Steinbecks inspiration was a Mexican folk tale from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, which he had heard in a visit to the formerly pearl-rich region in 1940. The story, first published in 1947, follows a pearl diver, Kino, and explores mans nature as well as greed, defiance of societal norms, and evil. TABLE OF CONTENTS:Chapter 1: 1:29Chapter 2: 24:05Chapter 3: 37:47Chapter 4: 1:13:19 Chapter 5: 1:43:38Chapter 6: 2:00:48Read Here. In this story, a jewel for which the merchant trades everything he owns becomes the metaphor for Heaven. RLF is famous for fostering deep knowledge of various leadership principles through each Forum's book discussions - taking place throughout every 2-day session. The Pearl is a novella by the American author John Steinbeck. Steinbeck wrote that The Pearl is based on his personal convictions, and based the story on the biblical parable of a pearl of great price.