This document provides a summary of John Steinbeck's novel "The Pearl". It describes the plot, where Kino is a poor fisherman in Mexico who finds a large pearl that he believes will improve his family's lives. However, once others learn of the pearl, they pursue Kino and his family, seeking to steal the pearl. This leads to violence and tragedy as Kino's son is killed in the conflict. In the end, Kino throws the pearl back into the sea, realizing it has only brought evil rather than the prosperity he hoped for.

1. John Steinbeck The Pearl Essay
The Pearl
John Steinbeck
Kino, is a poor Indian fisherman who lives on the Gulf of California with his wife Juana and baby son Coyotito. They are very poor but happy
family. When he finds the "pearl of the world" he believes that wonderful things will come from selling it. As he tries to sell the pearl he realizes
that the local businessmen will cheat him and decides to travel to sell it. When it is realized that Kino has murdered the man who tried to steal his
prize possession the family is forced to run from their village. Trackers are sent to find them and, in desperation and rage Kino kills the men, not
realizing that their gunfire has killed his son. The pearl was supposed to bring him happiness and money but instead it brings...show more content...
Jauna believes that the doctor in town can save her son from a scorpion bite. The doctor only is interested in the money he will be paid and tricks them
into believing he has cured the baby.
Not very long after leaving the village for the capital the family is tracked by three men with guns. They run up a mountain and hide in a cave. The
people following them camp right below the cave that Kino and his family are hiding in. Kino decides that the only way to survive is to kill the
person on guard, take his gun, and kill the other two. Kino goes to the camp and is about to attack them when Coyotito makes loud noise. Kino knows
that he has to kill the bad guys quickly, but he is a second too late and one of them shoots toward the cave. Kino and the three men fight and Kino ends
up killing all of them. The very first shot that was fired killed the baby. The next day Kino andJuana go home with the dead baby, the rifle and the pearl.
They walk through the village to the beach; Kino puts down the rifle, and throws the pearl into the water.
Other possible endings;
1. After Kino sold the pearl in the capital for it's true value their lives changed. Not only did Kino buy the rifle but he was granted the title of Chief of
the village. His songs never sang of evil. Juana had more children, and Coyotito went to school and became the village doctor.
2. After hiding in the cave for the night Kino was sure that he had fooled the
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2. Evil And Greed In The Pearl By John Steinbeck
In this reflective essay of "The Pearl", my thesis statement is: "Juana urged Kino to throw the pearl away, but due to greed, Kino refuses." The pearl
in this story symbolizes evil and greed, and it has transformed Kino's personality. At first I thought that Kino would throw the pearl away when he
realized that he was changing after he hit his wife, but he didn't due to the greediness that the pearl had brought him. Compared to Kino, Juana's
personality does not transform to the extent that Kino's does. I have learnt that greediness can take over a person's mind, but when you realize it, there
is no turning back. Steinbeck quotes: "Every road seemed blocked against him. In his head he heard only the dark music of the enemy. His senses
were burningly alive, but his mind went back to the deep participation with all things, the gift he had from his people." (Steinbeck, 56). Steinbeck
quotes: "Juana watched him with worry, but she knew him and she knew she could help him best by being silent and being near." (Steinbeck, 56). In
these two quotes, we can compare Kino with Juana in terms of how they were thinking. Juana was thinking about how she could help Kino, but the
greed that consumed Kino was preventing him from listening to...show more content...
Juana urged Kino to throw the pearl away because it would have brought evil and greed to Kino's family; however, due to greed, Kino refuses. Juana
said to Kino: "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, 41). But even though Juana begged Kino to throw the pearl away, Kino still said: "Do
not speak anymore. In the morning we will sell the pearl, and then the evil will be gone, and only the good remain." (Steinbeck, 41–42). The
conversation between Kino and Juana shows us that greed has taken over Kino's
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3. The Pearl by John Steinbeck Essay
Many people in the world today grow crazy and mad when surrounded by even the slightest bit of wealth and good fortune. Even a strong person who
recognizes their priorities can still become corrupt with too much power. There is no better example of a person falling into the path of evil and
corruption than in a novel written by John Steinbeck. In the novel The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, the author writes about a poor Indian man named Kino
who becomes corrupt from the wealth of a magnificent pearl. Steinbeck uses the motifs of music, light and dark imagery, and values to develop the
theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a path of evil and corruption. The reader learns that one
...show more content...
Kino is beginning to realize how at first the pearl seemed to have brought fortune and good to his family, but it really had only brought evil to the
family. By the end of the story, Kino and Juana have lost their son, Coyotito, and they wish things were back to the way they were before they
found the pearl. Kino then throws the pearl back out into the ocean where he had found it: "And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and
disappeared" (90). The music disappearing as the pearl sink back into the ocean symbolizes the evil leaving the family: now that the pearl has left, so
has the evil. Kino now understands that their "wealth" has brought nothing but evil and has destroyed both himself as well as his family. Not only
does Steinbeck use the motif of music to express the theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a
path of evil and corruption, but he also uses the motif of light and dark imagery. Steinbeck uses the reoccurring topic of light and dark imagery
numerous times throughout his novel to help deliver the theme of how good fortune and wealth lead to corruption. The first night that Kino had
possession of the pearl, he was a little on the edge. Then, suddenly, an intruder came into the house: "Kino held his breath to listen, and he knew that
whatever dark thing was in his house was holding its breath too, to listen" (37). Darkness symbolizes evil and
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