The Pearl Quote Analysis

It is a true pleasure for me to write this letter of recommendation for Magaly Resendez, whom I have had the opportunity of teaching for the past two years. She was in my World History class as a sophomore and is currently in my U.S. History class as a junior.

“ The acquisition of wealth is a work of great labor; its possession, a source of continual fear; its loss, of excessive grief.” This quote can apply in our lives and even some books we read like The Pearl. In the book, The Pearl, the wealth of Kino and his family is the pearl they find. It’s possession caused them great fear and labor from the beginning of the book, and it caused them grief towards the end. This quote applies to all parts of the book, and we will examine into all of the chapters to take a closer look.

In the book, The Pearl, there is one main instance where Kino, Juana, and Coyotito gain something and it changes them and their lives throughout the whole book. There are many themes, what the characters gain and how it changes them, how does gaining and losing wealth and power affect people, and how the story compares to today’s society.

In order to sell his pearl for the highest price possible, Kino was forced to go to the capital. This was due to being cheated by the local pearl buyers. “I have been cheated,” Kino cried fiercely. “My pearl is not for sale here. I will go perhaps even to the capital.” By doing so, Kino wasn’t only risking a long journey, but also putting his family in harm’s

Kino in The Pearl creates the theme of greed and power can make one’s downfall. In the book Juana (Kino’s wife) hears evil music with the pearl and fears it will tear apart the family and the village. So she sneaks out in the early morning with it and tries to get rid of it to free her family from evil but gets caught in the action by her husband who goes savage. “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake…”(page 58-59) This shows how greed and power can make one’s downfall because the greed of the pearl and the idea of what riches it could bring to the family and the whole village which makes Kino fill with rage when he sees Juana trying to get rid of

Even though Kino does not have a proper education, he still knows when something isn't right. If Kino succeeds and gets the fair price for the pearl, the pearl buyers will loose their financial control and Kino’s people will move up

The pearl elicits more and additional greed on Kino’s part, as he initiates to devote all his energies and possessions to defensive it. 1. The implication is that Kino’s acquisition of physical wealth isn’t sufficient to save him from the settlers’ oppression, even though such wealth is the basis of the colonists’ capitalist organization. 2.

This quote shows the greed in Kino is getting greater and greater. The reader can tell this because Kino is willing to hurt the person who he loves the most, and who loves him the most, just to keep his pearl safe.

In the novella “The Pearl” Kino’s view towards what the pearl could offer him changed throughout the story, altering Kino’s thoughts and means in a malignant way, transforming him from a loving father to a bloodthirsty man. Kino’s addiction towards the pearl cost him to lose himself and get carried away from what he had first in mind, to provide for his family, nonetheless it isn't until the end that Kino finally learns that the pearl was truly evil and all the misfortunes it had cost him, one of them including losing his son, Coyotito. “He looked into its surface and it was gray and ulcerous, like a malignant growth” (89) Accepting the pearl for what it legitimately was, Kino comes to his senses after arriving back home. Deciding to fling the pearl into the sea, Kino lets go of the past of which he had first said was a part of his soul, but now it was only but an object of tragedy and misguidance. Therefore though conviction can sometimes be pleasing, in this case Kino’s faith was put in the wrong

Society never gives Kino a chance to have an education, setting him up for failure. When Kino is given the opportunity to change his life by selling a valuable pearl, he takes it. Along with his wife, they think that the pearl can provide their infant son, Coyotito, with an education, provide them with a wedding and a new life. However, society does not allow this to happen. Since, Kino was not educated as a child, he does not understand nor know the pearl's value. Juan Tomis cautions his brother, "'You must be careful to see they do not cheat you... We do not know what prices are paid in other places... How can we know what is a fair price, if we do not

Greed is perhaps one of the most destructive forces in this world, it breeds anger, hate, jealousy, and more. The novella “The Pearl” is based on how the finding of a pearl causes greed to be awakened in the hearts of people and cause them to commit evil. During the Novella, Steinbeck develops the theme that greed left unchecked can cause immoral behavior and that is show in the doctor, the attackers, and Kino. All of them are forced by greed to commit sins that they otherwise would not do.

In The Pearl, Kino’s pearl can be seen to represent dreams and the consequences of those dreams. When Kino discovers a large and expensive Pearl, he begins to imagine all of the things he can now afford, and becomes obsessed with obtaining his dreams as shown in The Pearl, “‘This Pearl has become my soul,” said Kino, “If I give it up I shall lose my soul’” (67 Steinbeck) Kino’s hope to become rich, and have a better life took him over, and he could no longer settle for what he previously loved. When people have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, they forget that they were once satisfied in their previous life because they have the opportunity to improve it. Near the end of the book, as Kino had fled from his reality in an attempt to sell his Pearl, “He looked into his Pearl to find his vision… but he saw only a huddled dark body on the ground with shining blood dripping from its throat.” (71 Steinbeck) The pearl provided Kino with the opportunity to pursue his dreams, and because he was unable to throw away the Pearl and settle, he lost his house, his canoe, and his baby son. His hopeless pursuit of his dreams caused him to scorn his once happy life, and return to his home in misery.

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

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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