Guided Reading The pearl About the Author Facts Plot Themes Motifs Symbols Parable and the Form of The Pearl Character List A quick summary Summary of every chapter The Pearl Quotes Analyzed

1. The pearl
John Steinback

2. Guided Reading
The pearl
John Steinback (1902-1968)
About the Author :
"I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibilityof man has no dedication
or any membership in literature”. - John-
Whole Name: John Ernst Steinbeck Jr.
Born: February 27, 1902
Birth Place: Salinas, California
Father: John Ernst Steinbeck. *Occupation:owned a feed-and-grain store, managed a flour plant
and served as treasurer of MontereyCounty
Mother:Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. *Occupation: former schoolteacher
Siblings: three (3) sisters
Childhood Description:shy, but smart, and formed an early appreciation for the land, and in
particular California's Salinas Valley, which would greatly inform his later writing
Educational Background: In 1919, Steinbeck enrolled at Stanford University-a decision
that had more to do with pleasing his parents than anything else.
Over the next six years, Steinbeck drifted in and out of school, eventuallydropping out for good in
1925, without a degree.
Other works: Cup of Gold (1929); (1932); To a God Unknown (1933); Tortilla Flat (1935);
Dubious Battle (1936); Of Mice and Men (1937); The Long Valley (1938); and The Grapes of Wrath
(1939).
Facts:
A. Titre:The pearl.
B. Type of work : Novella.
c. Genre : Alegory - Parable at the end we get a lesson or message fucuses on The out casts of
society, The poor, The unducated The demented and the nobellions.
Parable a story That Teaches a lesson.
Algory: a story whose characters represent abstract ideas in order to teach a lesson.
D. Time written : 1944-1945 California.
E. Date OfFirst Publication : 1945 (in serial form, where it was entitled “The Pearl ofthe World”), 1947 (in
book form)

3. F. Publisher : The Viking Press
G. Setting : late 19th Centuryof very early 20th Century in a mexican Coastal village Called La Paz
on The Baja peninsula.
H. Protagonist : kino-
I. Antagonist : doctor, Trackers, evil.
J. Narrator : The anonymous narrator writes as if telling an old story he or she knows very well. The narrator
frequently alludes to the story’s ending and freely describes the inner thoughts and feelings ofvarious
characters. Rather than tell the story in his own voice, Steinbeck chooses to narrate in a stylized voice recalling
that of a storyteller from a society like Kino’s, in which stories are handed down from generation to generation,
eventually losing their specificities and becoming moral parables, as Steinbeck insinuates in the opening
epigraph, by virtue ofsheer repetition.
K. Point Of View : The narrator uses third-person, omniscient narration, meaning he or she not only tells us
what various characters think and feel but also providesanalysis and commentary on the story. The narrator
shifts perspective frequently, focusing most often on Kino but occasionally focusing on other characters such as
Juana and the doctor.
L. Tone : The narrator tells Kino’s story to teach a moral lesson,and so treats Kino above all as a cautionary
figure. At the same time, however, the narrator seems to see Kino as a sort oftragic hero, and is moved by the
human weaknessKino’s actions reveal. The narrator often shows a certain respect for Kino’s striving to realize
his ambitions—even while recognizing the mistakes Kino makes and mourning his ultimate moral downfall.
M. Tense : Past
N. Setting (Time) : Unclear, possibly late nineteenth or early twentieth century
O. Setting (Place) : A Mexican coastal village called La Paz, probably on the Baja Peninsula.
Plot :
Major Conflict : After finding a magnificent pearl, Kino seeks to sell it to acquire wealth. He wishesfor his
son’s wound to heal, and for his son to obtain an education and become an equal to the European colonists who
keep his people in a state ofignorance and poverty.
When he tries to sell the pearl, however, Kino quickly meets resistance in the form ofother people’s greed.
Ultimately, his struggle to acquire wealth places him at odds with his family, his culture, and nature, as Kino
himselfsuccumbs to greed and violence.
Rising Action : A scorpion stings Coyotito;Kino discovers a great pearl; Kino’s attempts to sell the pearl are
unsuccessful, and he is mysteriously attacked; Kino beats Juana for attempting to discard the pearl.
Climax : Kino kills a man who attacks him for his pearl, an event that exposes the tension surrounding this
object as a bringer of great evil as well as a chance for salvation.
Falling Action : Kino and Juana flee the village and find themselves chased by trackers; Kino fights with the
trackers, not knowing that they have taken Coyotito’s cry to be that ofa coyote and shot him; Kino and Juana
return to the village and throwthe pearl back into the sea.

4. Themes :
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
Greedas a DestructiveForce :
As Kino seeks to gain wealth and status through the pearl, he transforms from a happy, contented father to a
savage criminal, demonstrating the way ambition and greed destroy innocence.Kino’s desire to acquire wealth
perverts the pearl’s natural beauty and good luck, transforming it from a symbol ofhope to a symbol ofhuman
destruction.
Furthermore, Kino’s greed leads him to behave violently toward his wife; it also leads to his son’s death and
ultimately to Kino’s detachment from his cultural tradition and his society. Kino’s people seem poised for a
similar destruction, as the materialism inherent in colonial capitalism implants a love ofprofit into the simple
piety of the native people.
TheRolesofFate and AgencyinShapingHumanLife :
The Pearl portrays two contrasting forces that shape human life and determine individual destiny. The novella
depicts a world in which, for the most part, humans shape their own destinies. They provide for themselves,
follow their own desires,and make their own plans.
At the same time,forces beyond human control, such as chance, accident, and the gods, can sweep in at any
moment and, for good or ill, completely change the course ofan individual’s life.
If fate is best represented in the novella by the open sea where pearl divers plunge beneath the waves hoping
for divine blessings, human agency is bestrepresented by the village ofLa Paz, where myriad human desires,
plans, and motives come together to form civilization.
Kino and Juana’s lives change irreparably the moment the scorpion, a symbol ofmalignant fate, bites their
child. Their lives then change irreparably again the moment Kino finds the pearl, a symbol of beneficent fate.
Nevertheless,it is not fate but human agency, in the form of greed, ambition, and violence, that facilitates the
novella’s disastrous final outcome,as Kino’s greed and the greed ofothers lead to a series ofconflicts over the
pearl. Kino finds himselfcaught between the forces offate and the forces ofhuman society, between the destiny
handed him by fate and the destiny he seeks to create himself.
Colonial Society’sOppressionofNativeCultures :
The doctor who refuses to save Coyotito’s life at the beginning ofthe novel because Kino lacks the money to
pay him represents colonial arrogance and oppression.

5. Snide and condescending, the doctor displays an appallingly limited and self-centered mind-set that is made
frightening by his unshakable beliefin his own cultural superiority over Kino, and by the power that he holds
to save or destroy lives.
Steinbeck implicitly accuses the doctor’s entire colonial society ofsuch destructive arrogance,greed, and
ambition. The European colonizers that govern Kino and the native people are shown to bring about the
destruction ofthe native society’s innocence, piety, and purity.
Motifs :
Motifsare recurring structures, contrasts,and literary devices that canhelp to develop andinformthe text’s major
themes.
Nature Imagery:
Kino’s physical and spiritual existence is intimately connected with the natural world. He lives in a brush
house, and he makes his living as a pearl diver. Not surprisingly, nature imagery is an important element of the
novella.
Kino observes the world ofhis garden in the opening scene ofChapter 1 and the world of the ocean in
Chapter 2. Kino and Juana’s final journey up the mountain takes place on a dark night full of animal noises
and cries.
Steinbeck depicts the natural world as a realm that mirrors or parallels the human world. Overall, the work’s
nature imagery reflects both the natural world’s idyllic innocence—the innocence Kino possessesat the
beginning ofthe novella—and the natural world’s darker qualities ofstruggle and flight—the struggle and
flight Kino experiencesat the novella’s end.
The Pearl’s descriptions ofthe sea, for instance, subtly emphasize the fact that life in the sea is a struggle for
survival from which only the strongest emerge alive—a struggle that mirrors the conflict between Kino and the
native people against their colonial rulers.
Kino’s two interactions with ants—the first in Chapter 1, the second in Chapter 6—create a parallel between
Kino’s relationship to nature and the gods’ relationship to Kino (he towers over the ants in the same way that
the gods tower over him).
Kino’sSongs :
Throughout the novel, whenever Kino has a particularly powerful feeling or instinct,he hears a song in his
head that corresponds to that feeling. When he is happy with his family in Chapter 1, for instance, he hears the
Song of the Family. When he senses malice or dishonesty, he hears the Song ofEvil.
These songs point to the oral nature ofKino’s cultural tradition. The ancient, familiar songs,presumably
handed down from generation to generation, occupy such a central place in howKino’s people perceive
themselves that the songs actually give form to their inner feelings. Kino is much less likely to become aware of
the sensation ofwariness than he is to hear the Song ofDanger in his head.
Similarly, he is much less likely to take action because ofhis own conscious judgment than because he
associates the song with a certain kind ofurgent behavior in relation to the outside world.
The songs also point to Steinbeck’s original conception of The Pearl as a film project; in a motion picture, the
songs could be played out loud for the audience to hear and thus function as recurring motifs and melodies that
would underscore the story’s themes.
Symbols :
Symbolsare objects, characters,figures,and colorsused to represent abstract ideasor concepts.
ThePearl
Because The Pearl is a parable, the meaning ofthe pearl itself—the novella’s central symbol—is never explicitly
defined. Nevertheless, though the nature ofthe pearl’s symbolism is left to each reader’s interpretation, this
symbolism seems to shift over the course ofthe work.

6. At first, the pearl represents a stroke ofdivine providence. Kino’s people have a prophecy about a great “Pearl
That Might Be,” a perfect pearl that exists as a perfect possibility. Kino and Juana’s discovery ofthe pearl
seems to fulfill this prophecy, and it fills them with hope for Coyotito’s future and for the possibility ofa life
free from the shackles ofcolonial oppression. The discovery ofthe pearl seems a happy accident, one that
counterbalances the tragic accident ofCoyotito’s scorpion sting.
Once the town finds out about the pearl, however, the objectbegins to make everyone who beholds it, including
Kino, greedy. The neighbors call it “the Pearl ofthe World,” and while that title originally seems to refer to the
pearl’s great size and beauty, it also underscores the fact that having the pearl brings the outside world’s
destructive influence into Kino’s simple life.
As the dealers begin lowballing him, Kino ceasesto viewthe pearl with optimistic delight and instead focuses
on its sale with determined ambition. The pearl’s association with good fortune and hope weakens, and the
pearl becomes associated more strongly with human plans and desires. Juana and Juan Tomás begin to view
the pearl as a threat rather than a blessing.
The pearl elicits more and more greed on Kino’s part, as he begins to devote all his energiesand possessions to
protecting it (recalling the biblical parable of the pearl ofgreat price). It thus comes to symbolize the
destructive nature ofmaterialism. The implication is that Kino’s acquisition ofmaterial wealth isn’t enough to
save him from the colonists’ oppression, even though such wealth is the foundation ofthe colonists’ capitalist
system. In fact, Kino’s shift in focus from his spiritual well-being to his material status seems to represent the
colonists’ ultimate triumph.
The way the pearl is depicted through the course ofthe novella mirrors the changes that Kino himself
undergoes. At first, the pearl is a simple and beautiful object ofnature. Once it becomes entangled with notions
of material value, however, it becomes destructive and dangerous. The pearl is an object ofnatural beauty and
goodnessthat draws out the evil inherent in mankind.
TheScorpion
The scorpion that stings Coyotito in Chapter 1 symbolizes a seemingly arbitrary evil that, because it has
nothing to do with human agency, must come from the gods.Biblically, the scorpion generally represents the
destruction ofinnocence, and the fact that Coyotito is a baby compounds the Christian symbolism ofthe event.
Coyotito is touched by evil, and this natural destruction ofinnocence repeats itselfin the novella in the
destruction ofKino’s innocence by his ambition and greed and in the destruction ofthe natives’ traditional,
natural way of life by the colonists.
Kino’sCanoe
A means ofmaking a living—both pearls and food—that has been passed down for generations, the canoe that
Kino uses represents his link to cultural tradition. This culture is deeply spiritual, so it is significant that Kino
uses the canoe to find the pearl, which is provided by a divine power that has nothing to do with human agency.
It is also significant that Kino’s possession ofthe pearl leads directly to the canoe’s destruction,in Chapter 5,
an event that symbolizes Kino’s devastating decision to break with his cultural heritage because he wishes to
pursue material gain.
Foreshadowing: Coyotito’s name; the discussion of“The Pearl That Might Be”; Juana’s prayer for Kino
to find a great pearl; Juana and Juan Tomás’s warnings to Kino that the pearl is dangerous.
Parable and the Form of The Pearl :
MAINIDEAS PARABLE ANDTHE FORMOFTHE PEARL : “Ifthis story is a parable,perhapseveryone takes hisown
meaningfrom it andreads his ownlife intoit.”
A parable is a simple story that relays a moral lesson. Frequently, parables are also allegories, stories in which
characters, objects, and events hold fixed symbolic meaning.Steinbeck’s focus on the symbolic role the pearl
plays in Kino’s life is constant, as is his focus on the symbolic importance ofKino himself.

7. In general, Steinbeck’s overly simplistic portrayal of events is not realistic,or even believable,and it
indicates The Pearl’s place as a parable or fable.
Kino is an impoverished native fisherman, but more important is his allegorical role as a man faced with the
temptation ofwealth beyond his wildest dreams. Because the novella is concerned with Kino’s moral obligation
and not his civic obligation, it concludes with Kino’s casting the pearl back into the sea, a renunciation of
material wealth that indicates he has learned a moral lesson.
It is important that the novella does not conclude with Kino’s arrest or continuing flight from justice, as a
realistic novel concerned with civic punishment for ethical transgression might.
Despite the apparent gulfbetween realism and parable, The Pearl attempts to showhowthe two are linked
through the process ofstorytelling. Steinbeck suggests that a culture’s collective memory eventually
fictionalizes all realistic experience into parable form. “As with all retold tales that are in people’s hearts,” he
writes in the novella’s epigraph, “there are only good and bad things and black and white things and good and
evil things and no in-between anywhere.”
Storytelling gradually transforms real occurrences into simplified parables designed to teach a specific lesson.
While everyday life may lack a clear lesson or meaning, the human mind is always in the processofordering
and classifying events in order to make sense ofexperience. It is a human tendency, and therefore a literary
tendency, to classify and simplify experience, to turn reality into parable.
As codified systems ofmorals that attempt to distinguish good from evil, religions depend heavily on parables.
According to the NewTestament, Jesus himselfinsisted on teaching to his disciples in parable form—in fact,
the Christian parable of the pearl ofgreat price, which tells the story ofa man who gives up everything he has
to win a great pearl, likely helped to inspire The Pearl.
Steinbeck realizes that the parable form is a central element in world religion and in the cultural history of
humankind. As The Pearl illustrates, the imagined is just as vital to humankind’s understanding oflife as the
real, and, in the form ofthe parable, the two are inextricably linked.
Although readers may draw a number ofmessages from The Pearl, a fewprimary moral lessons do emerge.
Some ways ofinterpreting the allegory ofthe story include:
TheStruggleto PreserveVirtue.
If the pearl symbolizes goodness, Kino’s struggle to protect the cherished pearl might represent the human
struggle to preserve cherished qualities or attributes—moral virtue, innocence, integrity, the soul—from the
destructive forces ofthe outside world. Just as these destructive forces corrupt and conspire to seize Kino’s
pearl, they can work against the virtuous inner qualities that the pearl might represent.
According to this reading, Coyotito’s death and Kino’s voluntary relinquishment ofthe pearl at the end ofthe
novel suggest that the destructive forces ofthe world are too powerful to be overcome.
TheFallacyofthe AmericanDream:
In a way, Kino’s desire to use the pearl to improve his life echoesthe traditional narrative ofthe American
dream. He attempts to transform hard work into material wealth, and material wealth into education, comfort,
and familial advancement.
According to this reading, Kino’s gradual corruption and the story’s tragic conclusion hint at a fundamental
flaw in the American dream: it condones sacrifice ofvirtue for material gain.
Additionally, Kino’s gradual disillusionment with the pearl (as he realizes that it won’t make his life better)
underscores the fallacy of the American dream itself. Rather than widespread opportunity, Kino finds a world
of powerful, greedy men conniving to take his wealth away from him dishonestly.

8. TheEffectsof ColonialismonNativeCultures :
Because Kino belongs to a native tribe that, centuries after the original Spanish colonization ofMexico, is still
under the thumb of the Spanish colonial authorities, the story can be read as a parable about the forces of
colonization and the destructive effect those forces have on native cultures and peoples.
Kino is originally driven to search for the pearl because ofthe unhelpfulness ofthe condescending Spanish
doctor; after he finds the pearl, he is cheated and hunted by cynical descendants ofcolonials who hope to
exploit and control him.
GreedIs the RootofAll Evil :
This moral, preached by St. Augustine and many others after him, is found in the NewTestament in Paul’s first
epistle to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:10). Kino’s investment ofspiritual value in a pearl, an object ofmaterial
wealth, may be misguided from the start.
Juana and Juan Tomás both suspect that Kino is wrong to try to get more for the pearl than the dealers offer,
and Juana tries several times to discard the pearl, believing it to be the source ofher family’s troubles. This
reading interprets the pearl as a symbol ofdestruction and corruption rather than purity.
Character List :
Kino - The protagonist of the novella.Kinois a dignified,hardworking,impoverishednative whoworksas a pearl
diver.He is a simple man who livesina brush house with hiswife, Juana, and their infant son,Coyotito, both of
whom he lovesverymuch.
After Kino findsa great pearl,he becomesincreasinglyambitiousand desperate inhis missionto break free of the
oppressionofhis colonial society.
Ultimately,Kino’smaterial ambition driveshim to a state of animalisticviolence,and hislife is reducedto a basic
fightfor survival.
Juana - Kino’s youngwife.After her prayers for good fortune in the form of a giant pearl are answered,Juana
slowlybecomesconvincedthat the pearl is infact an agent of evil.
Juana possessesa simple faithin divine powers,but she also thinksfor herself.Unfortunatelyforher and her
child,Coyotito,she subjectsher desiresto those of her dominanthusband and allows Kino to holdon to the pearl.
Coyotito- Kino and Juana’s only son, who isstung by a scorpion while restingin a hammock one morning. Because
Coyotitois an infant,he ishelplessto improve hissituation and thus at the mercy of those who provide for him.
Kino and Juana’s effortsto save him by findinga big pearl with whichthey can pay a doctor prove to do more
harm than good.
Juan Tomás - Kino’s olderbrother. Deeplyloyal to hisfamily,Juan Tomás supports Kino inall of his endeavorsbut
warns him of the dangersinvolvedin possessingsucha valuable pearl.He is sympatheticto Kinoand Juana,
however,puttingthem up whenthey needto hide and tellingnoone oftheir whereabouts.
Apolonia- Juan Tomás’s wife and the mother of four children.Like her husband,Apolonia issympathetic to Kino
and Juana’s plight,and she agrees to give them shelterintheir time of need.
The Doctor - A small-time colonial whodreams of returningto a bourgeoisEuropean lifestyle.The doctorinitially
refusesto treat Coyotito but changeshis mind after learningthat Kino has found a great pearl.He representsthe
arrogance, condescension,andgreedat the heart of colonial society.
The Priest- The local village priestostensiblyrepresentsmoral virtue and goodness,but he isjust as interestedin
exploitingKino’swealthas everyone else,hopingthat he can finda way to persuade Kinoto give him some of the
moneyhe will make from the pearl.
The Dealers- The extremelywell-organizedandcorrupt pearl dealersinLa Paz systematicallycheat and exploit
the Indianpearl diverswho sell them theirgoods. They desperatelylongto cheat Kinoout ofhis pearl.

9. The Trackers - The group of violentand corrupt menthat followsKinoand Juana whenthey leave the village,
hopingto waylay Kino and steal his pearl.
A quick summary :
Kino,a young pearl diverin La Paz, enjoyshis simple life until the day hisson, Coyotito,is stung by a scorpion.The
wealthytown doctor will not treat the baby because Kino cannot pay the doctor'sfee,so Kino and his wife,Juana,
are leftonly to hope their childis saved.
That day Kino goes diving,and findsa great pearl,the Pearl of the World,and knows he is suddenlya wealthy
man. The word travels quicklyabout the pearl and many inthe town beginto plotways to steal it.
While the townspeople plotagainst Kino,he dreams of marrying Juana in a church, buyinga rifle,and sending
Coyotitoto school so that he can learn to read. Kino believesthatan educationwill free hisson from the poverty
and ignorance that have oppressedtheirpeople for more than four hundredyears.
The doctor comes to treat Coyotito once he learns ofKino'spearl, and although the baby is healedbyJuana's
remedy,the doctor takes advantage of Kino'signorance.He convincesKino that the child isstill ill and will die
without the care ofa doctor.
The doctor then manipulatesKinointo unwittinglyrevealingwhere he has hiddenthe great pearl. Kinomoves the
pearl whenthe doctor leaves.That night,an intruder comesinto Kino'shut and roots around near the spot where
Kino had first buriedthe pearl.
The nextday, Kino tries to sell the pearl in town. The pearl buyers have alreadyplannedto convince Kino that the
great pearl he has foundis worth very little because it is too large.This way theycan purchase the pearl for a low
price.
But whenthe buyerstry to cheat Kino,he refusesto sell the pearl and plans to travel to another city to sell at a
fair price.His brother,Tom Juan, feelsKino'splanisfoolishbecause it defieshisentire way of life and puts his
familyin danger. Kino isnow on his own, although he doesn'tknow it yet.
Juana warns Kino that the pearl is evil and will destroy his family,but he refusestothrow it away because it is his
one chance to provide a differentlife forhisfamily.That night, Juana takes the pearl and triesto throw it into the
sea, but Kinostops her and beats her.
On his way back to their hut, Kino isattacked and he killsthe man in self-defense.Juanagoesto gather their
things and escape and finds the floor of their hut completelydugup. While she'sinside the hut gettingthe baby,
someone lightsit on fire.
Kino,Juana, and Coyotitohide withKino'sbrother for a day before embarkingon their journeyto a new city under
the cover ofdarkness. While theyare resting during the day, Kinodiscoversthat there are trackers following
them. He knows that they will steal the pearl and kill his familyifthey catch them.
To escape,Kino and Juana take the baby and run to the mountains where they hide in a cave at nightfall. The
trackers camp just belowthe ridge where they are hiding.Kino sneaksdown in the night to kill the trackers, but
before he can attack them,Coyotito criesout.
The trackers, thinkingit's a coyote, shoot at the dark cave where Juana and Coyotito are hiding.As the shot is
fired,Kino springson the trackers and killsthemall. Unfortunately,Coyotitowas killedby the first gunshot, and
Kino'sjourneywith the pearl ends intragedy.
Realizingthat the pearl iscursed and has destroyedhisfamily(as Juana forewarned),Kinoand Juana return to La
Paz and throw the cursed pearl into the sea.
Summary of every chapter :
Chapter 1 :
*Setting: Before findingthe pearl, Kino and hisfamily livinginharmony with nature Songsand what they
mean (the Song of the Family, the Song of Evil, etc.)

10. *Imagery of music and songs, harmony and peace Story beginsat dawningof a newday.
*Songs can show the world at peace or out of control.Kino is livingthe way he issupposedto do. Kino and
Juana have a harmoniousrelationshipThe man is clearlythe head ofthe family.
*Struggle for survival (life isa constant one) Complication – intruder– the scorpion Kino reacts; emotional
(smashingthe scorpion) Juana – thinks and useslogic (draws out the poison,takes the baby to the doctor,
etc.)
*Doctor will only treat the baby if he is paid. He refusesthe first time whenhe seesthat Kino has only the
poor seedpearls.The servant tellsKino the doctor has gone.
Chapter 2 :
*Kino must finda way to pay for medical treatment so he goesdivingfor pearls. Juana usestraditional ways
to fight the poison (first,suckingthe poisonout; later makinga seaweedpoultice) Songof the Pearl That
Might Be Kinofindsa huge pearl.
Chapter 3 :
*The Pearl of the WorldNow that Kino has the pearl,people treat himdifferentlyThe priest,the doctor and
the pearl buyers all make plans because of the pearl. All seemmotivatedby greed.Later, Juana tellsKinothe
pearl isevil and will destroythem, but Kinosays the pearl is the key to the family’sfuture and a symbol of
hope for all of his people.
*Kino’s dreamsWith the pearl, the baby can be cured. Kino and Juana can getmarried in the church. They can
all buy newclothes.Kino can buy a rifle.
*Coyotito can get an educationand all Kino’speople:“Myson will make numbers,and these things will make
us free because he will know and through him we will know." After the doctor’s visit,Kino hidesthe pearl.The
doctor tricks Kinointo showingwhere it is.
*That night, someone triesto steal the pearl. Kinoattacks the personwith his knife.Juana tellsKino the pearl
is evil and to throw it away. Kino says the pearl is there one chance and he will sell it the next day.
Chapter 4 :
*Everyone in La Paz knows that Kinois going to sell the pearl that day. Some say he will give it to the Pope or
buy Massesfor the soulsof his familyfor a thousand years. Otherssay he will give the money to the poor.
Everyone worries that the pearl will destroyKino and his family.
*The people’splansfor charity are opposite ofwhat Kinoplans for his family.Goodand charitable ideas are
easierwhenit is someone else’s moneybeingspent.Kinoand Juana have hard decisionsto make, not matter
what they do.
* Juan Tomas (Kino’sbrother) warns him to get the bestprice for the pearl. Once the Indians hiredan agent to
negotiate for them and take the pearlsto MexicoCity, but the agentswere neverseenagain. Some say they
were stolenby the agents; othersthink that the agentswere murdered and the pearlsstolenfrom them. In
any event,the pearlsare never seenagain. The priest tellsthe Indians that this is a warning from Godnot to
try and change theirplace in the world.
* Pearl buyer tellsKinothe pearl islike fool’sgold: too large and not valuable He isoffered1,000 pesos;Kino
says it is worth 50,000 pesos.The buyerseemsto be trying to cheat Kino. Kinocan feel evil around himas the
other buyersinspectthe pearl.
* The pearl dealer,like the priestand the doctor, tries to manipulate Kino.He tries to cheat Kino out of his
money.No other pearl dealerwill pay more. By refusingto sell the pearl,Kino is taking on the entire power
structure of his society.This couldbe very dangerous.

11. *Kino says he will go to the capital (MexicoCity) to sell the pearl.The townspeople argue about whetherKino
shouldhave taken the money.Kino buriesthe pearl again and isangry and terrified.Juan Tomas says that
Kino ischallengingthe people inpower.He could change everything.
* Juan Tomas says hisfriendswill only protect himif he isnot in danger. They will not do anything to
jeopardize theirown safety.That night, Kinois attacked again whenhe triesto protect the pearl. Juana says
the pearl is evil and must be destroyed.Kinosays he is a man and will not be cheatedby anyone.
* Kinois willingto fightfor the pearl. Kinois demandingjust and respectful treatment.Juana isthe voice of
reason. She warns Kinoabout what could happen.She thinksthe pearl isevil.Findingthe pearl should have
meant securityand prosperity.Instead,it seemsto offeronly pain and danger.
Chapter 5 :
*Juana takes the pearl and goes to throw it in the ocean. Kinostops her and punchesand kicks her.Kino says
he isa man; Juana knows thismeans that he is half insane and half a god.
* Kinois again attacked by strangers and killsone of them.He losesthe pearl in the fight but Juana findsit
later.
* Kinoknows that theymust run away from the village to save theirlives.Kino findsthat someone has put a
hole in his canoe.To Kinothis is worse than killinga man because a canoe doesnot have sons who can seek
revenge.Kinodoesnot eventhinkof stealinganother canoe, whichwould mean starvation for the other
canoe’sowner.
* Juana tellshim that their hut has beensearchedand seton fire.Kino hidesat hisbrother’s house.His
brother letshim stay but only reluctantly.His brother says that the pearl is the cause of all the trouble.
* Juan Tomas says that perhaps Kinoshould have soldthe pearl,but now it is too late. Kino says that to give
up the pearl would be the same thing as givingup his soul.Kino says that he will headnorth inthe morning
and head to the capital, MexicoCity.Kino findsthat he is willingto kill to keepthe pearl. Juana beginsto
realize that Kino cannot win and may endup destroyinghimself.
Chapter 6 :
*While onthe journey,Kino findshimselfbothexcitedand afraid. Kino tellsJuana that anyone who finds
them will take the pearl.
* Juana wondersif maybe the pearl reallywas worthless,but Kinosays no one would be trying so hard to
steal a worthlesspearl. Kinoagain imaginesall of the thingshe will do with the pearl if he sellsit, but
everythinghe seesin the pearl now seemsevil and twisted.
* Theyare beingfollowedbythree trackers, one on horse witha rifle.Kinoand Juana realize theywill be killed
if theyare found. Kinorealizeshe must kill the man on horseback and get hisrifle.Kino tellsJuana to take the
baby and leave himbut she refuses.
* Juana hidesin a cave with Coyotito. Kinotakes off hiswhite clothingso he can be lessvisible.The familyis
beinghuntedlike animals. Kino especiallybecomeslike ananimal.Juana retainsher human qualities.
*Kino killsall three attackers, but the baby is also killed.WhenKinoand Juana return to La Paz, he throws the
pearl back into the sea.Whenhe doesthis, he throws away his pain alongwith his dreams of wealth.
The Pearl Quotes Analyzed :
*And, as with all retoldtales that are inpeople'shearts,there are only good and bad things and black and white
things and good and evil things and no in-between.Ifthisstory is a parable, perhaps everyone takeshisown
meaningfrom it and readshis own life intoit.

12. Found within the prologue,this quote reveals how The Pearl's plot is not entirely original to Steinbeck. In fact,
it is a known story that is often told, perhaps like a folk legend. And as with most parables,there is a moral to
this story.
*WhenKino had finished,Juanacame back to the fire and ate her breakfast. They had spokenonce, but there is
not needfor speechifit is only a habit anyway. Kino sighedwithsatisfaction—andthat was conversation.
From Chapter 1, these words paint Kino, the main character, and Juana's lifestyle as unembellished and quiet.
This scene depicts Kino as simple and wholesome before he discovers the pearl.
*But the pearls were accidents, and the findingof one was luck, a little pat on the back by Godor the gods both.
Kino is diving for pearls in Chapter 2. The act offinding pearls represents the notion that events in life are not
actually up to man, but rather chance or a higher power.
*Luck, you see,bringsbitter friends.
These ominous words in Chapter 3 spoken by Kino's neighbors foreshadowhowthe discovery ofthe pearl can
harbor a troublesome future.
*For his dream of the future was real and never to be destroyed,and he had said, 'I will go,' and that made a real
thing too. To determine to go and to say it was to be halfway there.
Unlike the deference to the gods and chance in an earlier quote, this quote from Chapter 4 shows howKino is
now taking, or at least trying to take, full control ofhis future. This raises the question: is it chance or self-
agency that determines one's life?
*This pearl has become my soul... IfI give it up, I shall lose my soul.
Kino utters these words in Chapter 5, revealing howhe is consumed by the pearl and the materiality and greed
it represents.
*And then Kino'sbrain clearedfrom its red concentrationand 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.
This quote in Chapter 6 describes the climax ofthe book and reveals what the pearl has wrought for Kino and
his family.
*And the music of the pearl driftedto a whisperand disappeared.
Kino finally escapes the siren call ofthe pearl, but what does it take for him to change?