前額上。他

的眼神熱烈、兇猛又明亮，他的鬍子又稀疏又粗糙。他現在把蓋在

鼻子上的毛毯拉下，因為那昏暗的、有害的空氣已消失了，而金黃

的陽光正灑在屋子上。在灌木籬笆的附近，兩隻公雞低下頭，張開

翅膀佯攻彼此，頸部羽毛豎起。這會是一場沒有看頭的打鬥。兩隻

都不是鬥雞。奇諾觀看了一會兒，然後他抬眼望見一群飛翔的野

鴿，牠們正在閃爍微熹中展翅飛向內陸的山丘。現在人人都醒了，

Kao 52

奇諾起身，走進他的柴木屋。

當他穿過門時，璜娜從發出紅光的柴火坑旁站起來。她把果

優迪多放回吊箱裡，然後梳她的黑髮，把頭髮編成兩條辮子，用細

的綠絲帶綁住髮端。奇諾蹲在柴火坑旁，捲一塊熱騰騰的玉米餅，

沾醬吃了。他喝了一點龍舌蘭酒，那就是早餐。他一向都是吃這種

早餐，只有少數例外，像是宗教節日吃的早餐，還有一次驚人的餅

乾大餐，差一點把他給脹死掉。奇諾吃完之後，璜娜回到柴火坑旁，

吃她的早餐。他們只說了一次話，但是如果那純粹只是一種習慣，

就沒有必要說話。奇諾滿足地嘆了一口氣 ——而那就是談話。

陽光使那柴木屋溫暖起來，長長的光線穿過屋子的裂縫。一

條光線落在果優迪多所躺的吊箱上，以及支撐吊箱的繩子上。

一個極輕微的移動吸引他們的目光注意那吊箱。奇諾和璜娜

嚇得僵在原地。一隻蠍子，正沿著從屋頂支柱吊撐那嬰兒箱的繩

子，慢慢向下移動。他 5螫人的尾巴在他後方伸平，但是他能在剎

那間翹起尾巴。

奇諾從他的鼻孔裡發出咻咻的呼吸聲，他張開嘴巴以免發出

聲音。然後吃驚的表情從他的臉上消失了，僵硬從他的身體消失

了。在他的腦裡，一首新歌已到來，邪惡之歌，敵人的音樂，所有

家敵的音樂，一首野蠻、詭異、危險的曲調；在那曲調之下，家庭

Kao 53

之歌只能哀怨地哭泣。

那蠍子順著繩子輕巧地向下移動，移向那箱子。璜娜屏息重

複一種古老的咒語來抵禦這樣的惡魔，接著她更咬緊牙關，喃喃地

頌唸「萬福瑪利亞」。但是奇諾卻採取行動。他的身子靜悄悄地溜

過房間，無聲又平穩。他的雙手在他前方，手掌向下，他的目光射

在那蠍子上。蠍子的下方，躺在吊箱裡的果優迪多笑著，朝著那蠍

子伸出他的手。當奇諾的手快要摸到蠍子的時候，它感受到了危

險。那蠍子停住，尾巴在背後上方聳起，連續輕微地抽搐，尾端的

彎刺閃閃發亮。

奇諾站著完全靜止不動。他聽得見璜娜又低聲念著那古老的

咒語，他也聽得見敵人的邪惡音樂。他要等蠍子動，他才動，蠍子

則正在摸索著那即將降臨的死亡源頭在何處。奇諾的手很慢很穩地

向前移。蠍子帶刺的尾巴直立著，在抽動。就在那一刻，果優迪多

笑著搖動了繩子，蠍子掉了下來。

奇諾的手急伸去抓蠍子，但是蠍子穿過了他的手指，落在嬰

兒的肩膀上，結結實實地刺中嬰兒。然後，奇諾一邊怒吼著，抓住

蠍子，抓在手裡，用雙手把蠍子搓成糊狀。他把蠍子摔在地上，用

拳頭把蠍子撞進泥巴地裡，而果優迪多痛苦地在吊箱裡尖叫著。但

是奇諾仍然又打又踩那敵人，最後敵人只剩碎屑及泥中溼答答的一

Kao 54

片。奇諾露出牙齒，憤怒爆發於他的眼神中，敵人之歌轟隆於耳。

但是現在璜娜抱住那嬰兒了。她找到那刺孔，可是已紅腫開

了。她把嘴唇放在那刺孔上，用力吸，吐掉，再吸，而果優迪多一

直尖叫。

奇諾走來走去；他很無助，他只會礙手礙腳。

嬰兒的尖叫聲召來了鄰居。他們湧出他們的柴木屋 ——奇諾的

哥哥 6璜 ‧ 多瑪士、他的胖老婆阿波羅妮雅、他們的四個小孩擠進

門，擋住了入口，他們身後的其他人試圖往裡面看，還有一個小男

孩在大人們的長腿之間爬行，也想探個究竟。那些在前面的人給後

面的人傳回這句話 ——「蠍子。嬰兒給螫到了。」

璜娜停止吸那刺孔有一會兒了。那小孔稍微擴大了，孔的邊

緣已被吸得發白，但是紅腫已在周圍進一步地擴散，形成硬的淋巴

塊。這些人全都十分熟悉蠍

john steinbeck’s the pearl: a chinese translation with an...

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