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John Steinbeck's The Pearl

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Recommended: Themes of violence in the novel the pearl by john steinbeck

The Pearl to Kino was an item of value that could have brought hope and glory, but ultimately brought death and sorrow. When Kino first found The Pearl, he dreamed of the things he could do with it. Later in the book he was skeptical whether it was the best thing for him and his family. At the end of the book, his mind was completely changed his mind about the help The Pearl could bring. Kino felt that when he found The Pearl, he was the luckiest man on earth but it did not turn out that way.

One day, Kino was doing his routine pearl diving when he saw a large oyster, “The shell was partly open, for the overhang protected this ancient oyster, and in the lip-like muscle kino saw a ghostly gleam, and then the shell closed down.” Kino was …show more content…

The Pearl went from a shining object to an evil and dark one that needed to be destroyed. When Kino’s house and boat were destroyed Kino became sad and emotional, as we see in this passage, “They sat silently all day in the darkness of the house.” In this time, The Pearl became Kino’s life and everything he was doing involved it as you can see here, “ ‘This pearl has become my soul,’ said Kino. ‘If I give it up I shall lose my soul. '” Kino knew The Pearl was only bringing trouble but still wanted to get something out of it so he set off for the capital.

It was on his way to the capital where he knew the Pearl was completely evil. The Pearl brought trackers who were after Kino, whom he describes here, “Now the darkness was closing in on his family; now the evil music filled the night.” Even Kino himself started to grow evil as you can see here, “Kino’s face grew dark and dangerous.” Then the trackers killed Coyotito, which was the last drop of hope left and this caused The Pearl to be loud and distorted.

The Pearl went through different phases through the entire book. It went through the phase of light where it was glorious and brought hope for Kino. Then The Pearl went through a transitional phase where it was starting to be distorted. Finally, The Pearl became completely evil and distorted and Kino got rid of it. John Steinbeck conveyed the Pearl’s traits well throughout the book, whether it was

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In The Pearl, events in Kino’s life cause him to change from the beginning to the end of the story. “ It was a morning like other mornings and yet perfect among mornings.” This is a quote from The Pearl shows that Kino is content with his life. Even though Kino is poor he is happy and not searching for other things to come into his life.

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Pearl, throughout the book, shows everyone in a new light. Through the eyes of a child, filled with understanding. Wanting to learn more about the people around her, lets us also get to read more of them in depth. Making Pearl essential to the book, from her birth giving the main plot of the story, to her being treated by the millionairess elders of the town, and finally being awaken into the new world, through so many deaths.

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The pearl became evil through all the greed in humanity; therefore, bringing bad luck to anyone who touches it. Throughout the course of the story, I felt annoyed at Kino’s greed and selfishness. After I read the book, I learned that too much greed can lead to suffering, violence, and one’s downfall. Before, I never really knew the consequences of excess greed, but after reading “The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, now I know that I should never let greed take control over me. “He looked into his pearl to find his vision.

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