The Pearl novella was written by John Steinbeck. The story is set in a small village called La Paz, Mexico on the coast of the Baja Peninsula. It is set sometime after World War II, late 1940’s. During that time countries were recovering from the war. Nations had to rebuild from the damage. Soldiers were moving back home and getting married and having more children. This was the start of the ‘baby boomer’ era. An anonymous narrator uses third-person omniscient to tell the story. This means that the narrator can tell the story as well as different perspectives of the characters. They will be able to feel what the character is feeling and know what they are thinking. Kino, the protagonist, is caring, and loves his family, his son, …show more content…
One morning Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion. The parents go to local doctor to see if he can help ease the pain for Coyotito. The doctor rejects them because they are natives and cannot pay enough money. The next day they go out in their heirloom canoe to go diving for pearls. Juana prays that Kino will find a large pearl and he does. He goes into town to try and sell it to make some money to buy things for himself and his family. Everything is great until someone tries to steal it and after a second person tries to steal it things went too far. Kino’s temper is getting worse and he strikes. In this story we follow what Kino and his family does to keep their safety. This is a story of hope, greed, evil and grief. When Kino kills a man for trying to steal his pearl is the climax. A major theme of this book is greed. Kino wants to sell the pearl to make money so he can buy things for he and his family. He wants a rifle, a harpoon, for Coyotito to be able to read and be educated, and to be properly married to Juana in a church. The author uses the scorpion, the pearl and Kino’s canoe as symbolism. Some imagery Steinbeck uses is how he describes nature and the songs and music that Kino and his family hear. I would recommend this book. I liked the village that they lived in because it was a fishing community and I once lived in a very small fishing community so that kind of connected with me as if the story could have happened in real
The Pearl relates to post-colonial criticism because the book displays many different cultures and views of the world. Throughout all chapters, there is a distinct separation between the brush huts and stone and plaster city, the doctor’s wants, and the wages. Not just physical appearance, but the brush houses and city are extremely different, as well as the doctor’s greediness, and the way of income done by the poor versus the rich.
After confronting the scorpion, Kino and Juana encounter the doctor- the ultimate embodiment of evil in The Pearl. When the doctor’s servant explains Coyotito’s scorpion bite to the doctor, he claims “I am a doctor, not a veterinary,” and leaves the family, miserably, at his
Throughout John Steinbeck's The Pearl, the stereotypes of Kino and his people are highlighted severely. One of these stereotypes are the role of men and women during that time period. Kino and Juana lived in a patriarchal society where men controlled the community, government, and the church. Kino and Juana were no exception to this standard. Kino and Juana’s relationship finally becomes equal after the difficulties they face ensuing the pearl.
First, Kino’s call to adventure with Coyotito being savagely stung by a scorpion and Kino having to find money for the doctor to pay for Coyotito’s medical treatment, second,Kino’s allies that will be by his side no matter what and lastly the examples of how Kino is truly a tragic hero. In John Steinbeck's novella, The Pearl the text gives many hints and clues that the novel follows the pattern of a Hero's Journey. This essay will cover the 3 main aspects of Kino's Journey which eventually leads to his ultimate sacrifice. My claim is significant and relevant to The Pearl because without the three main aspects to Kino’s Journey, the novel would not be the award winning, captivating book that it
Steinbeck begins the novella by introducing the type of life that was lived by Kino before the discovery of the pearl, and the effect it had not only himself but its effect it had on his family. As Kino watches the ocean he remembers an ancient song from his culture the “Song of the Family” as he remembers this song he takes pleasure in watching his wife do her chores. Kino remembers this moment has a perfect morning like any other mornings. As Kino eats his breakfast he is aware of a scorpion that arrives at Coyotito crib. As the scorpion bit Kino’s son he remembers another ancient song the “Song of Evil”. Steinbeck presents the divides the town in two types - the old natives and the new Christian settlers. Steinbeck uses techniques to distinguish between the native Indians and the more cultured Europeans.
Kino is beginning to realize how at first the pearl seemed to have brought fortune and good to his family, but it really had only brought evil to the family. By the end of the story, Kino and Juana have lost their son, Coyotito, and they wish things were back to the way they were before they found the pearl. Kino then throws the pearl back out into the ocean where he had found it: “And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared” (90). The music disappearing as the pearl sink back into the ocean symbolizes the evil leaving the family: now that the pearl has left, so has the evil. Kino now understands that their “wealth” has brought nothing but evil and has destroyed both himself as well as his family. Not only does Steinbeck use the motif of music to express the theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a path of evil and corruption, but he also uses the motif of light and dark imagery.
Juan Tomas who is Kino’s older brother, warns him about the peculiarity about the unusual events that happen to him due to discovering the pearl. He says “ There is a devil in this pearl. You should have sold it and passed on the devil” (Bender 98). This quote shows Juan his happy for his brother and wants him to be wealthy but he is also nervous about how society and his life will change around him because everyone wants the pearl. He hides Kino and Juana in his house after he finds out Kino had killed someone to protect himself. Apolonia who is Juan’s wife warns Kino as well about the dangers of the pearls discovery. She has four children too and agrees to give Kino and Juana housing if they need it. Those characters are well aware of the strange occurrences that follow the finding of the pearl. Steinbeck has included them in his book to show that greed can come of a situation like as illustrated in the book. Another character the doctor, is represented in the book as selfishness and greed in the society. He does not agree to treat Coyotito after he has been bitten by a scorpion until he finds out Kino has a pearl that is worth great fortune. Most people in the book become close to Kino to be closer to the pearl. This demonstrates the lust for currency, which Steinbeck truly despises. The priest as well tries to get close to Kino in hopes he can receive some money. The trackers and
Throughout the book there are many themes and the one I chose to use was greed. Greed was present in many instances like; the doctor didn't want to help Coyotito because Kino and Juana couldn’t pay him what he wanted. He finally decided to help after he heard that they had found a perfect pearl and he wanted it for himself. The priest wanted it to help repair and make changes for the church. “It came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church”(Steinbeck 34). The pearl buyers also demonstrated greed because they tried telling Kino that it was worth nothing and that it was too big. Kino was a happy and hardworking father until he had found the pearl. The pearl changed him and it turned mean and greedy. When Juana tried throwing it back Kino fought her for the pearl back left her on the beach. Also, the many attackers who tried taking the pearl away from them, which made it to where they were trying to kill Kino, Juana, and Coyotito so they can get the pearl. The biggest symbol that represents greed was the pearl.(Symbolism in the Pearl)
The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, is a story of luck, greed, and jealousy. Unfortunately, all of these characteristics come with a price. The main characters of the story are Kino, Juana, and their baby son Coyotito. Kino and Juana lived ordinary, poor lives until one morning when everything changed.
The short novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck is based on an old folktale and is about a man named Kino, his wife named Juana, their baby named Coyotito, and the struggle they face when Kino finds the pearl of the world. Steinbeck shows that materialism and greed, left unchecked, can lead to immoral behavior through the characters of the town doctor, Kino, and the three attackers. Steinbeck uses the doctor as a symbol to represent the materialism and greed, left unchecked, can lead to immoral behavior. This seen when the town doctor refuses to treat the dying Coyotito. The narrator states, “Have I nothing better to do then cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’?
The pearl's evil infects Kino like a ravaged disease and consumes his mind. He starts off with good intentions, but they become twisted. He wants to sell the pearl and use the money to better his family's lifestyle. He has dreams and goals that each depends on the pearl selling for a good price. Juana sensing the evil and greed coming from Kino attempts to destroy it. Kino beats her unmercifully. "He struck her in the face and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...He hissed at her like a snake and she stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before a butcher." Juana sees through the outer beauty of the pearl and knew it would destroy Kino and herself. Kino's vision from the soul becomes blurred by the possible prosperity the pearl will bring. The evil invades Kino's life as well as everyone he knows and loves.
The Pearl written by John Steinbeck is a parable, a story that teaches a moral lesson. The focus of this novel is on a poor Indian family. The family consists of three members: Kino, a husband, father, and fisherman, Juana, his wife and loving mother; and Coyotito their infant son. This indigent family lives in a small brush hut along the Gulf of Mexico by the town of La Paz. One day Coyotito, is bitten by a scorpion; a scorpion sting can be deadly to a baby. Kino and Juana are very worried over the health of their baby; therefore, they hope to find a pearl worthy enough for the doctor’s payment to the doctor to treat Coyotito. With luck on their side, Kino finds a pearl the size of a seagull’s egg; he calls it “The Pearl of the
There are such a large number of books in the world that we have soon to discover. Books that convey huge numbers of words that makes a remarkable story that can be significant whether we notice it or not. This specific story, The Pearl, ventures readers through this twisted story in a little town in Paz, on the shoreline of the Baja. Kino and, his better half, Juana live on the poor side of this town with their child named Coyotito. They soon found, as they think, the pearl of the world. They trust their lives could become better, however must to their dismay the pearl would convey obliteration and intense
In the novella “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, an improvised pearl diver finds a humungous pearl which is described as a “ sea-gull egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world”(26), which he hopes to buy tranquility and happiness for his family. Instead, he learns that the valuable pearl cannot buy happiness but only destroy his simple life. Throughout this novella there is a constant theme woven through the characters and settings which encompasses the struggle among social classes to become successful and the colonial oppression and ill-treatment against the native Indians. The novelist, John Steinback portrays this motif through Kino, the town doctor, Coyotito, and the town of La Paz.
The book The Pearl takes place in a small fishing village in La Paz, Mexico. The main characters are from an Indian tribe that live on the beach in brush houses, since Spaniards have kicked them out of their homes. There is a poor fisherman named Kino, his wife Juana, and their son Coyotito. One day Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion, but the family cannot support the cost of the treatment, so they go and try to find a pearl to then sell. When looking in the water, Kino finds a magnificent, shiny, big, and beautiful pearl. However, when going to sell it Kino does not like the prices the pearl buyers will buy it for, so he decides he will cross the sea and the mountains to the Capital. I think what drives Kino through the book is a fear of the amount of money he will earn, being cheated with the value of the pearl, and Juana and Coyotito’s safety from attackers/trackers.