SUBALTERNITY IN JOHN STEINBECK’S THE PEARL: A GRAMSCIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The study investigates the idea of subalternity in The Pearl by John Steinbeck using a Gramscian approach. The research is qualitative, exploratory and interpretative, with a hermeneutic textual analysis used to analyze the selected text. The research draws from Antonio Gramsci's concept of subalternity and cultural hegemony as elaborated in his Prison Notebooks to examine how the subaltern groups are silenced and marginalized in a capitalist and colonial context. The analysis shows, that the novella clearly outlines the contrast between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, in which the bourgeoisie is dominant in terms of economy, society, culture and ideology. The doctor, the priest and the pearl dealers are the people of the hegemonic class, and Kino and his community are the people of the subaltern class. The results point to several aspects of being a subaltern, such as unequal access to education, unequal access to healthcare, racial discrimination, social exclusion, and economic deprivation and psychological inferiority. Moreover, the study exemplifies the hegemonic manipulation of institutions and the discourse to perpetuate inequality and keep the marginalized in a state of subservient domination. Kino's resistance and entrapment is a testament to the oppressive system, and in the end, to the limits of subaltern agency. The horrendous final result is a warning of the devastating effects of hegemony. Finally, the study finds that ‘The Pearl' is a potent literary expression of Gramscian subalternity that depicts the oppression of the proletariat at the hands of the bourgeoisie in various aspects of human life.