The End Is Near Essay, Research Paper

Between the worlds of film and literature are many similarities, the least of

which is the need for ample closure/ conclusion. Any work which doesn’t end

in a satisfying way either leaves the reader wanting more, or leaves the reader

infuriated. Both the film “The Doctor” and the book “The Pearl” by John

Steinbeck have strong endings, fitting to their respective stories. If a story is

meant to teach a lesson, then its ending must be one that the reader or viewer

must remember.

In the story, “The Pearl”, the conclusion brought forth a time of

reckoning, a period for Juana and Kino to re-find what it was that he had

forgotten about. Kino’s obsession with money and greed forces him into an

ill-planned attack. When one of his would-be assailants fires off a final shot

at what he thinks is a coyote, It strikes Coyotito in the head, killing him. If

Kino hadn’t tried attacking the trackers, he may have been killed but his wife

and child would have been spared. This shows to Kino and the reader that

greed and selfishness will get them nowhere. Now Kino and Juana live, but

their family is one smaller, a void which fame and riches can’t fill. “The

Pearl” needed to end in at least one of Kino’s family dying, if not himself, to

get the lesson across, the lesson that material possesions may come and go

with little loss, but if you let a possesion change you, it will take hold of your

life.

“The Doctor” ended in a similar way, but Jack was able to spare his

family, and even improve the relationship between him and his wife. From

the start of the movie, we know that Jack’s relationship with his family is not

so great. When his wife calls their son down to say “hi”