The Pearl

A pearl is conventionally associated with wealth and prosperity. Like a philosopher’s stone, the pearl is believed to convert sorrows into happiness. Kino, a pearl diver and his wife, Juana, along with their son, Coyotito, are a poverty-stricken family until they discover “the greatest pearl in the world.” (19) With hopes and dreams for themselves and their son’s future, Kino and Juana perceive this pearl to be a resolution for all of their troubles. After finding “the Pearl of the World,” (22) Kino is plagued with vexation. His benevolence and good intentions are soon overcome by his greed. The collective rapacity of Kino and other people precipitates misfortune and violence around Kino. This eventually leads to Coyotito 's death. The

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.

The pearl takes on many different forms throughout the novella, shape-shifting its way into people’s minds. “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” (43-44). This shows that the pearl has turned Kino’s head, he wants more, and he needs more. Wanting more and needing more comes to a price and Kino is about to pay for it. The pearl has become my soul,” said Kino. “If I give it up I shall lose my soul…”(73). The pearl is not an entity or a spirit, it does not tell Kino what he should do. Kino has infatuated himself with the thought of a better life and he has lost control of his own. “And then Kino’s brain cleared from its red concentration and he knew the sound—the keening, moaning, rising hysterical cry from the little cave in the side of the stone mountain, the cry of

”(Steinbeck, 59). Kino acted in such a way to the woman that he had loved more than anything else in the world because of the pearl. The pearl made him so greedy that he cared more about it than his own

Patriarchal values are also evident in The Pearl. The male, in this case, Kino, is the leader of the household. He is dominant, he is the decision-maker, and the family’s welfare rests solely on his shoulders. The female, on the other hand, is submissive, deferent, and nearly always silent. She walks behind him, not beside him as his equal. Recognising the evil of the pearl Juana attempts to throw the pearl back into the Gulf, Kino asserts his power and strikes her, she does not complain — in fact, she accepts his beating of her as proper and justified and even gets up to care for him immediately

In the novella “The Pearl” Kino’s view towards what the pearl could offer him changed throughout the story, altering Kino’s thoughts and means in a malignant way, transforming him from a loving father to a bloodthirsty man. Kino’s addiction towards the pearl cost him to lose himself and get carried away from what he had first in mind, to provide for his family, nonetheless it isn't until the end that Kino finally learns that the pearl was truly evil and all the misfortunes it had cost him, one of them including losing his son, Coyotito. “He looked into its surface and it was gray and ulcerous, like a malignant growth” (89) Accepting the pearl for what it legitimately was, Kino comes to his senses after arriving back home. Deciding to fling the pearl into the sea, Kino lets go of the past of which he had first said was a part of his soul, but now it was only but an object of tragedy and misguidance. Therefore though conviction can sometimes be pleasing, in this case Kino’s faith was put in the wrong

The Pearl in the book was said to be big as a seagull’s egg and is the pearl of the world. The pearl gives the family hope and the song of family is playing loudly when they find the pearl in the ocean. The Pearl also causes Kino to think about getting married and cause him to get greedy about buying other items and objects for his self. Kino tried to sell the pearl and the pearl buyers only offered him a small amount of money, the all knew what the pearl was worth. The value for the pearl causes Kino to fight off attacker and he even hit his wife Juana for trying to toss it into the

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

In the book, “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, the authors shares many themes with the reader such as how greed is a catastrophic force that destroys, the way events can change life in a great unexpected way, and how the way colonial society believed they had a superiority to native people. Kino was content with his life before the pearl, and after he discovers the pearl he wants riches, wealth, status, and a “better” life for his son. The need and want for these materialistic things corrupted Kino’s innocence, and the pearl’s. Kino’s desire and ambition for wealth perverted the pearl’s naturally purity, good luck and natural beauty. Kino’s greed caused him to be violent towards his wife, his son’s death; his son one of the causes of his initial

First, in the beginning of the story, Steinbeck displays and sets up Kino’s initial good-willed desires that soon develops into greed that harms his loved ones. When initially obtained, the pearl that Kino found sparked hope for him and his family, but it soon lured unwanted intruders into his home, scaring Juana, Kino’s wife. As Kino says, “‘Do not speak any more. In the morning we will sell the pearl, and then the evil will be gone, and only the good remain’” to Juana, he dismisses her fear of danger to come on the basis of soon-to-be-false hope (Steinbeck 39). Kino’s initial good intentions make way for the upcoming troubles to come.

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck is the story of a pearl diver, Kino and his family. When going through a hard time. He lives with his wife Juana and his son Coyotito... who unfortunately gets stung by a scorpion within the first five pages. Juana calls for the doctor, who has very particular requirements for his patients namely, that they have lots of cash. Throughout the whole book, the pearl has been symbolizes evil. Also that Kino to be was being driven by greed. Throughout the book it seemed, like the pearl did not only effect him to act greedy. It also made him think about the good outcomes of the pearl. Why? Well because The Pearl also showed the wealthiness Kino was able to have to provide his family to get out the poor area, La Paz, Mexico. But it mainly showed that the destruction of the pearl in Kino's’ life.

Steinbeck gives each one of the main characters an individual reaction to the pearl. He shows the priest, and the priest wants to know if Kino will give some of the money to the church. Then the doctor’s reaction to the pearl is that, the doctor thinks of what the pearl could do for him and how he could spend the pearl on a trip to Paris. The beggars in the novel feel that Kino can be a man who made rich and is often generous and that the beggars may receive some money from Kino. The buyers for the pearls think that the pearl has a great affect on the town and that it becomes everyone’s dream to have the pearl. As the pearl becomes part of everyone in the town’s problem, everyone starts to turn against Kino because of the pearl that he has.

Within the first two chapters, the pearl is looked upon as a gift from the gods, a chance for their wealth and opportunity. One example of the pearl being looked up upon is stated when Kino comes out of the water, after collecting his oysters. “Kino lifted the flesh and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon”(19). This shows that the pearl was beautiful, large, and expensive, meaning that it truly was the “pearl of the world” (21) and would be looked up upon. Another example of the pearl bringing opportunity is shown when Juana checks on her child, Coyotito, after suffering from a scorpion bite. “... he saw that the swelling

The title of the parable we read was The Pearl by John Steinbeck. This parable was about the story of a family and what they go through when they acquire something valuable, when something bad happens to their infant son, and the area they live in and what their life is like. John Steinbeck meant for The Pearl to be a parable, not a story or a novel.

In the novel, The Pearl written by John Steinbeck is a family of three who struggles to seek help for their baby Coyotito. Kino, the protagonist of the novel is in search for a pearl to bring to a doctor to cure their child’s sting. Throughout the novel, Juana, Coyotito’s mom shows many traits as a mother. Three traits that express the most emphasis of Juana are nurturing, determination, and religious.