The Pearl Evil

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are capable of every wickedness - Joseph Conrad. “The Pearl” written by John Steinbeck is a book written about a poor man named Kino and his wife Juana and their son Coyotito struggling in life. At the beginning of the book, Coyotito is attacked by a scorpion and is taken to the doctor but can’t receive any treatment because they cannot pay the medical bill which is why Kino went looking for the pearl in the first place. Something itself cannot be evil but what you symbolize it as is what makes it “evil”.

Kino was very protective over the pearl and guarded with his life which is why Kino killed a man, just to protect the pearl. In chapter 5 while Juana tries

Juana, Kino’s wife, had tried to return the pearl in chapter 5 of the book because she was able to see all the madness it was causing and she wanted it no longer. The pearl itself was never evil but the people gave it more power than it actually needed or had which caused people to go crazy. Kino had originally wanted the pearl to pay Coyotito medical bill and to help Coyotito out school wise. But everyone believes the pearl is powerful because “Coyotito is getting better from the homemade remedy seaweed poultice” which had been a “miracle” accompanied by the discovery of the pearl. Juana was trying to return the pearl but Kino had followed her out to the beach “ rage surges in Kino.. and his brain is red with anger when he hears his wife get up in the darkness of the night and takes the pearl from it’s hiding place. He follows Juana down to the water, and just as she raises her arm to hurl the pearl into the sea, he leaps at her and catches her arm and wrenches the pearl from her… he strikes her in the face with his clenched fist and she falls among the boulders, and he kicks her in the side” (Chapter 5). Kino knew that if Juana had been successful in putting the pearl into the sea, he would lose all the power he had stored for himself and the pearl as well, and he just couldn't deal with that. Juana was okay with this beating though because he is “a

Kino was almost cheated by buyers over the “Pearl-of-The-World”(page 52). Obviously everyone wants this pearl, everyone wants it's power so people will try to cheat their way into getting that pearl but Kino was not going to fall for it. Everyone had just become greedy and evil over the pearl (chapter 3). When Kino, Juana, and Coyotito set out to the big city to sell the pearl, Kino begins to notice he is being followed and that his wife and son would definitely be in danger because of the fight he had to put in last time by the beach (chapter 6). After Kino realizes the danger he has his family in he makes a guy decision to cut the trip a little short and find Juana and Coyotito a temporary home where he knows they will be safe. He finds them a cave, but Kino doesn't stay in the cave… he goes to look for the men tracking him and his family. “Kino was getting ready to attack the frackers when Coyotito lets out a cry which causes the trackers to shoot in which direction they heard the cry from. Without any knowledge Kino kills the trackers” (chapter 6). It is not till after Kino kills the tracker that he realizes the shot one of the trackers made was in the direction of Juana and Coyotito. The previous shot the tracker made hit Coyotito and he was now