The reason Kino and Juana wanted to find the pearl in the first place was to cure Coyotito's scorpion bite. When Kino first sees it though he notices a 'ghostly gleam' which might be interpreted as a foreshadowing of danger or a warning of bad things that might happen in the future. Kino doesn't pay attention to that and in fact after curing the baby he begins to get greedy. After a short while, a struggle begins. This is a struggle between Kino and the people around him, including the people from the town; between Kino and himself and also between Kino and the pearl.
The first struggle he faces is that people are starting to be jealous of his pearl. When Kino first finds it he thinks everybody in his village will be happy for him and his wife. Instead, people begin to have a strong and uncontrollable desire towards it. The pearl is very precious and valuable and for this reason someone attempts to steal it from Kino. After that episode Kino starts to realize that he can't fully trust anybody around him. His world is now dark and mysterious. Kino doesn't know who this person might be so he starts to create an outer shell around him. He feels suspicious of all the people near him, fearing them as well. As a reader I would suspect the doctor to be trying to steal the pearl but John Steinbeck creates a feeling of suspense by not revealing who it is. The struggle between the people and Kino is about power and desire for the pearl, something that both the people and Kino have.
There is also a harder struggle for Kino: the struggle within himself. Kino used to be a poor man who was content with what he had, even though it was very little. Kino had a simple and plain life, based on a daily routine that he loved. After he found the beautiful pearl though, he changes into another person. Now the more he has the more he wants. Kino also begins to listen to his wife less and less, and he becomes greedy and stubborn. This struggle is between the new Kino and the old one. The old one could also be considered as his instinct or inner voice. This side of Kino wants to throw the pearl away and return back to his normal life. His inner voice is telling him to break it and forget about the whole thing but when something happens such as when someone tries to steal it, the other side of him takes over. It makes him be aggressive and violent in any way to defend the pearl. This struggle is harder for Kino than the previous one because it's a battle against himself, which makes it also much harder to win.
The last struggle Kino has to fight is between him and the pearl itself. The author describes the pearl by writing that it has two sides. One of them is the happy side filled with hope, new clothing, learning and many other joyful things. The other side is the opposite: hateful, suspicious, untrusting and brutal. Kino finds it hard to decide which side to trust. At first he sees the wonderful part of it, including is son learning to read and write. After a short period of time Kino finds out about the ugly side of his pearl. The pearl causes Kino a lot of trouble and misadventures but still for a long time he keeps it. Kino acts in a way he never would have before having found the pearl but only realizes it after his son Coyotito dies. The struggle between the pearl and Kino is something to do with his feelings and emotions.
Kino and his family face many obstacles, some unpleasant, because of the pearl, this magnificent but also dreadful pearl that they had always dreamed of. There are many times when Kino has the possibility to throw the object of evil away, but he doesn't because the value, promise and fake beauty of the pearl have the power to change his mind. These struggles are challenging for Kino but he always, even if deep down, keeps his true feelings and emotions, which then save him from many other horrible things which the pearl could have caused.
written by Silvia 7DT
No comments:
Post a Comment