Summary:
Throughout John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kino, the main character, looses sight of what is most important to him in his life. He has a family, friends and a life. That all changes when he finds "The Pearl of the World."
How Kino Lost His Sight
Throughout John Steinbeck's The Pearl Kino, the main character, Kino, looses sight of what is most important to him in his life. He has a family, friends and a life. That all changes when he finds "The Pearl of the World." Before he finds the pearl, Kino is a very nice and loving man. His people made songs emotions, feelings, and other things. Kino made up his own song to himself called Song of the Family. He makes this to himself because he loves his family so much. Although he forgets all about his son and wife when he lets the pearl's greed take him over.
One day when Kino went diving for pearls, he finds the biggest pearl ever. Kino is so excited that he is beginning to thinking about what he would spend the money from the pearl on. He wants his son, Coyotito, to be able to go to school. He would also buy a rifle and he would have a proper church wedding with his wife Juana.
When Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion Kino wants to get him help as quickly as possible. So Kino goes to the doctor. "Kino felt weak and afraid and angry at the same time" (9). Kino does not like the doctor's race and the doctor does not like Kino's race. The doctor does not want to help Kino because of his race and his economical status. The doctor would only help people with money.
After awhile, Kino started to act very avaricious. This avariciousness started to weld itself into Kino. Kino, not knowing this, was being very cold hearted towards everyone. He was blind to his own behavior. Even though he was acting, this way people started to respect Kino now that he has this valuable pearl. The doctor, who had told Kino to flee, is coming to Kino to help him. He offers to hold the pearl in his safe. He also offers to heal Coyotito from the scorpion bite.
When Kino would sell the pearl he would buy a rifle, have an arranged wedding, and have Coyotito go to school. Kino's greed had taken him over when he went to the sales men and tried to sell the pearl. One man offered him 1500 pesos. But Kino refused. He said that the pearl was worth at least 15,000 pesos. He could have easily bought those things he wanted with 1500 pesos and then some. But it wasn't all about the money. When his people went to trade in pearls they would always be cheated out of their money since the buyers would work in collusion. "If that is so, then all of us have been cheated all of our lives" (53).
When someone breaks into Kino's house he gets cut in some places because the attacker is slashing his knife so brutally. It could be one of the doctor's servants because when the doctor went to Kino's hut, he saw Kino look in the corner of the hut where he had buried the pearl. Otherwise it could be one of the dealers where Kino went to sell the pearl. He was not fighting to save his family; he was fighting to save the pearl. If he really cares about his family he would just let the burglar take the pearl so he would not harm his family.
Juana is so fed up with this pearl she takes it and runs off with it to throw it in the ocean. Kino is enraged. Juana thinks that the pearl is evil, and it is. When Kino catches up to her, she was about to throw the pearl back in to the ocean. He grabs her arm and started to beat her harshly. It is the greed from the pearl that does this to his wife not him. If Kino had never had found that pearl Juana would not have a cut lip or those bruises on her face from Kino's beating.
It is also the pearl that kills Coyotito. The pearl is evil and it is not Kino's fault that his greed takes him over. He is just doing what anyone else would do in his position. If Juana were Kino she would probably do the same thing as Kino is doing now. It is the way of the world. We revolve around money and people kill other people over it. That is basically what happens when Kino would not sell the pearl. He is destroying his family's life. He kills Coyotito without knowing it. All he wants for his son is for him to get an education. But he takes all of that away when he finds the pearl.
This is the complete article, containing 784 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
