The Pearl Women

What is the true cost of fortune and success to one’s future? John Steinbeck’s The Pearl assesses this idea through a novel which focuses on the dominant and submissive roles of men and women. Throughout The Pearl, Steinbeck tells a tale of a poor man, Kino, who desires to provide a better life to his wife and child by selling a tremendously valuable pearl. However, in this quest to sell the pearl, the family is put into various life-threatening encounters, making this newfound possibility of wealth become a burden to the family’s future. The role of men in this piece of literature outweigh the role of women by far since there is only two female characters in the entire story, who are expected to be subservient to men socially, economically,

Juana is resourceful at multiple encounters in the story; specifically, when her child was exposed to the venom of a scorpion at the beginning; she was the one to take action and suck the venom out of the bite that would kill her son, compared to her husband who “was helpless” and “in the way” (Steinbeck 6). She is strong-willed through her actions afterwards to request the selfish doctor for her child; his chances to aid the family were certainly not likely since the family’s lack of wealth, but she decided to request him anyways. Demonstrating these traits once again, had Juana not stayed with Kino as faced with the danger of trackers who “were sensitive as hounds,” (Steinbeck 73) and armed, he would have died. Though it was Juana’s responsibility to silence Coyotito, his baby’s cries led him to execute his enemies that had been expected to kill mercilessly. Juana’s abilities are oppressed in that her responsibilities require her to simply cook for her family and clean their home instead of contributing to her full

For example, she possessed the same amount of knowledge and even exceedingly so in comparison to Kino. Juana had known to dispose of the pearl as soon as danger was even hinted through the first break into their home. She had constantly told him that “A man can be killed. Let us throw the pearl back into the sea” (Steinbeck 86). It was not until he had to take multiple lives until he then agreed to let the pearl go; Kino was blinded by the pearl’s value and possibility to lead to success. Juana’s husband lost his logic while she did not, his word was constantly the one to be followed, “for his voice was command” (Steinbeck 87). Juana’s role in the book was underestimated because of her gender in The Pearl, when she clearly had the ability to avoid conflict that Kino did