Illusive Pictures Of Indians and the Doctor: Orientalism in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl

Abstract

This research studies issues about orientalism in The Pearl by John Steinbeck. The East and West are constructed through the characterizations and behaviors of the Indians and the Doctor. In doing my study, I use Gramscian hegemony and Said’s orientalism. This research is categorized under qualitative type since the data are in the form of sentences or phrases instead of numerical measurement that leads to quantitative type. In this research, there are two kinds of data that are involved in the analysis, namely primary and secondary data. The primary data are quoted from dialogues and narration of John Steinbeck’s The Pearl (1947). Meanwhile, the secondary ones are derived from books, essays, journals, e-sources and articles. The discussion begins with correlating selected data from both primary source in the form of characterizations and behaviors of the Indians and the doctor and secondary sources to orientalism discourse. Edward Said in his Orientalism argues that the orient is created and functioned as a mirror by the west in order to construct a great image of the European (1997: 59). In term of The Pearl, the Indians are depicted as the orient who are backward, poor and uneducated. On the other hand, the doctor is narrated as the occident who is educated, rich and adorable. The discussion leads to a result where Steinbeck carries an ideological interest namely orientalism which is constructed in this work through the Indians and the doctor. Steinbeck who is known as marxist author, apparently couldn’t ignore the fragments of occidental discourse in his collective language. Even, his defensive answers toward racism-based critics of his works can’t silence his unconcious voice.