Daniel Bach 11/24/09
Mrs. Vigliotti English 9H
The Pearl, By John Steinbeck
Essay Test
The Pearl, by John Steinbeck is a novel written about Kino, a young pearl diver from La Paz. When Kino finds himself a magnificent Pearl, his life is entirely altered. He is soon consumed with greed and fear that the pearl will get taken from him. Throughout the book his desire for a lavish lifestyle and ignorance bring him and his family misfortune. He is reluctant to see the evil it has brought his family until it is too late. The reader is able to learn from the mistakes Kino makes, and obtain an understanding from the morals Steinbeck incorporates in the book.
The message, true contentment can only be found within the family, where human beings feel safe, warm and whole can be derived from the Pearl. Even in our own lives, people forget to see how important their family really is to them. It is something often taken for granted, and not always appreciated. People go through their entire life wanting only material objects, thinking that it is the only thing that will make them happier. They must understand how our family is the only thing that will make us feel happy and content.
Once Kino acquired the pearl, he saw it as a way to break out of the pot that oppressed his people for more then four hundred years. However it became something that controlled his life, and prevented him from seeing what meant most to him. The pearl disconnected him from his family, and he refused to give it up. “This pearl has become my soul. . . . If I give it up, I shall lose my soul.” Once Coyotito died, Kino finally was able to realize that his family is the one thing that brings him happiness. Not even the pearl could bring Coyotito back, and he knew the pearl and its evil had to go. Now because they suffered such a great loss, they can never be the same again.
The Essay on The Pearl Summary Kino Juana Coyotito
... to provide security for his family. But Kino discovers otherwise. The pearl stirs envy in the villagers, ... material world. The pearl that was supposed to bring him happiness and contentment brings him only death ... poisonous scorpion stings Coyotito, Kino's infant son, and the baby's screams draw people from all over the ... The Pearl: Summary Kino, a poor Indian fisherman, lives on the Gulf of California ...
“Removed from human experience; that they had gone through pain and had come out on the other side; that there was almost a magical protection about them.”
“Luck brings bitter friends” is a theme that is highly regarded in The Pearl. Often when people are lucky, they begin to develop unwanted traits that change them. They are so consumed with the luck they have received that they begin to forget the things that mean most. Luck sometimes blinds people in way that makes them unaware of their actions. The bitter friends are oftentimes the consequences of their mistakes.
Kino got lucky the day he found the pearl of the world. However fallowing that day, he was filled with greed and worry. The pearl was always on his mind, and everything he did would relate to it. “This was the day from which all days would take their arrangement. Thus they would say it was two years before we sold the Pearl, or it was six weeks after we sold the pearl”. Kino became very paranoid after receiving the pearl. He dwelled over its location, and would not rest until it was safe. The Pearl led to numerous attacks on Kino, one even involving his own wife. It caused him to leave his village in fear, and without a home. Most importantly, it lead to the death of his son, and harmed his family. After all of these tragedies, it is hard to say that Kino finding the Pearl was lucky.
Kino and his mistakes teach us a lot about how we should live our lives. Steinbeck integrates themes that really reflect the mistakes of even today’s world. We should learn from Kino, and understand how our own actions can affect the others around us. What happened to Kino could happen to us one day. It is are job to make sure the outcomes are not the same.
