The Pearl Song Essay

Eventually he goes to sell the pearl to the white men in town, and they try to low-ball him because they think natives stupid and unintelligible. Steinbeck makes this known with highlighting what was important to Kino very shortly after he found the pearl it can also be seen as foreshadowing what will not happen.

Steinbeck uses suspense in “The Pearl” to make scenes more interesting and show how the characters react in their surroundings. The author uses an example of suspense when a scorpion is hanging over Coyotito’s sleeping area. He builds suspense by showing how Kino and Juana react to the conflict that is happening around them. Steinbeck uses description such as “The thorned tail jerked upright” to build tension between Kino, Juana, Coyotito, and the scorpion. The author also uses songs to build suspense in his story. While tension is being built by the scorpion and how Kino is reacting, he adds the “song of evil” which is what Kino is hearing while the problem is occurring around them. This is

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

To begin with, Kino’s songs are a sign of good and evil. In the Pearl, the Song of Evil is described as anything that threatens his family. “In his mind a new song had come, the Song of

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”

Kino is beginning to realize how at first the pearl seemed to have brought fortune and good to his family, but it really had only brought evil to the family. By the end of the story, Kino and Juana have lost their son, Coyotito, and they wish things were back to the way they were before they found the pearl. Kino then throws the pearl back out into the ocean where he had found it: “And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared” (90). The music disappearing as the pearl sink back into the ocean symbolizes the evil leaving the family: now that the pearl has left, so has the evil. Kino now understands that their “wealth” has brought nothing but evil and has destroyed both himself as well as his family. Not only does Steinbeck use the motif of music to express the theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a path of evil and corruption, but he also uses the motif of light and dark imagery.

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

In The Pearl the theme good vs. evil has a big impact on the story because it's very visible to the reader and it affects many people in the story. An example of good vs. evil is shown in this quote, “Kino knelt beside his wife “so the doctor knew,” he said, but he said it for himself as well as his wife, for his mind was hard and suspicious and he was remembering the white powder. Juanna rocked side to side and moaned out the song of the family as though it could ward off danger,” [...] “the music of evil throbbed in his head and nearly drove out Juanna's song.” (Pg. 39). This quote shows that the pearls evilness is clouding the good inside of Kino, it almost blocked out the song of the

I predict that throughout the novel, Kino will feel or hear songs that correspond to his state of mind. In this passage, Steinbeck explains how Kino’s culture explains their emotions through song. Many characters take their customs and beliefs very seriously. In comparison, many people today believe in their own custom and tradition as well.

News of the pearl travels quickly. when kino and juana return home people start to gather around them. kino starts making plans on what he is going to do with the money from the pearl. he tells everyone he is going to get married, going to buy new clothes for his family, buy a rifle and send coyotito to school. the priest comes to say that the church would need the pearl for repairs, juana respects the father’s words but kino was too busy on hearing the song of evil and the song of the pearl. when everyone leaves kino starts to think that everyone has it for the pearl and he is the only thing in their way. later the doctor and his servant come to kino’s home and he offers his services. he tells kino about the poison and he treats coyotito.

In The Pearl the protagonist finds the pearl of the world and is faced with many dangers and adventures after. Throughout the story Kino kept fighting the challenges he faced. He avoided death, escaped burning his burning house and fought and killed trackers to evade capture all in the hopes for a better life for his family. In the first quote it is during the night, Kino feels an evil presence outside their hut. He rushes outside knife in hand only to be jumped by an unknown assailant.

“And to Kino the secret melody of the maybe pearl broke clear and beautiful, rich and warm and lovely, gloating and glowing in triumph.” (Steinbeck 20). This is one of many memorable quotes from John Steinbeck’s classic, The Pearl. While this story is composed of only eighty-seven pages, the author packs the book with more meaning and teaching than many authors have been able to in hundreds. Set in a small village in La Paz, Mexico, the tale deals with many topics, themes, and issues.

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.

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.

In the novella, The Pearl, Kino is faced with many decisions that later impact his life in ways that he could never image. The Pearl tells the tale of a great pearl that could change the life of any man. Kino happened to be this man, but this great pearl caused nothing but havoc and harm to come upon his family. When they were running from all of the trouble the pearl had caused them, Kino’s son died, their hut burned down in the attempt to get away, and Kino had become a man of anger and violence.