At first the pearl is hope (15). The idea of a pearl is the urge Juana feels wash over her as she tries to assuage the suffering of her poisoned son. It's the need for him to be okay and a way to pay for his treatment. When found, it is joy and pride and unbelievable luck (19). When Coyotito seemed to be doing better, the swelling of the sting becoming less prominent, it was luck indeed. The pearl becomes freedom (24-26), granting them the freedom to dream as they pleased. Kino can buy a gun or other small trinkets. He could even get married in the church.
Their luck runs out. Juana decides that the pearl is horrible luck and only brings misfortune. (38) Her son becomes sickly and something tries to steal the pearl (human, beast or devil?) Blood streams down Kino's face. How could holding to the pearl bring any more good luck when it'd turned so awful so quickly?
Later, when the pearl buyers call the pearl worthless, a monstrosity, the pearl means vengeance. Kino would get his fair share of money for the pearl, large and oddly colored though it may be. But it also means fear and uncertainty. Supposing the pearl buyers have been corrupt, every diver has been cheated for much too long. Where must he go to fix this injustice? The capital, maybe? A place too frightening to comprehened.
Kino refused to be cheated because the pearl meant winning. The pearl became avarice for someone ransacked his house and set it aflame. His canoe and family are broken but Kino still clutches the pearl, "The pearl has become my soul. If I am to give it up, I shall lose my soul." (Steinbeck 67) But in the end, the pearl means only evil and death. (S.D.)
What message do you think Steinbeck is trying to convey with this symbolic transformation?
I think Steinbeck is trying to convey a sense of how easily something good can be transformed into something malicious and evil. The pearl, on its own, was something good for Kino and his family. He could use money gained from selling it to get his son an education, buy them new clothes, and become something more than a poor fisherman's family. However, the greed of others causes it to be mutated into a villianous object that tears apart his family. Eventually, he has to flee from the wrath born of avarice and loses his only son, his pride and joy, to the pearl.
ReplyDeleted pierce
At the begining of the book the pearl represnts hopes and dreams being fulfilled, however towards the middle of the book, Kino and Juana experence misfortune they hadn't anticipated. Now the pearl represents something not good but not horrific. Then at the end of the book the pearl represents death and pure evil and at this time Kino allowes himself to let go of it.
ReplyDelete-Katherine M.
In the beginning of the book the pearl is a symbol of hope and prosperity. It gives Kino the opportunity to save his son from the scorpion, and actually do something with his life. Soon the pearl starts turning evil. People start trying to take the pearl from Kino which causes unrest and evil to take hold of him. Eventually it causes him to murder and have his son murdered. The pearl had the potential to give Kino great things but because he was greedy he lost the most important thing in his life his son.
ReplyDeleteTommy K.
As the book starts, Kino and Juana have nothing but each other. They had never felt anything other then modest poverty. This all changed when Kino discovered the pearl. At first, it was a blessing from the gods pure and true. It would send Kino's son to school, buy all of them brand new clothes, and let Kino and Juana get married in a chapel. But as the book goes on the thought and meaning of the pearl completely changes from a gift to a curse. It causes greed to sit on Kino's town like a polluted cloud, affecting everyone who is in its grasp. Everyone was overcome with jealously and after the pearl none of them will be the same ever again.
ReplyDeleteThe pearl changed intentions in this book very drastically. At first when Kino dicovered the pearl, there was tons of joyfulness that hi son could be healed, yet that eventually made the town have pearl fever and go crazy for that pearl. It got his son killed, he murdered people and made his life a wreck. If he wouldn't of found the pearl, though, to go off subject, his son would have died from the scorpion, yet the town wouldn't have been greed and his life would of moved on without his son.
ReplyDeleteCayman S. said...
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the story the pearl is looked at like a gift form God and Kino was lucky to get it. He thinks that he will be able to change his family’s life and that he will be able to give his son a chance in life. Every one is so happy for Kino and some people are a little jealous too. As the story goes on many weird things begin to happen such as the doctor being very nice and then one night while they were sleeping, someone was out side their house trying to steal the pearl. As these events occur the people begin to look at the pearl as bad look and an attraction to evil. Later their house was burnt down and Kino’s canoe is broken by some one. The evil things continue to happen and as a result, Kino and his family decide to leave the town to escape the evil.