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The Pearl Research Paper

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What motivates you in life? In John Steinbeck's novella “The Pearl”, the main character, Kino, is motivated by his desire for success. Since Kino is so driven by his ambition to be wealthy and respected by his community, when he finds “the Pearl of the World” it causes him to forget about all the things he really cares about. “The Pearl” demonstrates that both people and fictional characters share many of the same motivators, that cause them to act in positive and negative ways. In this essay, I will review the motives of myself, Kino and Juana; characters from “The Pearl”, and then compare how all of our ambitions are alike.

Kino’s motivation is his desire for success. He wishes to be respected by others, to have everything he ever dreamed of, and to have enough money for all his family’s needs. …show more content…

She is willing to risk her life for her son and her husband, while also respecting Kino’s decisions. Juana is still prone to staying with Kino, even after his behavior causes the death of his own son. Only wanting the best for her family, she is against Kino keeping the pearl, as she starts to notice how he starts to forget about the things that really matter in life. “Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us.” (pg. 56) Juana tries to convince Kino to discard the pearl, but seeing how determined he is to have it, Juana does not fight his decision, as she does not want to lose her husband. “She could not live without a man. Although she might be puzzled by the differences between man and woman, she knew them and accepted them and needed them.”(pg. 60). When Coyotito, Juana and Kino’s son, is stung by a scorpion, Juana tries to suck the poison out of his wound, risking her life in the process. However, “This was Juana’s first baby-this was nearly everything there was in Juana’s world.”(pg. 7) The importance and love for family to Juana is the reason for the way she acts and her

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