‘The Pearl’ is a heartfelt story written by John Ernest Steinbeck who wrote
it soon after his overnight success with ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. The Pearl reveals how people in poverty struggled to
stay alive, especially after the discrimination that Steinbeck witnessed
against the Mexican people in the 1940s.
This is a story that portrayed how greed can devour a man.
Kino was a young pearl diver who led a
simple life with his wife Juana and son Coyotito in La Paz. He loved his family and remained faithful to the
traditions of his village and his people. One
day, Coyotito was stung by a scorpion while sleeping on his bed. However, the
mercenary town doctor refused to treat the baby because Kino could not pay the exorbitant
treatment fees. That day, Kino went
diving and obtained a great pearl. Both Kino
and Juana thought that their prayers were answered as they would be able pay
the doctor to treat their son. News travelled quickly about the pearl
and many people in the town plotted to steal the pearl from Kino. While the
townspeople plotted against Kino, he dreamt of marrying Juana in a church,
buying a rifle, and sending Coyotito to school so that he could learn to read.
Kino believed that an education will free his son from the poverty and
ignorance that have oppressed their people for more than four hundred years.
The doctor came to treat Coyotito when
he learnt of Kino's pearl, and even though Coyotito was already healed by Juana's
remedy, the doctor took advantage of Kino's ignorance and convinced him that Coyotito
would die without the care of a doctor. The doctor tried to con Kino into
revealing the place he hid pearl. The doctor is an important character in The Pearl because he
represents the colonial attitudes that oppressed Kino’s people for years. The
doctor symbolizes the colonists’ greed and arrogance towards the natives. Like
the other colonists, the doctor displayed no interest in Kino’s people. His
warped values made him there simply only to make money out Kino. As a
physician, the doctor is duty-bound to save lives, but when faced with someone
whom he considered as status that is beneath him, the doctor felt no obligation
at all. His unsympathetic refusal to treat Coyotito for the scorpion sting simply
because Kino did not have the money to pay him exhibit the human costs of
political conquest embedded in the desire for financial profit.
Greed contaminates
their once simple way of life. When Kino tried to sell
the pearl in town for fifty thousand pesos the
dealers only wished to pay one thousand for, the pearl buyers tried
means to convince Kino that the great pearl he found was worthless because it
was too large. Kino made the decision not to sell the pearl and intended to
travel to another city to sell the pearl at a fair price. His brother, Tom
Juan, felt Kino was foolish because it defied his usual way of life and placed
his family in great danger.
Juana warned Kino that the pearl was
evil and would destroy the family, but he refused to throw it away because it was
an opportunity to provide a different life for his family. That night, Juana
tried to throw the pearl into the sea, but Kino managed to stop her in time and
gave her a beating. From a simple and contented man, Kino became aggressive against people who showed interest
in the pearl
and the tragic break from the family he longed to support. The pearl finally led Kino into corruption, and he slit a
man's throat who attempted to steal the pearl from him.
Eventually, the price
of the pearl was higher than anyone could imagine. It was paid in the price
with the cold blood of Coyotito. While they were
travelling to another town, Kino discovered trackers following them. He knew
that they would steal the pearl and kill his family. Kino and Juana took the
baby and hid in a cave at nightfall. Kino sneaked down in the night to kill the
trackers but before he could attack them, Coyotito gave a loud cry. The
trackers thought that it was a coyote and shot at the dark cave where Juana and
Coyotito hid. As the shot was fired, Kino attacked the trackers and killed them
all. Unfortunately, Coyotito was already killed by the first gunshot and Kino's
journey with the pearl ended in a tragedy. Filled
with redemption and sorrow, Kino and Juana
decided to return home and get rid of the trouble source. They returned to La Paz and threw the pearl back to
the ocean.
Steinbeck
has written a parable about how wealth and greed may deplete innocence and
bring evil into our lives. With his expressive and beautiful writing style, he brought
the story to life.
In
the beginning of the story, Kino is a simple man who is essentially contented
with his lot in life. However, Coyotito’s scorpion sting and discovery of the
great pearl opened Kino’s eyes to a larger world. The portrayal of Kino’s character
is a gradual decline from a state of innocence to a state of corruption and
delusion. The forces propelling this decline are desires and greed in human. In
the story, Juana
symbolizes wisdom and common sense. She supports Kino’s dreams and idealism but
was vigilant and guarded against the pearl’s temptations. Juana was at first seduced by the
luxury that the pearl will bring for them, but she recognized the pearl was a
potential threat as Kino’s character changed and their family might be broken
up because of it. Contrary to Kino, Juana believed that their lives would be
better if they maintained things as they were. Kino could only see what they
can gain from the pearl, but Juana understood they were on the losing end.
Juana’s presence in the story capped Kino’s enthusiasm and serves as a warning
to the readers that Kino’s desire to make money was dangerous. Kino’s brother represents the voice of reason
and caution. He recognized the fact that they must not show too much ambition or
else everything good will be torn from them.
In a
story that is less than a hundred pages, Steinbeck managed to captivate the
readers and empathized deeply with the characters. Readers are lured into
turning the pages knowing that an impending disaster awaits Kino and his
family as the pearl starts to devour Kino’s soul. The story is considered as a
classic because it portrays ideas that are common to all people. In this world,
everyone has greed and the desire to become wealthy. Steinbeck made use of
simple music like the song of family, the song of evil, the song of the pearl to
create a surreal story. The Pearl displayed an exploration of how good motives can
bring a person to a bad end.
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