The Pearl By John Steinback
by John Steinback
"The Pearl" was written by John Steinbeck, who was born in Salinas, California, in 1902. It is a story about the good and bad luck in a poor fisherman’s life. The setting of the story is located in the southernmost part of California, in Mexico, near the town La Paz. It is the story of a fisherman who found a pearl beyond “price”, the perfect pearl or The Pearl of the World. With this pearl, he hoped to buy peace and happiness for himself, his wife and his little son. Instead he found that peace and happiness are not to be purchased.
Kino was a young fisherman and pearl diver; he was very poor and wanted to give his wife and child a good life. So he had to find a big pearl, a giant pearl. He had to find it soon. He was strong and his black hair hung over his brown forehead. His eyes were warm and fierce and bright and his moustache was thin and coarse.
Juana was Kino’s young wife. She had dark eyes and she was always looking at him when he awakened. She was a patient, fragile wife and was obedient, respectful, cheerful and patient. She could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself. In the canoe she was like a strong man. She always took Coyotito out of his hanging box and cleaned him and hammocked him in her shawl in a loop that placed him close to her breast. She sang softly an ancient song that had only three notes though endless variety of interval.
Coyotito was their son. He slept in a hanging box, was stung by a scorpion one morning which started the main conflict.
The fisherman Kino lived with his wife Juana and their baby Coyotito in a brush hut near the Pacific coast. One morning the baby was stung by a scorpion and it became very ill. The doctor they went to see refused to help the baby because Kino was not able to pay.
On that same day Kino found the largest pearl he had ever seen. When the doctor had heard of the pearl, he immediately rushed to Kino. Kino tried to ignore the doctor because Coyotito had recovered, but the doctor persuaded Kino that the poison had gone inward and would strike soon. So Kino could not take his chance and he let the doctor heal the baby. In the following night someone tried to steal the pearl but Kino expelled the thief by injuring him.
The next day Kino decided to sell the pearl. Kino’s brother, Juan Toma’s, declared him to be careful in selling the pearl, so that he would not get too little money for his treasure. Kino stepped up to one of the pearl-buyers but he only offered one thousand pesos saying that his pearl was valueless; good enough to be exhibited in a museum, for the pearl was a curiosity. Three other buyers were called, saying the same. But Kino realized that he was being cheated and went home. Kino wanted to sell the pearl in another town.
At dawn Kino and Juana went up the North. When they took a rest, Kino saw two trackers and a dark horseman had followed him. He knew that those trackers would never miss their trace. "The only way to get rid of the trackers is to kill them, "Kino thought. Before the moon rose, Kino crept to the man with the rifle. When Kino was only a few meters from his enemy, he sprang. When he was in the mid-leap, the gun crashed and the pellet killed Coyotito. In a cruel fight Kino murdered all his enemies. When he returned to Juana, he saw Coyotito with his head shot away. He could hear the hysterical cry from the little cave, the cry of death. When Juana and Kino reached La Paz, all people were present. Kino took the pearl in his hand, drew back his arm and flung the pearl with all his might. They saw the little splash in the distance. When the pearl sank down to the bottom, the music of the pearl disappeared in Kino’s head.
This book is mainly based on the ideas that love, happiness, and family cannot be bought. Kino learned this after it was too late. Greed is a major factor in this book and people’s lives in general. This is a great book to remind society what happens to greedy people. Overall “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck is a great book because it can be used to remind people of the fundamentals of life. I would indeed recommend this book to others.
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