The Pearl

The Pearl

Kino, a young Indian pearl gatherer and our main character in the book, always appreciated his life. He loved his wife, Juana, and his one and only son, Coyotito, and he couldn’t ask for anything more. One morning, as Kino and Juana were getting ready, they heard Coyotito scream, and they raced to his bed. Coyotito had been bitten by a scorpion. As Kino squashed the poisonous bug, Juana tried to suck as much venom as she could out of her baby’s wound. After she had cleansed the wound, she was still worried about Coyotito, so she instructed Kino to get the doctor. The doctor refused to come, but Juana wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so she started off towards the doctor’s office. When they got there, the doctor’s assistant lied that the doctor was not in, when in fact, the doctor was really there. The doctor didn’t want to treat Coyotito because his parents had no money, and the doctor was very prejudiced against their race. Kino and his wife were determined to get their baby better, so to earn more money, Kino set out on his canoe with Juana and Coyotito. They searched the ocean for oysters, hoping they could find a pearl because finding a pearl was considered good luck, and one could become very rich if one decided to sell it. Soon, Kino found an oyster that was somewhat bigger than the rest and had been overlooked. He picked it up and turned to his wife. His wife whispered to him to open it. Inside was a pearl as “big as a seagull’s eye.” It was the pearl of the world. With this pearl, Kino envisioned that:

1. he and his wife could be properly wed,
2. he could buy himself a rifle, and
3. his son, Coyotito, could get an education.

He looked at Juana, and she then looked at Coyotito, realizing the swelling scorpion bite was gone. “The pearl must have brought good fortune,” they thought.

The doctor soon heard that Kino had found the “pearl of the world” and thought if he could get his hands on it, he would become rich. He was tending to another patient at the time, but since he knew there was absolutely nothing wrong with his patient, he told her he’d see her soon, and out the door he went. He arrived at Kino’s home, where everyone had gathered, trying to catch a glimpse of the beautiful pearl. He told Kino that he had come to treat the baby. The doctor apologized for not being able to come sooner. The doctor lied to Kino and told him that he had been out and just returned and that was why he was unable to treat his son earlier. The doctor realized that Coyotito was indeed better, but he figured if he told Kino that the baby was better, he wouldn’t get paid, so instead, the doctor deviously gave Coyotito a medicine that would make him sick. An hour later, he returned with another medication that “cured” the illness. When Coyotito was better, the doctor politely asked Kino when and how he was going to pay the bill. Kino smoothly said that he was going to trade in the pearl, and when he did so, he’d let the doctor know. The doctor wasn’t going to accept this answer, so after a few more questions, he tricked Kino into telling him where the pearl was hidden. That night, Kino and his wife heard someone enter their home. Kino tried to attack, but the person fled. Juana sensed that the pearl they had found was evil and that they should get rid of it. Kino refused to get rid of it and told Juana that she was just imagining things.

The next day, Kino, Juana, and their son, Coyotito, set out to sell the pearl. The entire town didn’t want to miss out on this spectacular event, so they followed along as well. When they reached the pearl seller’s place, the first pearl seller said that the pearl wasn’t worth much. The rest of the pearl sellers said the same thing. Kino was determined to sell it for a good price. He wanted so much for his family. Since the pearl sellers refused to pay him well, Kino, his family, and the town returned home. That night, Kino heard noises again, and he went to investigate. He was then attacked, and his wife rushed over with a brick, ready to help, but it was too late. The mysterious noise makers had fled. Juana was now really convinced that this pearl was an omen and that they should throw it back into the sea. Kino was obstinate, saying that the pearl was not evil. He planned to sell the pearl in the capital. In the middle of the night, Juana took the pearl and ran towards the shore. Just as she was about to throw the pearl, Kino grabbed her and slapped her across the face. Juana was knocked unconscious. Kino was soon attacked by mysterious figures, and the pearl was knocked from his hands. Kino was able to stab one of mysterious killers before also being knocked unconscious. Juana regained consciousness, saw the pearl, and took hold of it. She then found her husband, who lay unconscious. He soon got up, and she told him that he had killed a man. They had no alternative but to leave the town; however, upon checking the canoe, Kino found a terribly big hole in it. He returned to the hut and found the hut glowing, glowing with flames. Juana grabbed Coyotito, and they fled to Kino’s brother’s home. Kino’s brother helped to conceal them from everyone.

The next day, Kino and his family set out for Loreto. They traveled a great distance and then settled down to rest. During the night, Kino was awakened by noises. He realized that he and his family were being tracked. The trackers passed their hiding place, but Kino did not want to take any chances, so he moved his family into the mountains. The trackers soon set up camp near a spring, very close to where Kino was hiding his family. He decided that the only way to get rid of the trackers was to kill them, and the only way to do that was to attack them. He told Juana to stay hidden with Coyotito. When he arrived at the trackers’ camp site, one of the trackers heard a baby’s cry and directed and fired his gun towards where Juana and Coyotito were hiding. Kino then attacked and killed every single tracker. When he returned to Juana, he realized she was carrying a dead Coyotito.

Kino and Juana returned to their home, with Juana carrying Coyotito, and Kino, the pearl. They both walked toward the shore. Kino handed over the pearl to Juana, and she told him he should be the one to toss it back. He flung his arm back and threw the pearl as hard and as far as he could out into the ocean. The pearl then returned to its sandy home, covered in water plants, and there, rested undisturbed.



My Response:
Greed is poisonous, and it’s a shame that Kino learned this far too late in the story. All Kino was focused on was selling the pearl and spending the money on things for his family. Kino became so wrapped up in this greed that he didn’t even realize, even with frequent warnings from his wife, that the pearl was tearing his family apart. He didn’t listen, and he always thought he was doing the right thing. I would never suspect Kino to become obsessed with the pearl because, in the beginning, he was totally content with having what he had. He appreciated his life to the fullest, and he fully loved everything and everyone in his life. He couldn’t ask for anything more. He loved his wife, Juana, and his one and only son, Coyotito. All of a sudden, a pearl came into his life, and he was so determined to have all the luxuries after selling the pearl that he started to forget the ones that loved him. Greed overtook him, and the wealth that he could possess became his focal point. His family “music” faded to a pianissimo. He didn’t wake up to hear it, but instead, woke up to the noises of mysterious pearl thieves. I felt that even though Kino wanted nice things out of the pearl’s riches, he should not have become as “obsessive” as he had gotten. Wealth does not eliminate all problems, and it was his fault that his son, Coyotito, died. Kino frequently ignored his wife’s wise words to throw the pearl back into the ocean. If only he had listened to his wife earlier, he could have saved his son’s life.

This story was full of greedy characters. The doctor was one of them. He didn’t want to help Kino and his family in the beginning because they weren’t rich, but when Kino found the pearl, the doctor suddenly became their best friend. I am disappointed in the doctor because doctors should abide by certain standards, which include treating people of all classes equally. They should not choose which patients to tend to, solely based on financial status.

The pearl buyers were also very greedy. They didn’t want to pay such a huge sum of money for the pearl so didn’t accept the pearl and said “it wasn’t worth much.” The mysterious attackers were greedy, too, because they attacked innocent Kino just so they could get their hands on the pearl and use its fortunes for themselves. Kino and the people around him were so caught up in the riches the pearl could provide that all it brought was ill fortune. The greed and jealousy led to Kino paying the ultimate sacrifice: losing his one and only son.

This story was really depressing to me because so many people wanted the pearl, and it reminded me of the world today. So many people don’t care who they step on to get what they want. They don’t care who they hurt or destroy in the process. This book’s message and the world today have crossed paths; they intertwine. I think that the author wanted to portray the real world in this book and wanted us to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He wanted to make us aware of man’s natural tendency towards greed and how greed can destroy lives.







“…fantastic posing greed…we should feed all our jewelry to the sea for diamonds do appear to be just like broken glass to me.”



-panic at the disco

-lasie ann