Table of Contents
What is the pearl titled as?
The original publication is also sometimes listed as “The Pearl of La Paz”. Steinbeck expanded the story to novella length and published it under the name The Pearl (1947), published by Viking Press.
What is Chapter 2 of the pearl about?
Dogs and pigs scavenge the shoreline for sea drift in the hazy morning. Amid this scene, Kino and Juana walk down the beach to Kino’s canoe. They are going to search for pearls, desperately hoping to find a pearl of sufficient value to persuade the doctor to treat the poisoned Coyotito.
What is the significance of the title of the novel the pearl?
The title is important as it refers to the central symbol and theme of the book. The great pearl which Kino finds represents his longing and dream to better his life and achieve wealth and happiness – a universal human trait.
What does the pearl symbolize in Chapter 3?
Kino’s dreams, symbolized by his hopes for Coyotito, once so pure, are now mixed with a sense of danger and foreboding (the song of evil). She decries the pearl as evil, a sin, and begs Kino to throw it into the sea before it destroys them.
What religion is Kino in the pearl?
The community in which Kino and his family live is dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. The priest is extremely influential in the affairs of the town. Kino and Juana are firm believers in the involvement of God in their lives, yet their belief is also mixed with some superstition….
What race is Kino in the pearl?
Native American
A strong, young Native American, Kino is The Pearl’s protagonist and the head of its central family. He lives with his wife, Juana, and their son, Coyotito, in a brush house near the Gulf Sea.
How is a pearl formed in Chapter 2?
Pearls, we are told, are made when a grain of sand irritates the inside of the oyster; the oyster simply coats the foreign body with layer after layer, which over time builds up a pearl. Finding one is an accident, simply good luck from God. Kino dives to the bottom with the help of a heavy rock.
What is the irony in the pearl?
The greatest of ironies in The Pearl is that of situational irony, the discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. Here are examples of this irony of situation: When Kino finds the Pearl of the World, he hears “the music of the pearl” and expects his life to improve tremendously.
What are some symbols in the pearl?
The meaning of the pearl as a symbol changes throughout the book. At the beginning, the pearl symbolizes wealth and a better future, but as the novella goes on it symbolizes evil, corruption, greed, and death. If it weren’t for the pearl, Kino and his family would have gone on living their simple life uninterrupted.
What happens in the pearl?
In the middle of the night, Juana steals away with the pearl. Kino wakes as she leaves and pursues her, apprehending her just as she is poised to throw the pearl into the sea. He tackles her, takes the pearl back, and beats her violently, leaving her in a crumpled heap on the beach.
What is the theme of Chapter 3 in the pearl?
Like everyone else, the doctor who turned Kino away desires the pearl. Ignorant of others’ jealousy, Kino and Juana delight in their good fortune, inviting family and friends to share their joy in their newfound treasure.
Why can’t Kino sell the pearl?
Kino did not sell his pearl for fifteen hundred pesos because, as an experienced pearl diver, he knew that his pearl was worth much more. The pearl merchants, however, are working for one main buyer who pays them a salary rather than a portion of the profit.