The Red Pony Coming Of Age Essay

One of the first times the pearl brings evil to Kino is when Kino has just killed a man and says it was self-defense. He wants to keep the pearl for himself and his family, ignoring the danger and harm it has brought him and his family. When Kino is in his hut with Juana, she tries to convince him the pearl is evil. "Kino, this pearl is evil.

his family. Greed and ambition have not only blinded Kino, but other members of his village as well. Jealous neighbors of Kino resorted to brutality and savagery in hopes of securing the pearl. Kino chose to respond to the attacks against him with more violence, and the

     Childhood is a time where children learn about the world around themselves. They see and experience many factors that influence their everyday lives, which help them grow stronger when they become adults. In 'Girl'; by Jamaica Kincaid and 'The Lesson'; by Toni Cade Bambara the characters within the stories learn valuable lesson with help them grow to become better individuals. In 'The Lesson'; the character of Sugar undergoes a realization that society does not treat everyone equally, that not every individual has the same opportunity and equality that they should have. In 'Girl'; the main character learns that she must be perceived as a woman and not as a slut, her mother brings to her

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

Jody was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to raise and train his very own pony. He makes a connection with Gabilan and grows to care for him. Unfortunately, Gabilan becomes sick in the cold one day. Jody and the ranch hand, Billy Buck attempt to nurse him back to health, but their futile attempts are no match for the harshness of nature, and Gabilan eventually runs off to die. Jody goes looking for Gabilan and sees in the distance “his legs moving slowly and convulsively. And in a circle around him stood the buzzards, waiting for the moment of death they know so well...The first buzzard sat on the pony’s head and its beak had just risen dripping with dark eye fluid” (35). Having someone/something you care for die in a morbid matter is a sad experience, but discovering Gabilan in a bloody, gruesome way like this is a once in a lifetime experience that would change anyone, especially a ten year old boy. Another mind-altering reality that Jody witnesses is when he witnesses life and death at the same time. There is a pregnant horse about to give birth on the ranch. Jody is specifically excited because once Nellie gives birth, the colt will be his to raise, but while experiencing the miracle of life, things take a sharp, unpleasant turn because the newborn colt is awkwardly positioned inside its mother, forcing Jody to witness “the hammer rise and fall again on the flat forehead. Then Nellie fell heavily to her side and quivered for a moment” (74). Billy then takes his pocket-knife and drives it into the stomach of Nellie to discharge the colt. Very few people are exposed to something like this, so it is clearly an event that changes Jody, further establishing that he is a dynamic character. Another representation of the barbarity on the farm is when Jody talks about killing the livestock in such a casual matter. He thinks that “pig killing is fascinating, with the

The difference between Kino at the beginning of The Pearl and the ending is the amount of happiness Kino has. In The pearl on page 89 John Steinbeck states " And in the surface of the pearl he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away." At the beginning of the story all Kino had was happiness because he would finally be able to give his son the life he deserved with the fortune that he would obtain from selling the pearl.

I believe that is because Kino thinks that the pearl is worth a lot of money. Therefore, even if Kino had an evil feeling and bad things were happening to him, he still kept moving forward. For example, Steinbeck quotes: “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.” (Steinbeck, 59). This quote is related to my thesis statement because Kino is trying to stop Juana from throwing the pearl away in order to move

At the beginning of the story they both felt content and happy as show in this quote “Sometimes it rose to an aching chord that caught the throat, saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is the Whole.”. They did not even speak because their understanding was so great. But after Kino found the pearl his relationship steadily deteriorates as shown in this quote “"Kino," she said huskily, "I am afraid. A man can be killed. Let us throw the pearl back into the sea." "Hush," he said fiercely. "I am a man. Hush.”. That shows that as time goes by Kino is acting ruder and harshly to Juana all because of the greed the pearl caused. Another example is "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. But Kino's face was set, and his mind and his will were set” this quote shows that Juana is becoming increasingly fearful yet Kino is sure this is the way and is willing to do whatever is necessary to become wealthy. This causes a strain between their relation. Finally the worst thing Kino commits is the act of attacked Juana. He is described as a snake hissing at her and hitting her that makes her fall. He even continues to kick her after she has fallen and she accepts it and knows he may even murder her. This shows that Kino has broken all limits of humanity and is being consumed by

“Kino could see Juana in a shawl, stiff with newness and a new skirt, he could see himself dressed in new white clothes with a new hat, holding a new harpoon better than the one he had previously broken. He could see Coyotito, he wore a blue sailor suit from the United States and a little yachting cap, these are all things he wanted, that he could now have.” Kino states everything he wants and can now get in life which makes him more arrogant, leading him on a path of destruction. This also gives Kino something to look back on after it's too late. “In the moonlight he could see the frantic, frightened eyes, and Kino aimed and fired between the eyes. Suddenly he heard the keening, moaning, rising hysterical cry from the little cave in the side of the stone mountain, the cry of death. He hastily scaled the mountain and entered the cave to bear the sight of a small limp heavy bundle. The shawl was dried with blood, and the bundle swayed a little swayed a little as it was held.” Kino has sacrificed the one thing he cares most in the world about for a simple pearl which again proves the point that Kino is truly a tragic hero. Kino believes that if he can come out safely with both his family and the pearl intact that he can live happily ever after, but with the pearl comes evil and death. Later in the novel when Kino is forced to choose between his family and

Kino was attacked by mean trying to steal the pearl. He killed one of them in self-defense but Juana tells him that does not matter. He will still face consequences from the townspeople once the body is found in the morning.

Jody becomes very attached to the pony and very protective. One day the pony gets wet in the rain, becomes very sick and dies. Jody is crushed and blames Billy Buck. The death of the pony makes Jody believe that he should not really trust anyone completely. It also teaches him the pain of loss. The second chapter tells the story of Gitano, an old man who has returned to the ranch to die where he was born. He leaves to go into the mountains and takes Easter, an old horse that is also close to death. Jody is sad to lose a friend and sad that Gitano has left to die alone. In the third chapter, Jody is given a second chance at a pony when Nellie the mare becomes pregnant and he gets to tend to her. Billy Buck, trying to win back Jody's trust, spends time with Jody and shows him how to care for Nellie. However, Billy Buck has to kill Nellie during delivery because the colt is in the wrong position. Jody seems to blame himself for Nellie’s death because he wanted another colt so badly. In the final chapter Jody’s grandfather comes for a visit. Jody loves to listen to his grandfather’s stories of the old west; however Carl Tiflin is tired of his stories and loudly complains one morning. Jody’s grandfather overhears and feels badly and is very hurt. Jody feels compassion for his Grandfather and willingly gives up doing what he would like in order to spend time with him.

However, two vibrant changes occur as the story progresses —Coyotito, his son, getting stung by a scorpion and Kino’s discovery of the pearl—broaden Kino’s horizons and outlook on the world. As Kino begins to strive for wealth and education for his son, the simplicity of his life becomes increasingly complicated by greed, conflict, and violence. Kino’s character then falls through a gradual decline from a state of innocence to a state of corruption and disillusionment. The factors promoting this decline are ambition and greed. Thus, when going got tough for Kinoo and he had to escape town he faced a lot of hardships, since he had to go into hiding and the only immediate help he had was from his brother. This had an adverse effect on his personality as he became increasingly negative, given the way he hit his wife shows how the pearl preoccupied his mind to such a great extent that he grew indifferent to everything else as evil and restlessness eloped him. In addition to these social changes, Kinoo, after attaining the pearl was on the move to gain economic sustenance, but not being able to find the right price to sell his pearl got him feeling even more uncertain and disappointed but he continued to strive and was reluctant to give up because he wanted everything in his reach for his son, who he consequently ended up losing in the

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.

He imagined a better life for his family. Despite everything that went wrong, despite people telling him to throw the pearl away, Kino continued to believe in the value and importance of the pearl. Early on Juana tried to convince Kino to get rid of the pearl, “‘This pearl is a sin! It will destroy us,’ and her voice rose shrilly ‘ throw it away.’”(John Steinbeck 38). Kino would have ordinarily taken into consideration his wife’s concerns and this was out of character. While under the spell of the pearl, It didn’t matter to him that Juana had his best interest in mind when she advised him to get rid of the pearl. Even after Kino was attacked, he was unwavering in his conviction in the value of the pearl, “but Kino’s face was set, and his will was set” Kino was given many chances to throw away the pearl, but yet he was stubborn and continued to believe in the pearl even though his world was falling apart and even though he could lose

After traveling long and fighting against the whole world, first with his town filled with people trying to steal it, then fighting for the money, then against himself and finally against the trackers, he was left weak, and there was no more strength to fight anymore. “The people say that the two seemed to be removed from human experience” (Steinbeck 88). His struggles with the pearl have left him dehumanized and stripped of emotions because after so many battles with himself and others, it has ruined the pearl’s value by taking away the shine and leaving a dusty grey as all of his original plans of a wedding, new clothes and an education for Coyotito have turned into memories of traumatic moments. “And in the surface of the pearl, he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away.” (Steinbeck 89). Family was the strongest part of his life because it was Kino’s only power throughout his life, which is why when he returns back to his village, people don’t recognize him as he walks through people unbothered by their staring eyes that glare right through the hollowed soul, making them feel scared. Whether Kino can’t feel anymore or chooses to disconnect himself from that battle is a mystery, but, he is still left as a dehumanized