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The Pearl : Appearances Can Be Deceiving Essay

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John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver who lives in Mexico with his wife, Juana and his baby boy, Coyotito. One day Kino finds a huge pearl worth a great deal of money. Kino dreams of being rich and buying all that he wants after he sells the pearl. The one thing that Kino doesn't realize is that there are many people who will do anything to steal the pearl from him. No one ever suspects the pearl's power todeceive, corrupt, and destroy. Hence, The Pearl depicts the ultimate battle between good and evil.
When Kino finds the pearl he is shocked. " It was as large as a seagull's egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world" (Steinbeck 19).Kino and Juana revel in the …show more content…

For example, the doctor, who just recently learns of Kino's discovery, knowingly gives Coyotito medicine that will make him worse. Kino now owes him double because he has to return to properly cure him. People are already taking advantage of Kino. Again he is taken advantage of when the pearl buyers tell Kino that the pearl is worthless. They are setting him up so they can steal the pearl or get it from him for a low price.
Kino now has to live in fear of being robbed. He now knows that the pearl buyers are after it. While he sleeps a man breaks into his house and tries to steal the pearl. Kino fights him off and ends up killing him. He now is forced to leave town. Juana is starting to realize that the pearl is bad luck and tells Kino to throw it back into the sea. "No" he said. "I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We will have our chance" ( Steinbeck 57).
Kino doesn't realize that the pearl is ruining him until it is too late. "The pearl comes to represent all that is bad in life, all that is, in the eyes of the superstitious peasant unlucky" (Magill 1896). Warren French comments, "Not until he has killed three men, seen his boat destroyed, and his baby killed by his pursuers does he return the pearl to the sea" (128).

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