“It is the greatest Pearl in he world” (Steinbeck 19). The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, is an intriguing short story about a small family. The poor family consisting of Kino, Juana, and Coyotito live on the small island of La Paz. Coyotito, an infant, was stung by a scorpion, and the doctor does not want to help the poor family. Kino is determined to help his son, so he goes Pearl diving and finds the pearl of the world. He takes the pearl to some appraisers in his town, and he finds out his pearl is essentially worthless. Kino feels cheated so he heads to the capital city. On the journey, he knows he is followed so he carefully hides his family in a cave. At night he tries to attack the men following him, and Coyotito is shot because of this. …show more content…
Not beIn g a hard worker can result in terrible consequences. First, the acquisition of wealth is needed when Coyotito is stung by a scorpion. At first, the family had no money and the doctor treated them as such poor people. The doctor said, “Have I have nothing better to do than cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’? I am a doctor not a veterinary” (Steinbeck 11). If the Indian family had some money, the doctor would have treated Coyotito on the spot. It was not until the family found the pearl did the doctor agree to help. The doctor works hard, and that is how he acquired his wealth. He did not treat the poor because they had no money to pay. That seems unfair that he would not serve the poor, but the doctor seems to justify it. The doctor obtains his wealth by working only with the upper class, so he is able to be payed fairly. Second, when Coyotito is denied service, Kino is determined to work hard to acquire wealth for his family. “Kino, in his pride and youth and strength, could remain down over two minutes without strain, so that he could work deliberately, selecting the largest shells” (Steinbeck 18). Kino was one of the many hard working men on his island. He had to work hard in order to gain some wealth, although it may not be a lot. Kino was not going to give up his dream of finding a pearl, so he could afford the doctor to save his son. His continuous hard work resulted in the pearl of the world, or so Kino thought. Finally, when not working hard, harsh consequences can arise. Kino said, “No one will take our good fortune from us” (Steinbeck 56). Kino said this right after he was attacked. Kino killed the attacker, as a result of self defense. The attacker wanted to take the pearl and gain some wealth, but being greedy and not working hard resulted in harsh consequences for the attacker. This short story continuously shows that working hard is needed to gain wealth
When discussing the theme of greed in “The Pearl,” we can look at opportunities being acts of higher power and thus making those with them seem better than those people that have never received anything like that, or planning something to make yourself seem better than your peers is almost always going to kick you in the rear, as it really did in Kino’s case, and finally we can see how thinking you are better than those around you really makes to look douche-y
Kino in The Pearl creates the theme of greed and power can make one’s downfall. In the book Juana (Kino’s wife) hears evil music with the pearl and fears it will tear apart the family and the village. So she sneaks out in the early morning with it and tries to get rid of it to free her family from evil but gets caught in the action by her husband who goes savage. “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake…”(page 58-59) This shows how greed and power can make one’s downfall because the greed of the pearl and the idea of what riches it could bring to the family and the whole village which makes Kino fill with rage when he sees Juana trying to get rid of
In order to sell his pearl for the highest price possible, Kino was forced to go to the capital. This was due to being cheated by the local pearl buyers. “I have been cheated,” Kino cried fiercely. “My pearl is not for sale here. I will go perhaps even to the capital.” By doing so, Kino wasn’t only risking a long journey, but also putting his family in harm’s
John Steinbeck’s The Pearl follows the story of a Mexican-Indian family who lived in a small village on the coast of the Baja peninsula during the colonial era in Mexico. Kino works tirelessly as a pearl diver to provide for his wife, Juana, and Coyotito, his son. Although he was poor, he and his wife were initially satisfied with their lives. However, Coyotito’s scorpion sting and the discovery of the Pearl of the World opened Kino’s eyes to a much larger world. His simple, peaceful life was marred by the violence and conflict that the pearl brought. The pearl, which incited greed in all who come in contact with it, changed from a symbol of hope to that of chaos and misfortune.
Many people in the world today grow crazy and mad when surrounded by even the slightest bit of wealth and good fortune. Even a strong person who recognizes their priorities can still become corrupt with too much power. There is no better example of a person falling into the path of evil and corruption than in a novel written by John Steinbeck. In the novel The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, the author writes about a poor Indian man named Kino who becomes corrupt from the wealth of a magnificent pearl. Steinbeck uses the motifs of music, light and dark imagery, and values to develop the theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a path of evil and corruption. The reader learns that one
Moreover, John Steinbeck concludes the book with a great message that no matter how poor, no matter how rich, people always have a longing for something more. If in fact someone needs something, there are some consequences that are automatically affiliated with it. Kino, the main character in the novel, needed some great fortune to pay a doctor to cure his newborn son who was just stung by a scorpion. When that fortune came along, misfortune fell upon the family, as Steinbeck states, “All
“Kino awakened in the near dark. The stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale
Christian Balderas English Honors 2 10/24/15 Center 2: Writing “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... Perhaps the fear of a loss of power. ”-John
Some of the famous books John Steinbeck wrote included the books called “OF Mice and Men”, “The Grapes of Wrath”, and “The Pearl”. John Steinbeck is considered America’s greatest author, widely attributed to be part of the American literary canon, is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece. Within the 75 years it has been published it has sold 14 million copies.
In The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, evil transforms certain humble citizens into envious savages. It is this evil which moves the story along and adds drama. It causes the beginning of a happy spirit, but the downfall of goodness and humanity.
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
A town breathes. A town speaks. A town can be happy or a town can be sad. It can also grow old and die. A town is very much like a human being in that regard. It has blood vessels and it has blood. Most importantly is that a town has a heart that makes everything about the town work all in unison. John Steinbeck made a similar comparison in the Pearl saying that the town is like a colonial animal saying that it has shoulders, a head, and feet but, a town is more than that.
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.
For this book report, I have chosen to read the book, “The Pearl”. The book “The Pearl” has a very strong moral and plot. The book is classified under the genres “Fiction”, and “novella”. The book “The Pearl” has a total of 90 pages. John Steinbeck is the author of this book.
In a small fishing village by the name of La Paz, live a simple, content, and calm family. The family consists of a child, Coyotito, and husband and wife, Juana and Kino. Kino is a poor fisherman and pearl diver that is simply working to support his family that he cares for very much. In the novel, Kino eventually acquires a pearl that he hopes will change his life around. As a result, the whole of his village despises Kino. They envy him for the rarity that is the pearl. Kino envisions an education for Coyotito, a rifle, and a marriage in a church, but realistically, the pearl shows death and more morbid outcomes such as Juana being beaten, and Coyotito being ill. Throughout the novel, the pearl noticeably has an impact on Kino's