'The Song Of The Pearl'

his family. Greed and ambition have not only blinded Kino, but other members of his village as well. Jealous neighbors of Kino resorted to brutality and savagery in hopes of securing the pearl. Kino chose to respond to the attacks against him with more violence, and the

But, as the story progresses and he discovers “the Pearl of the World,” (p22) Kino tries to sell it so that he can rise above his poverty and procure a better life for his son. Kino’s newfound motivation to ameliorate his family 's conditions alienates him from others including his wife. Driven by the new "Song of Evil” (p5) and the "music of the enemy,” (p5) Kino finds himself making extraordinary sacrifices to attain tangible wealth. Juana, because of her strong instincts, senses the evil vibes coming off of the pearl and concludes that it “is like sin” (p38) and that “it will destroy” (p38) them. Kino, however, is oblivious to the pearl’s negative effect as he assumes the pearl to be their “only chance.” (p38)

The novellal, The Pearl, is a story about how Kino’s greed destroys his family, but his wife Juana’s determination holds it together. Shortly after finding it, Juana realized how dangerous the pearl was going to be and tried to get rid of it unsuccessfully. If she had succeeded sh and Kino would have been saved embarrassment and pain. Juana’s support and intelligence keeps the family from complete destruction.

In hopes to save their sick child, parents Juana and Kino rushed into town to see the doctor. All the neighbors heard Coyotito scream in pain which lead them to rush out of their brush houses to see what was wrong. After learning that the baby was stung them all accompanied the family into town. Kino’s brother, Juan Tomas, gave his account of the

At the beginning of the story they both felt content and happy as show in this quote “Sometimes it rose to an aching chord that caught the throat, saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is the Whole.”. They did not even speak because their understanding was so great. But after Kino found the pearl his relationship steadily deteriorates as shown in this quote “"Kino," she said huskily, "I am afraid. A man can be killed. Let us throw the pearl back into the sea." "Hush," he said fiercely. "I am a man. Hush.”. That shows that as time goes by Kino is acting ruder and harshly to Juana all because of the greed the pearl caused. Another example is "This thing is evil," she cried harshly. "This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us," and her voice rose shrilly. "Throw it away, Kino. Let us break it between stones. Let us bury it and forget the place. Let us throw it back into the sea. It has brought evil. Kino, my husband, it will destroy us." And in the firelight her lips and her eyes were alive with her fear. But Kino's face was set, and his mind and his will were set” this quote shows that Juana is becoming increasingly fearful yet Kino is sure this is the way and is willing to do whatever is necessary to become wealthy. This causes a strain between their relation. Finally the worst thing Kino commits is the act of attacked Juana. He is described as a snake hissing at her and hitting her that makes her fall. He even continues to kick her after she has fallen and she accepts it and knows he may even murder her. This shows that Kino has broken all limits of humanity and is being consumed by

Kino was attacked by mean trying to steal the pearl. He killed one of them in self-defense but Juana tells him that does not matter. He will still face consequences from the townspeople once the body is found in the morning.

The song is a motif that emphasizes the reactions of the characters and their surrounding. When the song occurs to a character, the character starts to reflect emotions, thoughts and feeling. In the beginning when Kino hears his wife Juana singing “Sometimes it rose to an aching chord that caught the throat, saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is the whole.” Kino starts to feel her love and warmth. The “Song of the Family was interrupted by the dangerous scorpion, at that time the “Song of Evil”

Although Kino performed many heroic acts, he also acted foolishly in various circumstances. He lives with his wife Juana and his son Coyotito. The novel tells his story when he happens to find a large pearl in the beach that has the capacity to either bring him death or happiness. After finding this big pearl, he believes that this is going to the beginning of a new chapter for him and his family because poverty was eventually going to leave them. His foolishness was first seen when he announced the pearl that he had found making everyone to try to steal it from him. Knowing the worth of the pearl, he should have kept the information to himself and sold it later. After seeing what people were able to do to him because of the pearl, he should have just sold it at the price the buyers said because it eventually led to the death of his son. The buyers only referred to it as a ‘fool’s gold’ and that it was not worth anything. Kino’s greed put his family in danger and caused the death of his only son. Even after he was convinced that the pearl was evil by his wife, he says, "The pearl has become my soul. If I shall give it up, I

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

In the end of the book, Kino and Juana returned to the village, a dead child in their arms and grief in their hearts. Kino finally realized that he needed to give up the pearl that was taking charge of his mind. He thrusted the pearl back into the ocean, burying it in the sand, hopefully forever. Juana and Kino finally made the right decision and fought evil back with good, only his son dying brought him back to the reality that family was more important, that love was better than

“A woman’s loyalty is tested when her man has nothing... A man’s loyalty is tested when he has everything.” This quote therefore describes a relationship, between Juana and Kino in “The Pearl.” In the book, this young couple lived a quaint life in their community village with their baby son, Coyotito. One day, when Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, they turn towards the doctor for medical help, who refuses to treat their son unless they offer money to pay for the treatment.

Kino dives to the very bottom and sees a glimmer coming from an oyster, grabs it, comes up to the boat to open it and finds the pearl of the world. The news that Kino has found an immense pearl travels fast through La Paz. The doctor who refused to treat Coyotito decides to visit Kino. Kino's neighbors begin to feel bitter toward him for his good fortune, but neither Kino nor Juana realize this feeling they have engendered. Kino has no idea what to do with all the new money he has earned, but wants to send Coyotito to school.

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.

He imagined a better life for his family. Despite everything that went wrong, despite people telling him to throw the pearl away, Kino continued to believe in the value and importance of the pearl. Early on Juana tried to convince Kino to get rid of the pearl, “‘This pearl is a sin! It will destroy us,’ and her voice rose shrilly ‘ throw it away.’”(John Steinbeck 38). Kino would have ordinarily taken into consideration his wife’s concerns and this was out of character. While under the spell of the pearl, It didn’t matter to him that Juana had his best interest in mind when she advised him to get rid of the pearl. Even after Kino was attacked, he was unwavering in his conviction in the value of the pearl, “but Kino’s face was set, and his will was set” Kino was given many chances to throw away the pearl, but yet he was stubborn and continued to believe in the pearl even though his world was falling apart and even though he could lose

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.