Comparing The Pearl, American Novel, and Chao Chak Smok,Khmer Novel,.

The feature of The Pearl, and Chao Chak Smok, a man who weaves boxes with the palm leaves of Khmer novel, the authors deny the main characters of both novels, Kino and Chao Chak Smok, to change their role in life or to against fate. Steinbeck and Khmer novels’ hopeless view of their failures and poverty because two of the characters had opportunities to change their fate or role but failed.

 Kino found one of the most valuable and precious pearls in the world and being convinced of its worth was not going to be cheated by only changing his condition of life. Instead he wanted to break the fixed life and role that he and his family had and always would live. Kino refuses the maximum offer of fifteen hundred pesos that would easily ease his and his family’s pain and suffering for the coming months. Kino is then determined to move to the capital to find a fair price. Kino continues determined through the mountains after an attempt at the pearl, his canoe is destroyed and his brush house is fired. Continuing to put his family’s life on, it eventually takes the death of his beloved son Coyotito to make him realize; he needs to stop being so greedy, no matter how hard he tries and to shut his mouth and know his role since then.

 About Chao Chak Smok, he has a dream about having money while he was sitting on the top of the palm tree and weaving Smok, he had many dreams at the same time and thinks that if he makes a lot of Smok, he will sell them to the store and buy a hen. Unfortunately, he fell down. A man, elephant-driver, tries to help him, for Chao Chak Smok promises to serve him if he can save his life. He and the elephant - driver caused other four men died because of their promising to be the servers if these men can save them.  Chao Chak Smok and elephant-driver dropped down together on the net. Unluckily, four bald men are dragged to hit each other's heads and crushed their skulls, and then they died. The end, Chao Chaksmok and the elephant-driver either get nothing or feel remorse for killing these men.

Things that are similar about the two novels and how both of their dreams and each find or meet something that can help their dreams come true, the pearl and Smok. Furthermore, the realizations of their dreams coming to an end are caused by the death of someone who is a part of the dream, Coyotito and four men. In both novels they have everything planned out to their benefit but both plans go completely wrong changing the rest of their lives. Both novels had dreamers and dreams, their intentions were not different. Kino and Chao Chak Smok’s ideas were unrealistic, and whereas Kino and Chaksmok dreamed of instantly going from the bottom to the top. Kino would no longer have to work and his family would be treated like royalty and they would immediately have anything and everything. As he says “We will be married in the church, Juana with a new shawl and skirt, himself in new white clothes, new hat of fine felt with shoes, has a rifle, my son will go to school”. Anyway, Cao Chaksmok also says “When I make a lot of boxes, I will sell them to the store,  I shall buy a hen, then  I will buy a pig..,  I will buy slaves to take care of my children. When my slaves cannot take care of my children, I will hit them."

At the end, these dreams could not have come true for these two men and only caused people to die, Coyotito and four men. Furthermore, the message of these novels there is nothing you can do to change your life, it just happens. These novels represent certain people’s feelings, and human nature will stand out in the end, if you give them something, they want more even affect the other.

The End

 "You need to learn how to live by yourself without parents, child, mom and dad just born you, yet we cannot live with you in the long way, so try to live independently" mom said.

Yes, that's true. Don't be hopeless and try your best to do what you love to do. You do it wrong better than do nothing...

By so and so!

Think back !

To me, I am a poor man, when I was young age 7-9 years old  ( late 2001) in one of the Province between Kompong Chnang and Battambang, Cambodia. I had never kept on it to live in city ( Phnom Penh City). My parents , especially my father very wanted me to live in city ,for he wanted me to keep studying but I always declined him. Studying in countryside , I had thought it was not good thing to me and not necessary. After 2 years , my father passed a way and then my siblings and I lived with my mother ,she could not keep an eye on us anymore ,for she is a farmer and could not earn enough money . when my family had been doing his funeral , my uncle asked for me to live with him and then I thought I couldn't live here( in my hometown). Fair enough, after seventh day of my father funeral I went to city with my aunt  who is my mother's elder sister send me to live with my uncle (my father's elder brother). I didn't know that time why I decided to live with my uncle and I never thought I want to live in City.

In early 2002, I was sent to Chak Angre Primary School, Phnom Penh city, when I had shaved head ,for my father passed a way ( son have to shave of the head). Without knowing friends ,however, I felt very fearful with new friends,teachers,places but in the first day at school maybe 40-50 students who were in class very friendly to me seemed I was their friend. This made my feeling  from fearful to excited.Living with uncle family, I was so afraid because I never lived with him and his three children before. He supported everything ,money , place,material, so on. The first year I lived with them without thinking anything, I slept for long hours a day after came back from school ( grade 3). Just slept and ate ,nothing to do. One day my uncle came back from his workplace and I was sleeping , he said to me why don't you carry your book to read boy ! Don't waste your time for free! I listened him,but I didn't do anything because I myself thought that I was young,so it was not important to me. By spending his money, sometimes I couldn't support my stomach, because it was not enough for my studying, but it was better than I lived at my homeland. When I lived with him and his three children,   I was given a hard time by his children a lots. They blamed me why I didn't help something in the house such washing the dish , cleaning house. I was really angry myself that I did not give them a hand, but since when I decided to do this everyday. Although I tried to do so . Now and  then, they still gave me a hart time ( sometimes I cried alone on my bed at night). Living with them several years , I dared not to do anything whenever I wanted to do what I want . I thought that they wanted me to do that thing either , yet I did not have the guts to tell them for what I wanted ,especially with my studying...( to be continuous)