Literature Analysis #2

The Pearl 

By John Steinbeck

Part 1: Kino, the protagonist of The Pearl, is a poor, young man, who is married to Juana. Together they conceived a baby named Coyotito. The troubles of this family begin when Coyotito is stung by a scorpion. Juana and Kino go back to their home. They sail out into the sea looking for oysters. Kino finds a shining pearl. This means that Kino can provide for his family and send Coyotito to school. The people of the village find out and start gossiping. Kino attempts to sell his pearl to the dealers, but the dealers offer very little money. Therefore, Kino plans on going to the Capitol. However, because the pearl attracted so much attention, people tried to steal Kino's pearl. Juana attempts to throw it away, but Kino beats her. After killing a man for attempted thievery, Kino and his family go to the Capitol to try to sell the pearl. However, a group of three trackers followed them to try to steal the pearl. In the climax, Kino murders all three men, but they had already killed his son. Kino and Juana return to the village side by side. At the end, Kino throws the pearl back into the ocean and returns to their previous lives. 

Part 2: The main theme of the novel is greed brings evil and suffering. In the beginning of the novel, Kino was a very honorable and honorable man. However, when he finds the pearl, he changes a lot. He is so driven by the fact that he can use the pearl to find to find money and provide for his family that he harms others. He killed four men, beat his wife, and played a small part in his son's death. The author wanted to show that greed changes man into a heartless machine. For example, the doctor in the story doesn't help Kino because he's poor. The doctor ends up helping him only after Kino found the pearl. It's important to be appreciative and to not let greed take over your mind. 

Part 3: The protagonist is dynamic because in the beginning of the novel, Kino was honorable and kind. However, by the end, he was greedy, violent, and aggressive. It was this change of behavior that caused him to murder and beat his wife. Kino is a round character as he can be sweet and kind, but malevolent and violent as well. Another major character was Juana since she shows the audience that the pearl did not change her. Kino and Juana became character foils for each other. Juana remained calm and peaceful, whereas Kino became aggressive.

Part 4: One significant symbol from the novel is the pearl. The pearl represents evil and greed. The pearl causes the characters in the novel to become greedy as they are striving to find wealth. The pearl reveals how ambitious and and greedy Kino could be. The pearl was a symbol at first for a better future, but soon it became a misfortune, an evil object. The pearl is the prize of the novel, and everybody is trying to grab it. However, the pearl reveals the shocking things people would do to grab that prize. 

Part 5: In the previous year, I read the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. I enjoyed his novel and wanted to read more. I chose this book because I wanted to read more by John Steinbeck. When I first saw the book, I was curious about the title. I wanted to know what can you write based on a pearl. Once I began reading, I wanted to know if Kino would actually find the pearl and receive the money for it. I wanted to find out whether or not Kino would reach the life of his dreams. 

Part 6: The people in the novel live in poverty. They work everyday to put food on the table. The poverty that Kino and Juana live is common across the world. My grandmother, for example, struggles to pay for the bills in her home. She has to sell food to pay her bills, but my mother sends money whenever she can. In the novel, there are multiple occasions where people die because of the pearl. I had an uncle who was beaten up by a group of men who wanted to steal his money. The same thinking applies here. A person was harmed because of the greedy or selfish actions of others. 

Part 7: 

"Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for little Indians'? I am a doctor, not a veterinary."

         -The Doctor

In this passage, we can see the effects that greed and selfishness had on the doctor. Readers can also see how racist he is as he compares the Indians to animals, and by doing so he dehumanizes them in the process. The main idea is that racism is a terrible thing that will always be present. I chose this idea because even though racism is everywhere, it doesn't mean it should be accepted or common. People always seem to find any reason to make someone feel different about. However, I don't think you should give them the satisfaction of upsetting you. This idea is important as it shows others the negativity of racism and be intolerant of it. When racism occurs around you, speak up, and stop it.