The Pearl

TEOH CHIA PEI

• Some happy or happy instances in the novel.
• How the happy and unhappy instances affect the ending of the novel.

The novel “The Pearl” is written by John Steinbeck. It tells of a tale of the many trials and tribulations faced by an Indian-Mexican fisherman named Kino and his family. As with every novel, The Pearl’s plot contains several happy and unhappy instances. All of which, play a role in affecting the ending of the novel.

The first prominent event happens to be an unhappy one. Coyotito, Kino and Juana’s first-born child, is stung by a venomous scorpion. He soon falls ill under the effects of the scorpion’s poison. Worried that she might lose her first child, Juana suggests the then absurd idea of consulting the local doctor to cure Coyotito to Kino. After some hesitation, Kino agrees. A huge crowd of villagers soon descends to the town of La Paz with Kino and his family at its helm. Alas, what soon follows also happens to be an unhappy instance. As Kino only has “eight small misshapen seed pearls” (Page 11) which are of almost no value, the pompous local doctor outright rejects their request out of greed. This was soon followed by the public humiliation of Kino as the doctor’s servant relays the news to him and shuts the gates in his face.

However, things take a turn for the better after an eventful pearl diving trip off the coast of La Paz. Kino’s persistence in searching of a pearl to fund Coyotito’s treatment eventually rewards him with a glorious pearl, the greatest pearl in the world. With it, he hears the song of the great pearl which “rose like a chorus of trumpets in his ears " (Page 28). It is as large as a seagull's egg, as "perfect as the moon." (Page 29). With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security at the cost of defying the system. Kino can finally afford Coyotito’s treatment, a proper marriage in the church with Juana, new clothes and in general, a better life. In spite of this, the break of good luck is short lived. The pearl turns out to be a disaster in disguise over the course of the novel.

When Kino tries to sell the pearl, the scheming pearl buyers unfortunately set ridiculously undervalued prices for Kino’s great pearl such that he becomes reluctant to give up the pearl. Soon after that, Kino grows paranoid and greedy as the pearl corrupts him. He is then assaulted thrice by unknown assailants who are after the pearl. He kills one of them and with the slaying of the third assailant his family’s nose dive into misfortune is catalysed. His house, razes to the ground. His canoe, is rendered useless. His crimes, fatal. Salvaging whatever they can from their kind brother and neighbour, Juan Thomas, they silently escape to the capital in the north. Still, they do not escape whatever misery they hope to leave behind. They have to traverse treacherous terrain and before long, they are on the run as well from a trio of hired trackers. One is on horseback and another two on foot. Later that night, Kino attempts to ambush and kill all the trackers before they kill him and his family at the base of a rocky mountain. Tragically, Coyotito is shot in the head and killed in the scuffle. Jaded and full of despair, Kino flings the pearl back into the sea, where it settles into the sand and disappears. This ends the now smaller family’s heartrending episodes of broken hopes, humanity’s greed and insincere thoughts of others.

All these unhappy and happy instances come together to bring about a mostly bitter and sad ending worthy of a tragedy movie. Whatever hopes and dreams they have of a better life upon discovering the great pearl only leads them into an antagonised version of it all. To put it in a nutshell, Kino and his family jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire with Kino’s course of actions following the pearl’s unearthing which cumulates with the accidental and brutal murder of Coyotito.