John Steinbeck Culture

Steinbeck uses suspense in “The Pearl” to make scenes more interesting and show how the characters react in their surroundings. The author uses an example of suspense when a scorpion is hanging over Coyotito’s sleeping area. He builds suspense by showing how Kino and Juana react to the conflict that is happening around them. Steinbeck uses description such as “The thorned tail jerked upright” to build tension between Kino, Juana, Coyotito, and the scorpion. The author also uses songs to build suspense in his story. While tension is being built by the scorpion and how Kino is reacting, he adds the “song of evil” which is what Kino is hearing while the problem is occurring around them. This is

I also liked the way Steinbeck subtlety described Kino’s animalistic behavior He described Kino’s actions like going to higher elevations or drinking from a little pool of water to let

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.

In The Pearl, society is responsible for Kino's failure because it never gives Kino the chance for an education and discriminates against Kino because of his race.

In the novel a musical motifs play an important part in the novel. A musical motif gives Kino true feelings. When the priest arrived the melody of the morning, the Song of Evil came to Kino’s mind that showed the enemy’s sounded. The motif suggests that the hypocrisy of the priest is aware to Kino and that the priest is also an enemy to Kino. That same motif appeared when the doctor came to see Kino. As the news about the pearl came around to everyone around the town, Kino started to feel isolated from his community. The Song of the Family becomes a motif as he takes refuge in the family. The motif is interrupted when the doctor arrived, and at that time Kino starts to feel fear and hatred, when the doctor talks about poison that makes Coyotito

Although while living on meager and unreliable pay, they are shown to be content this is shown in the form of motifs, that is in the shape of a song inside of kino’s head

Even though he drastically changed throughout the book, at first Kino was a very kind and satisfied man. He takes everything he has for granted and doesn’t want anymore than the simple life he is living in his brush house. He is grateful for everything, from the corn cakes to the perfect mornings that greet him everyday. “A thin, timid dog came close, and, at a soft word from Kino, curled up... it was a morning like other

After being chastised by her husband Juana woke up the next morning “...because they were in some way one thing and one purpose, she smiled with him” (40 Steinbeck). Because of Juana’s love and loyalty to her husband she forgot and forgave the night events. “…one thing and one purpose” refers to Juana and Kino being linked in her mind and enforces her sense of loyalty of him because they are bound. Juan in chapter 5 takes the pearl and plans to throw it into the sea because of all the trouble the stone has caused her family. Once again Juana was attempting to protect and care for her family. Kino discovered what Juana was planning to do and “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side”. Kino beat her and yet she cared for Kino after being attacked for the second time “she went to Kino and sponge his face with her skirt” she cares for her husband even after he beats her. Juana’s loyalty to her husband over shadows her pain and

There are five evidences of this lesson. The first example is when the doctor refuses to treat Kino’s baby son, Coyotito, after a scorpion stung him (12). He does this because Kino did not have enough money or anything valuable to pay for the treatment. His greedy action leads Kino to go pearl diving for payment.

Early in The Pearl Kino talks of the music he hears playing background to his life. The Song of the Family, in which he hears when watching his wife Juana in the mornings just as the sun peeks over the mountains, “And last he turned his head to Juana, his wife, who lay

This is best illustrated through Kino’s devolution into the primitive sides of the human personality as he slowly discovers the self- defeating nature of greed. This is best shown through the symbol of the pearl itself with the symbolism shifting in accordance to Kino’s discovery of the toxic nature of greed. The pearl is initially seen as a representation of divine providence; called “the pearl of the world’ as an allusion to the biblical parable of the pearl of great cost. Yet as the novella progresses, the Song of the Pearl, which is initially heard to be ‘sweet and secret’, becomes accompanied by The Song of Evil. The songs act as a motif of Kino’s morality and the change parallels Kino’s growing awareness of darkness and greed, which culminated in the murder and the death of his own son. Furthermore, the physical darkening in the novella is mirrored psychologically in Kino’s own fear and uncertainty. It is only by ridding themselves of the pearl that Kino and Juana can reclaim the light that was lost to ‘the darkness’ which accompanied the pearl as symbolized by “the lights on the surface” of the water where the pearl sinks. Hence the discovery of the nature of greed and the darker aspects of humanity can also result in a new

The music in the story represents Kino’s emotions. The music changes with the events of the story. For example, he listens to the music of family when he wakes up and finds his wife and son happy which makes him feel loved and satisfied. The music of the enemy burns into Kino’s ears when a source of danger is near him such as the doctor

The music in Kino?s head represents his conscience in the real world. It warns him of bad by the Song of Evil, it makes him feel good by the Song of the Family, and the Song of the Pearl reminds him of all the things the pearl brought him. In the end, the irony of the story is that even a good person can be lead off course by his feeling of inner responsibility to provide for his family. Kino?s actions are being motivated to raise Coyotito in greatness, which eventually leads to the death of Coyotito (Kino?s greatest loss). Many desires in life can lead to disaster.

Kino, a pearl diver, along his with wife, Juana, and son, Coyotito, live a happy life in La Paz and are part of the Song of the Family, which represents the good things in life. But on one morning however, Coyotito gets stung and poisoned by a scorpion and thus the Song of Evil appears. To get their peace back Kino and Juana seek the help of a doctor, but the doctor refuses because he is greedy. Juana and Kino then go to the sea to find a pearl in hopes

Every person in this novella holds a special meaning to the story. Juana, Kino’s young Wife, fits all the characteristics a perfect mother and wife should have. Juana knows when Kino is okay and when he is hurting and needs help. Juana stands strong through the bad times, even when all she wants to do is break down and cry. Juana was right all along about the pearl being evil. She is a smart, willing, simple woman that possesses faith in divine powers. Juana is loyal to Kino and will do anything for her family’s safety. Coyotito