Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

Kino and Juana return home and go out to gather pearls in Kino’s canoe, the only valuable thing he owns. Kino’s father and grandfather had handed him the canoe; they had also taught him how to refinish the plaster in order to make it durable. The canoe is his legacy, along with the ancient songs, and he is proud of them. He uses the canoe to hunt for pearls and provide for his family. When they go out to the sea, Juana puts a seaweed poultice on Coyotito’s shoulder.

Kino slips over the side of the canoe with the rope tied to a rock, which he will wrap around his ankle so that he doesn’t float to the surface while he looks for pearls. There is another rope tied to a basket, so that he can put the oysters in the basket and pull them up to the boat when he’s finished diving. Under the water, he can hear the Song of the Pearl That Might Be as he gathers oyster shells and puts them into the basket. For centuries men had dived to the depths of the sea hoping that one of the shells would have gathered a grain of sand and coated it smooth with its cement secretions to make a valuable pearl. While Kino dives, Juana prays that he will find a great pearl so that they can afford the doctor’s treatment for Coyotito. Kino knows that above him, in the canoe, Juana is praying, trying to force the luck he needs to find the pearl.

In the shadowy water, he sees a large shell sitting and decides to approach it; the shell closes, but not before he catches a glimmer of light within. He goes to the surface with the shell in his hand. He brings the basket up behind him and begins opening the smaller shells. He isn’t certain of what he saw within the oyster. He doesn’t want to tempt Fate by being too eager, because he believes that wanting something too much might drive away good luck. Kino believes that a certain amount of tact is required to deal with the gods, but he can’t wait anymore. He opens the shell, and in it is the Pearl of the World. It is a round, perfect pearl, like a gull’s egg, and in it, Kino can see the faint form of his dreams. Juana looks at Coyotito and sees that the swelling in his shoulder has gone down, and as she points it out to Kino, he howls out his emotion to the sea. The sound startles the other fishermen, and they speed toward Kino’s canoe.