the pearl john steinbeck kino juana abusive relationship

Juana tries to ease the pain by treating her child’s wound with seaweed. In despair, Kino and Juana return to the shore.

He could help just out of compassion, he could work out a plan of payment or at least give the parents some advice about what to do with the scorpio sting – but he does nothing. We see the doctor as one of the stereotypical characters in “The Pearl”, he can fit into any fairy tale – an evil and greedy man, who values money above anything else. But the doctor is greedy and cruel – he refuses to help, because the couple is too poor to pay for his services. Kino and Juana immediately take the kid and rush to the local doctor, pleading for help. He tries to take it away from his son and it is one of the most disturbing moments in the whole story – the little Coyotito shudders and the scorpio falls into the cradle, stinging the baby to the shoulder. Suddenly Kino sees a scorpio, climbing to the crib. We know that Kino has to work very hard to feed his family, but still he finds time for this moment of tenderness and it is a powerful initial characterization of him.

The first time we see Kino is when he is looking at his son, peacefully sleeping in his cradle. But despite their poverty they seem happy and content with their life. Kino, the pearl diver and Juana, his wife, are struggling to feed themselves and their infant son Coyotito. A poor family of a pearl diver lives on the seashore. The story starts in a way lots of myths do. Let’s see how these plotlines progress throughout the story and figure out what is the theme of “The Pearl”.

The very characters in “The Pearl”, though very stereotypical, shows us the vivid metaphor of humane values that are challenged by the enormous wealth and power this wealth gains. The cursed treasure themes in “The Pearl” send us right to the apocryphal stories of the ancient cultures.Īnother powerful plot line in “The Pearl” is the theme of family. This novel is a classic social drama that has almost mythological symbolism in it. The characterization of Kino and Juana and the descriptions of styles used in “The Pearl”ĭespite the different styles used in “The Pearl”, we can easily distinguish the main way to portray the most important themes. The Social Drama and The Characters in “The Pearl” By John Steinbeck

The Social Drama and The Characters in “The Pearl” By John Steinbeck.

The pearl john steinbeck kino juana abusive relationship