Kino's Corruption

both seemed to turn onto the good side with Kino as soon as they found out he had the pearl of all time. People started breaking in, messed Kino’s canoe and even set Kino’s house on fire. And worse, with everything that was already being taken away, Kino’s beloved son was shot and killed. “And then Kino’s brain cleared from its red concentration and he knew the sound-the keening, moaning, rising hysterical cry from the little cave in the side of the stone mountain, the cry of death”(86) All shortly happening after the finding of the pearl.

First of all Kino became greedy when he felt entitled to a higher amount of money when he first tried to sell his pearl to the buyers even though the amount hey offered was far more money than Kino has ever seen in his whole life. He even states “ my pearl is not for sale. I will go, perhaps even to the capital.” Then later in the book it talked about all these things Kino was going to buy with “the pearl of the world” including him and Juana being married in a church, Coyotito being put in school so he can make something of himself, Kino buying a gun because why not he said. If that doesn't show greediness then I don't know what will.

There are many examples of physical violence in the novel which creates the image of Kino's transition of simple life into a more complicated one. As the novel progresses after Kino finds the pearl of the world, Kino gets cautious because he had a thing of great value which could turn the evil faces of his townspeople against him. As he foreshadowed, that happens. When the news of Kino's pearl spread like fire in the whole city, most of the people got jealous of his fortune. People starts making inferences what might happen in the future, while some others made plans to cheat him.

Before Kino found the pearl, he wasn’t exposed to great hardship or struggle. When he found the pearl, Kino became very greedy and he experienced immense pain and loss. Furthermore, the pearl also caused Kino to lose his innocence. When Kino allowed evil and pain to take over his perspective of life he became angry. The first time Kino killed someone was when a man broke into Kino’s house in attempt to steal the pearl. Later in the book, Kino and his family we being shadowed by trackers in pursuit to kill him and his family and steal the pearl. After the trackers fired upon Kino’s child, Kino became filled with rage and the pearl grew gray and he let evil take him over: "And in the surface of the pearl he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away. And the pearl was ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growth. And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distorted and insane” (pg. 89). Kino then killed those who were in pursuit of him and shot at

When Kino is first introduced in the beginning, he is thrilled with the joy of the simple things in life. “And this was part of the family song too. It was all part. Sometimes it rose to an aching chord that caught his throat, saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is Whole. Kino was young and strong and his black hair hung over his brown forehead. His eyes were warm and fierce and bright and his mustache was thin and coarse.”(4). As described in the passage Kino is seen as a warm, cordial person in the beginning of the novella when he had not yet encountered the pearl. He shines bright with hope and love, feeling safe. With the song of the family beating loudly at heart, his only goal is to be with them. However, being caught in awe wondering if all of this is true, Kino starts to think maybe it was all too good to be true however he decides to forget his worries. Unfortunately his decision to forget his worries proves not to be a good choice when his luck of fate starts to change. “He hissed at her like a snake, and Juana stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before the butcher. She knew there was murder in him, and it was all right; she had accepted it, and she would not

Kino's life gets ruined by the pearl, when he starts hearing the evil sound he should have thrown it away the first time. It only brought trouble and conflict to his family,

     Kino overall symbolizes clearly good and innocent. Kino is thought of as 'a wise, primitive man' who is hungry for fortune because of the great pearl, which he discovers and later in the story he becomes 'an angry, frightened, but resolute man, determined to keep what he has earned'. He is a young diver who lives in a small village on the coastline of

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

Steinbeck’s Moral Argument In The Pearl, there is a strong emphasis on the near complete change in character that almost everyone experiences as soon as the pearl is found. The pearl presented an opportunity for Kino and his people to rise out of their circumstances and have a better life. If Kino’s son can go to school and learn to read and write, none of Kino’s people can be cheated or mistreated. It also presented Kino an opportunity to acquire luxuries they could never have even dreamed about getting until then.

Kino’s motivation is his desire for success. He wishes to be respected by others, to have everything he ever dreamed of, and to have enough money for all his family’s needs.

A person’s personality, life, and people they care about can all be corrupted and hurt by greed. Kino’s personality was altered in a horrible way by greed. If you compare his loving, content personality and then his personality after he found the pearl there is quite a difference. Throughout the story you can see that his entire personality was corrupted by the evil of the pearl. In the beginning of the book he was really in tune with nature and all about his family.

Sadly, the Pearl of the World destroyed his family because of the priorities Kino had set. As a reader, we would not expect Kino to become greedy, not listen to his family’s warning, and hurt his family all over the possession of the pearl. Kino was so obsessed with the pearl his body body was filled with greed. This is shown when Kino

To begin with, one of the major changes that you see in Kino is his determination. Throughout the story Kino Becomes more determined to achieve his goals. When Kino is saving Coyotito he gradually becomes more bent on save him. “‘The doctor,’ she said.

    The pearl plays a big part in the story. It brings down the family, changes Kinos way of thinking, and his priorities. When Kino first find the pearl it brings him hope which is shown through the quote “In the surface of the great pearl he could see dream forms.” (Steinbeck 19) this shows how his hope that things will get better for his family. The hope that he has is also shown when he is talking to everyone. He starts to talk about his dreams and there are four of them “We will be married- in the church. He spoke softly.” (24) This is the first of his hopes. The second

Kino- Kino is the protagonist in the novel, he is a poor, hardworking, humble, man, who is a pearl diver. Kino later finds a great pearl, which makes him greedy and paranoid because he wants to make sure nobody takes advantage of him. This greed makes him abuse his wife and steer him away of his moral values. Juana- Juana is Kino’s wife.