How Does Kino Change In John Steinbeck

“Kino could see Juana in a shawl, stiff with newness and a new skirt, he could see himself dressed in new white clothes with a new hat, holding a new harpoon better than the one he had previously broken. He could see Coyotito, he wore a blue sailor suit from the United States and a little yachting cap, these are all things he wanted, that he could now have.” Kino states everything he wants and can now get in life which makes him more arrogant, leading him on a path of destruction. This also gives Kino something to look back on after it's too late. “In the moonlight he could see the frantic, frightened eyes, and Kino aimed and fired between the eyes. Suddenly he heard the keening, moaning, rising hysterical cry from the little cave in the side of the stone mountain, the cry of death. He hastily scaled the mountain and entered the cave to bear the sight of a small limp heavy bundle. The shawl was dried with blood, and the bundle swayed a little swayed a little as it was held.” Kino has sacrificed the one thing he cares most in the world about for a simple pearl which again proves the point that Kino is truly a tragic hero. Kino believes that if he can come out safely with both his family and the pearl intact that he can live happily ever after, but with the pearl comes evil and death. Later in the novel when Kino is forced to choose between his family and

4. One of Kino’s most prized possession is his canoe. His canoe will let Kino and Juana go out in the Ocean and dive for oysters. With the oysters found Kino is able to make a living by selling his pearls. Though I believe Kino has not taken his role seriously as a caretaker in the family.

For Kino his flaw is being greedy. After Kino’s attempt to sell his pearl and disrupting the social hierarchy, he has a talk with Juan Tomas. Juan Tomas foreshadows the ending by saying, “ I worry for your safety” (Pg 53). Juan Thomas believes that Kino will have to face some consequences. “I am a man” (Kino Pg 57).

News of the pearl travels quickly. when kino and juana return home people start to gather around them. kino starts making plans on what he is going to do with the money from the pearl. he tells everyone he is going to get married, going to buy new clothes for his family, buy a rifle and send coyotito to school. the priest comes to say that the church would need the pearl for repairs, juana respects the father’s words but kino was too busy on hearing the song of evil and the song of the pearl. when everyone leaves kino starts to think that everyone has it for the pearl and he is the only thing in their way. later the doctor and his servant come to kino’s home and he offers his services. he tells kino about the poison and he treats coyotito.

Kino is acting greedy when fights the pearl thief in the same night he found the pearl. When Juana steals the pearl and night and tries to throw it in the ocean Kino catches her and then, the pearl thief come again and Kino’s “hand is moving symbolic fighting” (72) and kills him. Kino is acting greedy when he kills the thief in the beach. Kino leaves his town and everything behind and leaves with his family to the capital. This is how Kino is acting greedy when he refuses to let the pearl go and fights for it. And his thoughts about his family having a good

As more and more bad things happen to Kino like hurting his wife he realizes that the pearl is evil and runs away from his burned down home only to realize that hunters are after him. Kino quickly realizes that he has to kill them but in the process they kill the baby. Kino looks at the pearl and only sees darkness and evil, not the joy and pride he use to and throws it away so he can go back to his old life. In this book the author attacks the church, medical profession, capitalism, and class

He worked to feed his family, and protect his family from anything that could harm them. So, when Kino found the pearl, this great opportunity, he seemed to change all of his morals and traits that made him the person he was. Juana had noticed the effect that the pearl had on Kino and the whole environment that was around them, so she decided to try and get rid of it herself. When Kino saw Juana down by the water he ran out to her and throw her up against a rock and kicked her in the ribs. His actions showed that in his mind the pearl was worth more to him than Juana was.

At the beginning of the story they both felt content and happy as show in this quote “Sometimes it rose to an aching chord that caught the throat, saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is the Whole.”. They did not even speak because their understanding was so great. But after Kino found the pearl his relationship steadily deteriorates as shown in this quote “"Kino," she said huskily, "I am afraid. A man can be killed. Let us throw the pearl back into the sea." "Hush," he said fiercely. "I am a man. Hush.”. That shows that as time goes by Kino is acting ruder and harshly to Juana all because of the greed the pearl caused. Another example is "This thing is evil," she cried harshly. "This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us," and her voice rose shrilly. "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." And in the firelight her lips and her eyes were alive with her fear. But Kino's face was set, and his mind and his will were set” this quote shows that Juana is becoming increasingly fearful yet Kino is sure this is the way and is willing to do whatever is necessary to become wealthy. This causes a strain between their relation. Finally the worst thing Kino commits is the act of attacked Juana. He is described as a snake hissing at her and hitting her that makes her fall. He even continues to kick her after she has fallen and she accepts it and knows he may even murder her. This shows that Kino has broken all limits of humanity and is being consumed by

The pearl changed Kino in more ways than one. When he is faced by a man who tries fighting him for the pearl, he ends up killing the man. Also after trying to escape and hide the attackers start to get closer to where they are hiding out, Kino decides to try and attack and Coyotito starts to cry. This sets the attackers off and they shoot over by where they hear the sound. Kino than finds them and kills them. When he gets back he realizes that the gun shot went through the home and killed his

After traveling long and fighting against the whole world, first with his town filled with people trying to steal it, then fighting for the money, then against himself and finally against the trackers, he was left weak, and there was no more strength to fight anymore. “The people say that the two seemed to be removed from human experience” (Steinbeck 88). His struggles with the pearl have left him dehumanized and stripped of emotions because after so many battles with himself and others, it has ruined the pearl’s value by taking away the shine and leaving a dusty grey as all of his original plans of a wedding, new clothes and an education for Coyotito have turned into memories of traumatic moments. “And in the surface of the pearl, he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away.” (Steinbeck 89). Family was the strongest part of his life because it was Kino’s only power throughout his life, which is why when he returns back to his village, people don’t recognize him as he walks through people unbothered by their staring eyes that glare right through the hollowed soul, making them feel scared. Whether Kino can’t feel anymore or chooses to disconnect himself from that battle is a mystery, but, he is still left as a dehumanized

After discovering the pearl, however, Kino begins to dream of possibilities for his family, most importantly an education for his son, which was something he previously never thought of as he considered it absolutely out of reach. His dreams gradually start becoming more and more materialistic as he stares at the pearl’s surface. Consequently, he drifts apart from his culture and family customs, he escapes town and ends up killing a man, being inherently deceived by the pearl. When he returns to the village, wrecked by the death of his son, he first offers Juana the chance to throw the pearl into the sea. This indicates that he has learned to value her sense of judgement and is, in a sense, yielding to her. But she insists on Kinoo throwing the pearl into the sea instead and that shows that she remains faithful to their previous alignment of life and as always, seek and strives s to preserve

All of the village people suddenly sparked an interest in Kino once he discovered the pearl, “people with things to sell and people with favors to ask. Kino had found the Pearl of the World. . . .Every man suddenly became related to Kino's pearl, and Kino's pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so that he became curiously every man's enemy” (Steinbeck 23). The pearl does not result in an immediate change in Kino’s personality, but rather how others view him. The pearl symbolizes hope, a trait that Kino previously possessed, but somewhat lost after the incident involving Coyotito’s illness. Kino’s “eyes and voice [became] hard and cold and a brooding hate was growing in him” (Steinbeck 38). At the beginning of the novel, Kino is very optimistic and positive. Therefore, when this hate begins to consume him, it is very unusual, leading us to believe that the pearl has an influence on Kino.

The pearl's evil infects Kino like a ravaged disease and consumes his mind. He starts off with good intentions, but they become twisted. He wants to sell the pearl and use the money to better his family's lifestyle. He has dreams and goals that each depends on the pearl selling for a good price. Juana sensing the evil and greed coming from Kino attempts to destroy it. Kino beats her unmercifully. "He struck her in the face and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...He hissed at her like a snake and she stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before a butcher." Juana sees through the outer beauty of the pearl and knew it would destroy Kino and herself. Kino's vision from the soul becomes blurred by the possible prosperity the pearl will bring. The evil invades Kino's life as well as everyone he knows and loves.

Kino, the novel's main character was content with his life before discovering the pearl. Kino changed dramatically from the beginning of the story to the end. To Kino the pearl meant wealth and change for both himself and his family. Before the scorpion bite Kino had no need for change or power in his life. He lived a simple life with his family and worked as a pearl diver. When the doctor denied his son treatment because Kino could not pay the fee, was when Kino realized the power the upper-class had over people like him. After discovering the pearl, Kino’s ambition to escape and protect himself from the persecution grew. Kino wanted to improve his life quickly, and the pearl was the answer to all his goals. In the pearl he saw a rifle, marriage and education for his son Coyotito. His thoughts on what to do with the pearl, were first based off his family’s needs. That slowly changed when the

He imagined a better life for his family. Despite everything that went wrong, despite people telling him to throw the pearl away, Kino continued to believe in the value and importance of the pearl. Early on Juana tried to convince Kino to get rid of the pearl, “‘This pearl is a sin! It will destroy us,’ and her voice rose shrilly ‘ throw it away.’”(John Steinbeck 38). Kino would have ordinarily taken into consideration his wife’s concerns and this was out of character. While under the spell of the pearl, It didn’t matter to him that Juana had his best interest in mind when she advised him to get rid of the pearl. Even after Kino was attacked, he was unwavering in his conviction in the value of the pearl, “but Kino’s face was set, and his will was set” Kino was given many chances to throw away the pearl, but yet he was stubborn and continued to believe in the pearl even though his world was falling apart and even though he could lose