Sunday, December 6, 2009

The mysterious man Kino killed

The book told me really nothing about him, but from what he did, he is evidence for a point: Money is the root of all evil and causes greed, hatred, and inequality. We know him for doing only one thing: Trying to steal the pearl and dying for it. He tried to steal Kino's pearl, searching through his hut and eventually burning the hut. This action was obviously driven by hatred, and the man was driven by greed very strongly. He paid for his actions with his life.

Juana- Is she tempted by money?

Kino is obviously tempted by money. So is the man Kino killed and the trackers and pearl-buyers. But is Juana tempted?
I think the answer is No. I say this because although she acknowledges that money, symbolized by the pearl, could buy them good things, she does three things against the pearl. One, when she sees that the pearl is bringing them all bad luck, she begs Kino to toss it into the sea, or grind it to bits. Two, she sneaks out one night and tries to toss the pearl away, and would have done so if Kino had not stopped her before she could. And three, she asks Kino if he should get rid of the pearl, but he refuses.
Although bad things happen to Juana, she is more a victim of Kino's greed rather than her own.

Kino: Who is he before and after finding the pearl?

At the beginning of The Pearl, he is a happy man at peace with himself. At the end, he is unhappy and has done many things he wishes he had never done.
What changed?
He started out happy with everything he had. A wife, a child, friendly neighbors, a canoe and a home...He needed no more to be happy. Then, he found the pearl. At once he began to dream about things he didn't need before he got the pearl. A rifle, a formal marriage, an education for Coyotito, none despicable things, but things he never seemed to need before. He became extremely protective of the pearl, hurting Juana, killing a man, hiding the pearl. Then the bad luck really started. His house and canoe were destroyed, and later, Coyotito was killed. All of this was really caused by his finding the pearl and not getting rid of it fast. I think Steinbeck is trying to say that money(the pearl) causes trouble and is showing it through Kino, which is like my theme, Money causes greed and hatred.