Theme Of Nature In The Pearl Steinbeck

"And Juana, sitting by the fire hole, watched him with questioning eyes, and when he had buried his pearl she asked, 'Who do you fear?' Kino searched for a true answer, and at last he said, 'Everyone.' And he could feel a shell of hardness drawing over him"(Steinbeck 36).

The greed eventually consumed Kino which inevitably made the pearl a source of destruction to the people around him, and as well as to himself making him seem animal-like and a complete savage which the author clearly depicts. “Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake, and Juana stared at him with wide frightened eyes, like sheep before the butcher” (Steinbeck 59). This shows that the more wealthier you are or try to become, the more immoral you are. “Greed is a big reason why the wealthier you are, the more unethically you behave. And that's bad” (Kruszelnicki 1). So Kino ultimately tried to get more money than morals.

In the novel, The Pearl, the author John Steinbeck uses many similes and metaphors to communicate the theme of how liking something leads to the need to protect it through a strong will and instincts. When Kino seems to be obsessed with the pearl, in the middle of the night she attempts to protect him from it by throwing it away, “And like a shadow she glided toward the door.” (58) This quote uses a simile to emphasize how Juana truly values Kino, so she is trying to protect him by getting rid of the pearl, and she is sneaking out as stealthily as a shadow to try to help Kino. Later, Kino returns the favor when he protects Juana and Coyotito: “He was an animal now, for hiding, for attacking, and he lived only to preserve himself and his family.”

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

Steinbeck writes, “And then Kino’s brain cleared from its red concentration and he knew the sound--the keening, moaning, rising hysterical cry from the little cave in the side of the stone mountain, the cry of death” (87). At this point, Kino has lost everything: his sanity, his respect for human nature, his son. As Kino denies the pearl buyer’s deals, he is setting himself on the path to self destruction, and is blind at what is yet to come. Little did he know that he was going to lose his whole world, but he just had to keep the pearl. Because of Kino’s greediness, his son was the victim of

I also liked the way Steinbeck subtlety described Kino’s animalistic behavior He described Kino’s actions like going to higher elevations or drinking from a little pool of water to let

“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

Steinbeck begins the novella by introducing the type of life that was lived by Kino before the discovery of the pearl, and the effect it had not only himself but its effect it had on his family. As Kino watches the ocean he remembers an ancient song from his culture the “Song of the Family” as he remembers this song he takes pleasure in watching his wife do her chores. Kino remembers this moment has a perfect morning like any other mornings. As Kino eats his breakfast he is aware of a scorpion that arrives at Coyotito crib. As the scorpion bit Kino’s son he remembers another ancient song the “Song of Evil”. Steinbeck presents the divides the town in two types - the old natives and the new Christian settlers. Steinbeck uses techniques to distinguish between the native Indians and the more cultured Europeans.

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.

In the novel, “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, Kino, the main character is responsible for his son, Coyotito’s death. Kino is responsible due to his rash and harmful decisions he made without thinking of the consequences. Despite the dangers and warnings signs he encountered, he continued on with his damaging behavior. Kino’s dynamic and unique personality is a heavy part of his character, as well as his animalistic behavior, which are reasons why he repeatedly makes audacious decisions.

shall lose my soul.” She adds, “It has brought evil. Kino, my husband, it will destroy us.” (Steinbeck 38). His greed finally brought about his destruction as the Bible says in the book of Proverbs 11:28 that, “Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.” Kino is also consumed in so much anger that it ended up destroying him and his family as well. Proverbs 15: 18 says, “A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient

In the novel, Steinbeck writes, "No,[Kino] said, 'I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We will have our chance... No one shall take our good fortune from us." (Steinbeck 57) This quote reveals how Kino is making his own decisions, creating his own fate. But Kino only performs these actions out of spite. He only did these actions because society discriminated against him, and society did not allow him to have an education. For example, the doctor states, "Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for 'little Indians'? I am a doctor, not a veterinary"' (Steinbeck 11) Because the doctor refused to help Kino's ailing child, Kino is forced to cu. So, he finds a pearl and tries to sell it. But with being taken advantage of by the buyers and the constant discrimination against him, Kino ends up becoming overwhelmed and paranoid of his surroundings. With the constant paranoia and anger, Kino kills a man, burns his home down, and flees away from his home. All these acts are caused by society not allowing him to have an education and society discriminating against him because of his

The pearl had contrasting meanings to Kino, in different stages of the novel. In the beginning, the pearl was everything to Kino and his family. It was a dream come true to Kino, it was a true miracle, or so he thought. "In the surface of the great pearl he could see his dreams form." (Steinbeck, 19). This shows how when Kino first detected the pearl, he felt as if it was the answer to his prayers and the light at the end of the tunnel because he knew without the pearl he was nothing. Towards the end of the novel, Kino started opening his eyes and realizing things about the pearl he didn’t realize before. The pearl started bringing many tragic events in Kino’s life. The town’s people started attacking Kino, he beat his wife, he killed someone, his house was burned down, etc. However, the most catastrophic of all was the unfortunate death of Coyotito. But, Coyotito’s death was lead because of his father’s avarice and letting the pearl take over his life. “And Kino drew back his arm and flung the pearl with all his might.” (Steinbeck, 89-90). This show how at the end of the novel, Kino finally opened his eyes and realized that the pearl was pure evil and the cause of all his tragic

The boat is a symbol for family, and now that the boat has been destroyed, the family is now being destroyed. Steinbeck used darkness for the villagers that burnt down Kino’s home. The determination that Kino has to keep the pearl is starting to become destruction. With everything that had happened to Kino and his family. Kino is ready to start a new life with his family. If the pearl could be sold, the money that they get from the pearl will help Coyotito go to school and have a good life. As Kino is starting his new life by escaping he hears the music of the pearl in his head. Steinbeck presents Kino as an animal because as the novel progress, Steinbeck presents Kino as a wild animal that is being hunted by the villagers.

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