The Pearl Quote Analysis

In The Pearl, Kino’s pearl can be seen to represent dreams and the consequences of those dreams. When Kino discovers a large and expensive Pearl, he begins to imagine all of the things he can now afford, and becomes obsessed with obtaining his dreams as shown in The Pearl, “‘This Pearl has become my soul,” said Kino, “If I give it up I shall lose my soul’” (67 Steinbeck) Kino’s hope to become rich, and have a better life took him over, and he could no longer settle for what he previously loved. When people have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, they forget that they were once satisfied in their previous life because they have the opportunity to improve it. Near the end of the book, as Kino had fled from his reality in an attempt to sell his Pearl, “He looked into his Pearl to find his vision… but he saw only a huddled dark body on the ground with shining blood dripping from its throat.” (71 Steinbeck) The pearl provided Kino with the opportunity to pursue his dreams, and because he was unable to throw away the Pearl and settle, he lost his house, his canoe, and his baby son. His hopeless pursuit of his dreams caused him to scorn his once happy life, and return to his home in misery.

In the book The Pearl by John Steinbeck the main character Kino finds a pearl while pearl diving. The pearl could buy Kino and his family the stuff they need, but it also could bring danger. What the author is trying to say is money brings greed then greed brings danger. Such as when kino was beaten up and the people who beat him up burnt his house down in chapter five page 63 “He saw a little glow ahead of him, and then without interval a tall flame leaped up in the dark with a crackling roar, and a tall edifice of fire lighted pathways”(Steineck pg 63).

Kino no longer saw the pearl as “beautiful, rich and warm and lovely” (19), but rather “gray and ulcerous” (89). The melody that was “glowing and gloating and triumphant” (19) was now twisted, “distorted and insane” (89). Because of people imposing their selfish desires on the pearl, it was ugly to Kino. He, through the death of his son, understood that the people of his village had corrupted the pearl with what should have been a beautiful, elegant means for a better future. However, once Kino and Juana threw the pearl back into the gulf, it “settled into the lovely green water…the waving branches of the algae called to it and beckoned to it” (90). The pearl becomes destructive and dangerous when it is entangled with notions of material value. However, it is returned to its original beauty only after it is thrown into the gulf. Kino’s action of throwing it back into the ocean represents him finally rejecting the greed that consumed him.

In the book, The Pearl, there is one main instance where Kino, Juana, and Coyotito gain something and it changes them and their lives throughout the whole book. There are many themes, what the characters gain and how it changes them, how does gaining and losing wealth and power affect people, and how the story compares to today’s society.

“Perhaps a rifle.” ” (Pg. 30). This quote from the book shows how even though Kino is a good, honest, generous man, the pearl was making him want things even though he didn't need them. Like the rifle, the rifle was always known to be a white man's tool, so when he had a taste of wealth, he started seeing all of these things that he didn't need and just wanted in the pearls reflection. Greed touched the doctor and Kino the same way, although they are two very different people with very different personalities and different desires, greed touched them both. Greed touches every character, big and small, in the book The Pearl. The theme greed brings out everyone's true character and shows what they will do to make their hopes and dreams come true.

Being exposed to social classes, greed and the unfair qualities of life has made the real world grow. Because of social classes we are able to balance and achieve more for our societies (and taxes). Kinos town was perfectly balanced until the rumor was in the air of a stir in the social classes. Once the townspeople found out that a person of lower class now has the potential to be one of them or higher, the townspeople were at Kino and Juanas throats to procure their beacon of wealth. Juana and Kino being exposed to envy and greed at such a rapid pace exposed them to paranoia, the loss of their greatest treasure, not being the pearl, and to the reality of not wanting what they thought they needed. Once they lose their precious son, Kino hurls

In The Pearl, society is responsible for Kino's failure because it never gives Kino the chance for an education and discriminates against Kino because of his race.

In the novel, The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, the characters are motivated to do things which reflect on their actions. In the novel we see how the want for power and a better future drives Kino throughout the story. Near the beginning of the novel, Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion, but the doctor refuses to treat him because Kino cannot pay him. This leads Kino to search for a pearl to pay for the expenses. He finds a large pearl which the community calls “The Pearl of the World” which he thinks can help him gain power. In the novel it states, “‘My [Kino’s] son will read and open books, and my son will write and will know writing. And my son will make numbers, and these things will make us free because he will know… This is what the pearl will do,’” (31;

Another example of greed is shown when Juana takes the pearl from Kino to throw back into the sea. Kino realizes what she is doing and goes after her. Just as Juana is about to discard the pearl, Kino grabs her arm and wrenches the pearl from her. He punches her in the face and when she falls on the boulders, he kicks her in the side. The following quote establishes the violence that Kino unleases on his wife in order to protect his precious pearl from harm, due to his greediness of what the pearl will bring to him and his family: “…Rage surged in Kino. He leaped at Juana and wrenched the pearl from her…with clenched fists, struck her in the face…kicked her in the side…Greedy fingers went through his clothes” (58-59).

After fighting battles with himself, Kino began to lose his ability to control himself because he was set on his plan for his family that he once saw in the pearl. “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders and he kicked her in the side.” (Steinbeck 59). Multiple instances have occured since Kino first got the pearl, including two attacks to steal it during the night, as well as thousands of eyes that have stared through him and looked into his soul full of secrets, making him feel scared throughout the day and night, worried that those eyes would turn into attacks on his pearl, which holds the future for his family. After Juana, Kino’s wife had enough jealous stares and greedy attacks, she took the pearl and boldly planned to throw it into the water, for it to drown with the wealth and the struggles attached to it. But, as Kino was constantly aware of everything occurring with the pearl, he didn't care whether it was his wife or a stranger, because he knew he had to attack and prevent the loss of the pearl, especially since he has such a close connection to it. “The pearl has become my soul. If I give it up, I shall lose my soul.” (Steinbeck 67). Kino cannot live without the pearl and as everyday goes by, his connection with the pearl grows stronger, and his

Rather than wanting to do so as an act of kindness, the priest is motivated by Kino’s newfound treasure. He visits Kino and as he discusses the pearl, Kino begins to believe that wealth can fulfill all of his needs. Thus, he grows more attached to the pearl, and holds on to his desires more strongly. When attempting to sell his pearl, Kino’s wishes cause him to reject the low offers of the pearl buyers:

This relates to greed because the beggars wanted to benefit from Kino’s findings. Also once everyone else found out. “All manner of people grew interested in Kino--people with things to sell and people with favors to ask. Kino had found the Pearl of the World. The essence of pearl mixed with the essence of men and curious dark residue was precipitated. Every man suddenly became to Kino’s pearl, and Kino’s pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishees, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so that he became curiously every man's enemy.” This quote means that everyone will be turning against Kino because he has the pearl and the other people want to have it for themselves. This relates to the topic because people are so greedy that they want to have the pearl and don't want Kino to have it. So, everyone is thinking and planning about stealing the pearl for Kino. The townspeople are greedy because they all want the pearl for themselves.

John Steinbeck's purpose in writing the parable The Pearl is to inform readers that receiving a mass amount of wealth without working for it could be a curse. While Kino was looking into the pearl, he noticed, “Evil forces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light of burning” (Steinbeck 89). This shows that the pearl caused evil events such as his house burning down. This matters because it shows how Kino found the pearl with luck and it ended up being a curse for him since his house burned down. As Kino looked into the surface of the pearl, he recognized, “Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away” (Steinbeck 89). This reveals that with the possession of the pearl, misfortunate incidents occur including

All of the village people suddenly sparked an interest in Kino once he discovered the pearl, “people with things to sell and people with favors to ask. Kino had found the Pearl of the World. . . .Every man suddenly became related to Kino's pearl, and Kino's pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so that he became curiously every man's enemy” (Steinbeck 23). The pearl does not result in an immediate change in Kino’s personality, but rather how others view him. The pearl symbolizes hope, a trait that Kino previously possessed, but somewhat lost after the incident involving Coyotito’s illness. Kino’s “eyes and voice [became] hard and cold and a brooding hate was growing in him” (Steinbeck 38). At the beginning of the novel, Kino is very optimistic and positive. Therefore, when this hate begins to consume him, it is very unusual, leading us to believe that the pearl has an influence on Kino.

If anything, the pearl and wealth in general only made Kino and the townspeople more selfish. The stingy doctor for example, was so invested in making a profit, that he didn't even give a second thought about his deceased wife. In the book, it states, "The pictures were religious, even the large tinted photograph of his dead wife, who, if Masses willed and paid for out of her own estate could do it, was in Heaven," (Shmoop Editorial Team). This quote proves that the doctor was too wrapped up in his world full of money that he paid no respects to his wife, especially since he sold most of her belongings to make a quick buck. This also leads to the doctor poisoning Coyotito in order to scam Kino and Juana out of their pearl money when Juana had already cured him. The Pearl states, "She gathered some brown seaweed and made a flat damp poultice of it, and this she applied to the baby's swollen shoulder, which was as good a remedy as any and probably better than the doctor could have done. But the remedy lacked his authority