final essay

Morgan Hunt
English 9
December 23, 2007
Mr. Edson
Final Essay- Prompt 2
In the novel The Pearl, John Steinbeck displays many examples for how people struggle against compelling forces or barriers, and how these battles have a significant effect on the people. In this novel, Kino is one of the characters that certainly deals with many struggles. He is a husband, a father, a brother, and nothing but a poor man. In the beginning, he appears to be fine with being poor because his people have learned to enjoy the simple things in life and he is perfectly happy living in his hut and eating corn cakes for breakfast. Despite their family’s wholeness, and their comfort, a scorpion bite of their baby triggers their struggle. When Kino finds the most amazing pearl only thoughts of the future can fill his mind; thoughts of clothes, marriage, and Coyotito being able to read. Nonetheless, these wonderful aspiring thoughts were the same thoughts that brought desire and avarice into the picture. It was that longing, prolific hope of Kino and those materialistic cravings that destroyed him and his family.



When Coyotito was stung by the scorpion it started the beginning of the long line of struggles that Kino must deal with. “Down the rope that hung the baby’s box from the roof support a scorpion moved slowly… The thorned tail jerked upright. And at the moment the laughing Coyotito shook the rope and the scorpion fell” (Steinbeck p. 4-5) Coyotito is Kino and Juana’s baby, he was their first son. The scorpion bite could easily bestow death to a baby, so this bite was a very serious matter. Juana tried her best to suck out the scorpion’s poison but, she wanted to take Coyotito to the doctor; a quite astonishing thing to do because the doctor was higher in society, he “was of a race which for nearly four hundred years had beaten and starved and robbed and despised Kino’s race…” (Steinbeck p.9) However, they still brought Coyotito to the doctor, but they were refused admittance and the doctor’s help. Kino did not have enough money to pay for the cure, and the doctor was too greedy to be generous enough to accept their “eight small misshapen seed pearls…” (Steinbeck p.11). This became a major burden to both Kino and Juana, because they were in fear of losing their first born.
Kino and Juana took their canoe, and Kino went diving for oysters in the hope of finding a pearl. “And in the canoe above him, Kino knew that Juana was making the magic of prayer… to tear the luck out of god’s hands, for she needed the luck for the swollen shoulder of Coyotito.” (Steinbeck p. 17) Not only did Kino find a pearl, he found a beautiful pearl “It was as large as a sea-gulls egg… its curve was perfect.” (Steinbeck p.19) However, by this time, Coyotito’s swelling has gone down, proving that Juana sucked enough of the poison out. Now, with the great pearl, Kino saw dreams form.

Kino spoke of Juana and him being married in a church, them both wearing knew clothes, and his mind was on a rampage of wild dreams as he thought of a rifle, and then most of all, Coyotito going to school. Once Kino had spoken of such things he was afraid of his own words, if he did not do the right things with the pearl he could be looked upon as foolish. Others too saw dreams form, and once they were told about the pearl, somehow it worked its way into their own plans and they thought about the wonderful things they could do with such a pearl. Once the doctor discovered that it was Kino that had found an amazing pearl, he made his way over to their hut, claiming that he was not home when they had stopped by earlier in need of his help. Although Kino and Juana thought they were sure that Coyotito was alright, they did not know for sure, and they couldn’t risk it. So, the doctor ‘saved’ the baby, when in reality all he did was make the baby sick, and then better again. The doctor cheated Kino, but Kino and his people were not smart enough to prove it because they were not doctors themselves.

Once again, Kino was cheated. When he went to the pearl buyers, they were all trying to tell him that it was worth nothing. “There is no market for such things. It is a curiosity only. (Steinbeck p.49) said the first appraiser. “I will make no offer at all. I do not want it. This is not a pearl – it is a monstrosity.” (Steinbeck p.51) said another appraiser. This only set Kino into an outrage, because he knew the pearl was worth a great deal, and he knew that he was being cheated. “My pearl is not for sale here, I will go, perhaps even to the capital.” (Steinbeck p.52) claimed Kino. Kino was not going to let the pearl go for an unfair deal. To Kino, the pearl meant a better future, and Kino was not going to have some appraiser tell him that the pearl was not worth much. The pearl only brought upon voracity, and people began to search around Kino’s hut while Kino and Juana were sleeping. This awakened Kino in the night, and pushed him to investigate who what out there. In doing so, he was struck on several occasions and by the time he got up after the blow, whoever was there had scurried away. This caused Juana to want to get rid of the pearl because she saw how it was ruining them; she saw their safety and sanity to be more important than the dreams Kino held quite tightly.
One night, when Juana was trying to throw the pearl back into the sea, Kino caught her. “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders…” (Steinbeck p. 59) as he walked back up to the beach, a dark figure met him in hopes of getting the pearl. Kino eventually killed him, even though he was wounded himself. With this murder under Kino’s blame, they knew that they needed to leave because someone would come for them in the morning. Their hut was burned, for people were looking for the pearl and wrecked it in the process. On top of that, someone has put a great hole in the canoe, so they could not escape to the water. They went into hiding in Juan Tomas’s hut, and waited until the next nightfall to make their way to the mountains. It was the only safe thing for them to do, and Kino did not want to risk any of his family’s safety. However, trackers had made their way the next day and surprisingly passed right by the place where they went into the brush. Kino knew that eventually the trackers would find them, and decided that zigzagging up the mountain was the only hope they had in losing the trackers. The safety of his family was very important to him, but when he insisted on Juana hiding she refused. “He looked then for weakness in her face, for fear or irresolution, and there was none.” (Steinbeck p.78) Kino came up with a plan on how to kill the trackers, and Kino, Juana, and Coyotito hid in the cave in the mountain side. In Kino attempts to kill the trackers, one too many was killed; Coyotito. Their only son, the one whose future was placed on the pearl, the main reason Kino went through with everything, was killed.
All of these struggles greatly effected Kino. Once he had the pearl, his ambitions grew and grew, and his old, simplistic ways were fading. His dreams of the future became everything he strived for; they became too much of a want than a need. His family was fine living the way they were before the pearl; in fact they were probably better off. Yet Kino wanted the pearl’s fortune for his son’s future. He let the pearl destroy more things than it could fix. The pearl that has first intentions of curing his son’s scorpion bite became the exact thing that led to his son’s death. He has committed murder because of the pearl, and his hut, his canoe, and his family are left with many missing pieces. Although all these bad things were brought upon by the pearl, one good thing did come from it. He realized how much he & Juana were equal. He realized that she was the wise one in the begging, and they he should have gotten rid of the pearl. They both dealt with the same grief, and loss. She stayed by his side through it all, and tried to get him to do with right things. He now saw her importance just as much as he as he saw his; he now saw her for what she truly was.

outline

Outline

¶ 1 - Kino (character that struggles) .. husband .. father how he struggles.. how he tries to do what is best.. how the pearl also effects his thoughts for greed &wealth. but better for coyotito.


¶ 2 - what to do for the baby's future/ poor man needing wealthy mans help.

( how he needs the doctors help but he doesnt have any money for it .. he feels guilty. how he finds the pearl & wants it for the coyotito's future however afterward he is worried about his own words.)


¶ 3 -not losing the pearl for less than its worth

( the pearl buyers trying to scam him, and tell him the pearl is worth much less. then deciding to go to the capital; scary place for he will know no one. How his people will not know for sure a fair price for none of them have ever gotten a pearl of such value. & then the robers trying to get the pearl )



¶ 4 - the family's safety


( what happens when he kills someone. & they hide in Juan Tomas's hut .. & then leave to the mountains.. & then make their trail the way they do ... & hide in the brush .. & then see the people... & zigzag their path .. he tries to make juana stay somewhere safe however she wants to come .. & then he tries to kill them & make it all good however .. Coyotito is shot :'( . )


¶ 5 - how it effects him

( well he changes from such a simple man/ living style to wanting to so much because of his richness.. instead of just paying for the doctors fee & what not .. he lets the pearl destroy him & his family .. in result his son dies.. Kino has committed murder.. & many people in the village think very differently of him now.. however, the one positive thing that has come out of it is that he has realized how equal juana is compared to himself.. & then they were both just as strong.. just in different aspects.. )