How can something as simple as a single pearl permanently transform a relationship? John Steinbeck’s story, The Pearl, illustrates the consequences of greed and its path to destruction. When the “Pearl of the World” invades Kino and Juana’s lives it not only leaves them childless but also destroys the trust and dynamic of their relationship. While all of mankind is subject to greed, Kino’s avarice causes a permanent, destructive outcome that would change his and Juana’s relationship forever.
Kino and Juana have little at the beginning of the story, they are content. Only when the pearl enters their lives does that change. Though definitely not rich, Kino and Juana lead a contented life. They have food, a home, and a child. However once Kino finds the pearl, what used to be sufficient is no longer enough. He constantly imagines what the riches from the pearl can buy him. When the dealers attempt to manipulate him into believing the pearl is worthless he refuses to sell it to them. Instead he
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In the beginning of the story it is apparent that Kino serves as the leader and Juana as the supportive wife. She begins working before he does, and while she prepares breakfast he is able to simply sit outside of the hut. When a meal is prepared he eats before she does. He also leads wherever they walk. The story states they normally walk in single file, “Kino ahead and Juana behind.” Although their roles appear established at the beginning, once the pearl enters their lives Juana begins to question Kino. Juana predicts that the pearl will bring only disaster but he will not heed her warning. Their relationship only becomes equal once Kino has realized his mistake. They walk back into town side by side, signifying the new balance in their relationship. Kino even offers to let her be the one to relinquish the
He is one of the most greedy person in this book.Kino Was perfectly fine in the beginning of the book, but then he found the pearl and turned his life upside down.Kino had a perfect relationship with his wife, but then “he struck her in the face,he cluched her with his 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, and Juana stared at him with wide UN frightened eyes,like a sheep before the butcher(59)”.Kino even got worse “When Juana tries to hid the pearl and Kino goes crazy and almost attacks her like a crazy man(38)”.But then there is this side of Kino when he first gets the pearl”When Kino thinks of all the things that the pearls wealth and money will do for them but not for anyone else(36)”.This is greedy because he only thinks of himself for the pearl.But Kino am greedy Most of the
Kino, the main character in “The Pearl”, starts off by being a loving, helpful companion to his lover Juana. The two are so connected they barely feel the need to talk to each other. Their life is almost perfect, until a scorpion stings their baby, Coyotito. Because the couple has very little money, the doctor will not cure Coyotito and says, “have I nothing
He is driven by greed, so much so that he could even see dreams form in the pearl. Kino is the head of a modest household and until he finds the pearl he lives a satisfied life with all he needs for his family to be happy. As soon as Kino finds the pearl he starts to want possessions he never wanted before. He dreams of education for Coyotito, marrying Juana in a Catholic church, purchasing new clothing for his family, and getting a harpoon and a rifle for himself. “It was the rifle that broke down the barriers . . . for it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (Steinbeck 32). Located within a small poverty-stricken community, a pearl diver named Kino finds “the Pearl of the World” and becomes suddenly rich, he begins to want items that he thought were impossible before. As Kino thinks more and more of what the pearl can do for him, he starts to think that it will raise his social status as well. This is only the beginning of Kino’s greediness, for the more he gets, the more he will want, and this begins to dehumanize him. Kino focuses on the wealth of the pearl and causes him to change his values about life. In the beginning, Kino is only focused on his family, once Kino finds the pearl he becomes more focused on the pearl, rather than his family. Kino cares a lot more about losing the pearl rather than something bad happening to his loved
One of the most common and prominent themes of The Pearl is greed. One of the first examples of this is when Kino went to the doctor to beg for treatment, but the doctor responded, "‘Has he any money?’ the doctor demanded. ‘No, they never have money. I, I alone in the world am supposed to work for nothing- and I am tired of it. See if he has any money!’” (Steinbeck 11). Many would consider it unethical to refuse treatment to someone simply because of their poverty. The doctor refusing to cure the ill child shows how greed has corrupted him to the point of having an innocent baby die rather than offering up his services for free. Another early instance of greed was when the news of the pearl “came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church. He wondered what the pearl would be worth” (Steinbeck 21). Even the people of God, those believed to have the highest morals, became materialistic. He who is supposed to be satisfied with just the love of the lord suddenly hungered for more. This greed eventually came to Kino when Juana suggested throwing away the pearl, but Kino replied, “‘No,’ he said. ‘I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We
At first we learn Kino only wants the best for his family and gets the pearl only for medicine. Then, as the story continues he starts wanting more for himself and for his family. For example, he says he wanted a gun and wanted to get married, even though they are happy as they are. Not only does he start wanting more, but starts acting differently. Juana starts to see these changes in her husband, so she tries to throw the pearl away. The way Kino reacts to this is by Sprinting after Juana and to stop her he punches and kicks her. This shows how he hit his own wife just to stop her from throwing a material. Then he doesn't even have to kick her, but he does out of greed and frustration. Then later in the story he starts to care again for the family, but as long as he has the pearl he still is ready to fight or even kill for it. Two trackers and a rifleman are after Kino because they want the pearl for themselves. Kino, Juana, and Coyotito hide in a cave thinking that the three men will walk right past
In The Pearl , the Mexican fisherman, Kino is very poor, but relatively happy. Kino is very close with his wife Juana, his baby son Coyotito and with the other fishermen. While diving for pearls one day, Kino discovers an extremely old and large oyster. Inside the oyster Kino finds the great pearl. The pearl is worth much and with it comes the promise of a better life for Kino and his family. The life of Kino and his family are changed forever by the greed of other people who begin to want the pearl for themselves. After much hardship, Kino realizes that the pearl could only bring more trouble, and casts the pearl out to sea.
In the novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck, the symbolism of the pearl is of utmost importance. The meaning the pearl embodies is especially significant in relation to the underlying parody: the wretchedness that emanates from the acquisition of wealth. According to the narrator, “it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (25). Ultimately, through the use of figurative language, the narrator reveals the inherent malignancy of avarice. Although, the pearl initially symbolizes good luck and godly intervention, its symbolism transforms to represent the malevolent essence of wealth.
Kino found one of the most valuable and precious pearls in the world and being convinced of its worth was not going to be cheated by only minimally upgrading his condition of life. Instead he wanted to break the fixed life and role that he and his family had and always would live. Kino refuses the maximum offer of fifteen hundred pesos that would easily ease his and his family’s pain and suffering for the coming months. Kino is then determined to trek to the capital to find a fair and just offer. Kino continues determined through the mountains after an attempt at the pearl, his canoe destroyed and his hut set a blaze. Continuing to put his family’s life on the line. It eventually takes the death of his beloved son Coyotito to make him realize he needs to stop being so greedy, no matter how hard he tries and to shut his mouth and know his role.
For Kino and Juana, their primary responsibility is taking care of their family, and keeping each other safe. In the story, both of them fail to meet either of these expectations, making it painfully clear that they are to blame for Coyotito’s death. Kino is responsible for Coyotito’s death because he refuses to get rid of his great pearl. When Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, Kino contacts the town doctor to come and cure his child. After much refusal, the doctor finally agrees to help his child, but only after hearing that Kino possessed a great pearl. The doctor, a greedy and terrible person, sends a thief to rob Kino of his pearl when he can not get Kino to give up his pearl. After Kino fights off the unwelcome guest, Juana tells him, “‘This thing is evil… 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´” (Steinbeck 65). Kino’s responsibility is to take care of his family and keep them safe. By disregarding Juana’s words, he puts all of them in danger, therefore, he is responsible for the result this decision, which is the death of his son. Juana tells Kino this multiple times, but each and every time, he refuses to give up his pearl, believing that the pearl is
First of all, Kino and Juana think the pearl is a great gift when they first discover it, but when bad fortune if brought upon them, they realize the pearl brings bad luck. In
The discovery of the "magnificent" pearl changed the lives of Kino and Juana severely because they were not used to this kind of wealth. Before they found the pearl, Kino and Juana lived a happy, humble and quiet life. "Kino heard the little splash of the morning waves on the beach. It was very good - Kino closed his eyes again to listen to his music."(Pg. 1-2) Kino loved the simple life; nevertheless whenever things were beginning to look good and simple something went wrong.
Theme: The main idea of this story is definitely bad luck. Kino and his family are poor but they have somewhat decent health. However when Coyotito gets sick and the Pearl is found that all changes. What this book is trying to say is that money is not everything in life. And in some cases, it brings bad luck. Money can also bring greed, as in the doctor’s case.
Ever since King Midas' lust for gold, it appears to be that man has acquired a greed and appetite for wealth. Kino, Juana, and the doctor have all undergone a change due to money. They’re all affected by their hunger for wealth and are the base for their own destruction, and the destruction of society. The theme of The Pearl is mainly of man's self-destruction through greed, and the hunger for wealth.
Erich Fromm once said, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction” (Qtd. In ¨Brainyquote¨). Greed is one example of theme a reader will find while reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck has written a multitude of descriptive books throughout his life, with one of them being The Pearl, the story of Kino and Juana fighting to help their infant son Coyotito, but will something stand in their way? Steinbeck expresses details thought the characters and story with many definite themes.
This leads to change and, eventually, downfall. Before he finds the pearl, Kino “was a well-liked man” (43), and adored by all of his neighbors. Everyone looked up to his kindness and sympathy, but when he finds the Pearl, he changes. The pearl takes control over him, and he becomes too obsessed with getting his money. He loses his many things over it: “now it is my misfortune and my life and I will keep it” (66). The neighbors even suspect, “‘what a pity it would be if the pearl should destroy them all.’” (43) For example, KIno loses his family when he tries to protect the pearl and defies the pearl buying system, and when he mishandles Juana. Loisng his canoe symbolizes thi sloss of his family. He also loses his sanity. he beats Juana and kills four men. He “‘killed a man’” (61) and joins in many fights. For greed, he turns down the salesman`s offer for the pearl and ends with nothing left. Kino has the chance to take the money offered to him and be done, but he is greedy and he wants more. Then, at the end of the book, Kino throws the pearl into the sea, and with it, all the money he could possibly gain. He also lets the doctor treat Coyotito, even with his doubts, and now can not pay him because the pearl is his payment method, which is now gone. He thinks his money is secure, and in his mind, he is a rich man. This is not necessarily true, as readers learn, and because he was so secure, he must now pay for unnecessary