THE PEARL ANALYSIS -THEMES (Sample Essays Questions with Answers)

THEMES IN THE PEARL 

By Wafula Wekati

Follow @wafulawekati 

This articles covers themes in The Pearl. 

What are the major themes in The Pearl?

• Greed
• The Role of women in society 
• Appearance vs reality
• Poverty
• Family
• Class differences 
• Oppression 
• Good vs Evil 
• Fate   

Themes in the Pearl 

DOWNLOAD THE PEARL PDF FULL NOVEL HERE. 

There are several themes in The Pearl by John Steinbeck. This article will focus on the major themes in The Pearl.  

The Pearl  is a timeless novella that highlights several themes that we can relate to as Kenyans. It is no wonder that it is one of the set texts handled in the Kenyan curriculum. 

Themes in The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The major theme in the text is the innate human greed. However, the text handles many other subjects such as oppression, class differences, family, fate, religion among others. 

1. Theme of Greed 

This is the major theme in The Pearl. Most characters are portrayed as being greedy. Kino, the doctor, the priest and the pearl dealers are good examples of corrupt individuals in this society. Steinbeck has used the characters above to highlight the theme of greed. 

"For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give hem one thing and they want something more" (P 45)

• Kino

Kino is the protagonist in The Pearl . He is a poor native Mexican of the Red Indian descent. He lives with his wife Juana and their son Coyotito in the poor neighbourhood of La Paz. 

Kino is poor but seemingly contented with the simple lifestyle. This changes when his son is stung by a scorpion. The European doctor refuses to treat the child. He says that the "little Indians" never have any money. (P 28). Kino could only offer "eight small misshapen seed pearls that were ugly and grey like little ulcers, flattened and almost valueless" (P 28). The greedy doctor sends them away claiming he had a serious case to attend to. 

Kino and Juana set out to look for a pearl with which they could pay the doctor to treat their child. They are lucky enough to find one. When Kino finds the pearl of the world, however,  his greed is exposed. He only thinks about material gains for him and his family and would do anything including harming and killing people in order to achieve this. 

Kino hopes to get married in church, to buy new clothes (P 44), a new harpoon of iron with a ring at the end of the shaft, a rifle- a Winchester Carbine rifle, and to take Coyotito to school. 

The Pearl exposes the underlying greed in the people of La Paz. Everyone hopes to benefit from Kino's pearl. The priest, the shopkeepers, the doctor, the dealers and even the beggars who know that there is no alms giver in the world like a poor man who is suddenly lucky (P42). 

"All manner of people grew interested in Kino - people with things to sell and people with favours to ask." (P43)

Kino would do anything to protect his pearl. A thief tries to steal it and he bruises his forehead while trying to protect it but he refuses to let go of it even after Juana begs him to get rid of it. (P58-59). Kino is attacked and slashed from ear to chin (P 79). He also attacks his wife Juana. He strikes her in the face with a clenched fist and kicks her on the side. (P83). Kino kills a man and three other men (the trackers) in order to protect his pearl. 

Due to his greed Kino loses his child Coyotito, his hut, his canoe and his old way of life. (Outcome of his greed) 

• The Priest 

The priest ostensibly represents good morals in the society. However, he is also selfish. When he hears about Kino's magnificent pearl while walking in his garden  he only thinks about how the pearl can benefit him. He thinks about necessary repairs in the church. He wonders about the worth of the pearl. This is the first time he thinks about baptizing Coyotito and marrying Kino and Juana (P41). He clearly wants to exploit Kino for his new found wealth. He is not different from the doctor, the shopkeeper, the beggars and the dealers who hope to benefit from Kino's pearl. 

The priest visits Kino when he hears about the pearl. He considers Kino and his people children. He tells Kino "... thou art named after a great man and a great Father of the Church' (P47). He is amazed by the beauty of the pearl. 

He asks Kino to remember to give thanks for the great fortune. "I hope thou wilt remember to give thanks my son, to Him who has given thee this treasure, and to pray for guidance in the future." (P 48)

The priest is greedy. His presence attracts the music of evil in Kino's ears. 

• The Doctor 

The doctor is greedy, He only goes to the brush houses when he hears about Kino's great pearl. He hopes to benefit from it. When he gets wind of the news about the great pearl, his dream of going to Paris comes alive. He remembers the luxurious place, the hard faced woman, the restaurant in Paris, and the bottle of wine.  (P 42)

When Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, Juana asks for the doctor. The doctor does not come to the brushwood houses because the dwellers are poor. The beggars in front of the church know about his cruelty, his avarice, his appetites and his sins. (P 25) 

The doctor refuses to attend to Kino and his sick child. He has no time to treat insect bites for little Indians (P 28). He asks if Kino has any money and concludes that they never have any money.  Kino can only offer eight misshapen seed pearls, as ugly and grey as little ulcers. The servants says that the doctor is not in, when as a matter of fact he is. 

When Kino gets the great pearl the doctor comes all the way to the brushwood huts. He claims that Kino is a client of his. He even posions Coyotito just to make it appear like he was very ill. This cruelty is a result of greed. After he administers a dose of three drops of ammonia, the baby gets better. He immediately asks when Kino can pay the bill. (P 56) 

He inquires about the pearl trying to sound as if he did not know that Kino has one. He tries to persuade Kino to let him keep it or tell him where he hid it. 

When he leaves that evening, someone later tries to steal the pearl. 

SAMPLE ESSAY BASED ON THE THEME OF GREED IN THE PEARL.  

"Kino is over ambitious. As a result he suffers. Write an essay to validate this statement citing illustrations from John Steinbeck's The Pearl ."  

Click here to read the full essay on greed in the pearl.  

Get more  KCSE ESSAYS ON THE PEARL  here.  

2. Theme of Role of Women in Society 

The society in which the novella is set is largely patriarchal. On the contrary, the author paints Juana, Kino’s wife, as a woman who seems more reflective and practical than her husband. She is a symbol of how women can rise above the suffocating scourge of male chauvinism and emerge as the strong pillars of the family set up. 

“Sometimes the quality of woman, the reason, the caution, the sense of preservation, could cut through Kino’s manness and save them all”.  (pg 85)

From the onset, Juana is portrayed as an industrious and responsible wife. We learn that her husband Kino could never remember seeing her eyes closed when he awakened (pg 17) .The author describes her as obedient, respectful, cheerful and patient. Juana is “strong like a man” and could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself.

When their son Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, she springs into action. First, she tries to suck the poison out. She then asks whoever cares to listen to go get the doctor. Kino, as well as all his neighbours, who live in the poor neighbourhood of La Paz, find this surprising. This particular doctor never comes to the brushwood houses because he prefers to treat rich people to satisfy his own avarice. 

When it becomes apparent that the doctor won’t come, she demands that they go to him. Unlike Kino who sat there boiling with rage, Juana quickly thinks of viable solutions to save their son’s life. Even Kino, who tirelessly reminds her that he is a man, is stunned by her steely determination. When she leads the way and Kino follows her (pg 24) she is depicted as decisive and prudent.

The avaricious doctor refuses to treat Coyotito because Kino does not have money to foot the bill for the treatment. When he finds out that Kino could only offer eight paltry misshapen seed pearls that looked grey and ugly as ulcers, he asks his servant to send them away claiming he was out handling a serious case. At that moment, Kino and Juana are reminded of the plight of the poor man in La Paz. 

They had to find a pearl with which they could pay the doctor in order to save Coyotito’s life. Juana understands the value of family when she accompanies her husband when he goes out pearl fishing (pg 32). She also uses practical means to try and reduce the baby’s pain when she gathers some brown seaweed and makes a poultice which she applies to the baby’s swollen shoulder. Her quick action seems to have worked since the poison eventually recedes from Coyotito’s body.

Juana understands her position as a wife and respects her husband. When the doctor comes to treat Coyotito after he got the wind of Kino’s pearl Juana is suspicious of him. When he holds out his hand “she clutches the baby tight and looked at Kino…” as if waiting for his approval.

Moreover, she is wise enough to see that the pearl is potentially harmful and could destroy their family. “This thing is evil…it will destroy us.” She sees what Kino could not see.

Also, she comforts Kino and Coyotito by singing the melody of the family in the face of adversity.

Juana is a protective, caring woman. She tries to stop Kino from walking out into the dark to confront the unknown person lurking around their brushwood hut with the intention of stealing his pearl. When she fails to stop him, “she seized a stone from the fireplace and rushed outside” (pg 79).

After growing tired of Kino’s inaction, she decides to throw the pearl away because she feels that it is evil. This turns Kino into a beast. He attacks her fiercely after allowing his anger and greed to blind him. Even after she was attacked and hurt by Kino, she stays considerate/reasonable/rational/ level-headed. “There was no anger in her for Kino” (pg 84).

Juana then convinces Kino to leave the village after he killed a man."You have killed a man, we must go away”. She is also resolute to keep the family together when Kino suggests that they split while trying to shake off the trackers who were hot in their pursuit.

To sum up, Steinbeck depicts Juana as a responsible wife who plays an outstanding role of keeping the family together and giving Kino the strength he needed both during the calm, happy times and also during the tumultuous days after Kino found the pearl. She stands out as the voice of reason in a society full of greed and materialism. As much as the world is filled with evil, she serves as a reminder that not all hope is lost.

John Steinbeck manages to weave the theme of women's role in society through the character of Juana. 

SAMPLE ESSAY QUESTION BASED ON THE THEME OF ROLE OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY  

"Juana is portrayed as a voice of reason in La Paz. Basing your illustrations on John Steinbeck's The Pearl; write an essay to validate this assertions." 

Click here to read the full essay on Juana's role in The Pearl.  

3. Theme of Appearance vs Reality 

The Pearl by John Steinbeck clearly depicts a society in which things are not always as they seem. Not all that glitters is gold. When Kino finds the great pearl, he hopes to transform his life and that of his family. However, the pearl which glistens brightly and seems like the answer to all of Kino’s problems turns out to be the cause of a myriad of miseries that befall Kino and his family. The other characters like the doctor, the priest and the pearl dealers seem like they have Kino’s best interest at heart when he finds the pearl, but in real sense they only plan to exploit him. In this article, we look at the deceptive nature of appearance. 

• The Pearl 

v   Kino’s pearl promises to be a silver bullet to solve all problems that have afflicted Kino and his people since time immemorial.

v  It is the most beautiful pearl ever found in La Paz:

“… so lovely it was, so soft… music of promise and delight, guarantee of the future, comfort, of security… a poultice against illness: a wall against insult; a promise of hope.” 

(P60) Juana had prayed that they may find a pearl with which to hire the doctor to cure the baby (P33). The pearl looked “perfect as a moon” and “it was as large as a seagull’s egg” (P37).”Its curve was perfect” (P38)

v  Kino thinks that because of the pearl they could do things he had given up as impossible (P 44). Kino and his people have lived a life of oppression and poverty inflicted by the Europeans and the Catholic Church. When he found the pearl, he knew that he would unshackle himself and his people from the jaws of oppression and poverty.

v  He hopes to marry his wife Juana in church (P 44). Kino also hopes to get new clothes for himself, his wife and his son. A new shawl, new skin and new shoes for Juana; new white clothes, a new hat made of fine black felt and new laced shoes for Kino; and a blue sailor suit from the US and a little yachting cap for Coyotito. Kino hopes to buy a new harpoon of iron with a ring at the end of the shaft to replace the lost one. He also hopes to acquire a Winchester Carbine rifle. (P 45) He hopes Coyotito will get educated. In the pearl he sees him “dressed in a jacket, he had on a white collar, sitting on a little desk” Kino says:

 “My son will go to school. My son will read and will open books … My son will write and will know writing … he will make us free because he will know.” (P 46)

These things do not come to pass. The pearl instead brings misfortunes to Kino and his loved ones.  

Ø  Kino is attacked by an unknown assailant. He is slashed and blood oozes from his scalp when someone hovers about their brushwood hut with the intention of stealing the pearl. (P 79) He is attacked when he tries to protect it. Juana cries that the pearl is evil.

Ø  Kino attacks Juana when she tries to throw the pearl back into the sea. He strikes her on the face with his clenched fist and kicks her on the side. He hisses at her like a snake (P 83).

Ø  Kino kills a man who tries to snatch the pearl from him. “You have killed a man” (P 86) “I was attacked. I struck to save my life.”

Ø  Kino’s property is destroyed. Someone punches a hole into his canoe and his house in burnt by unknown people who had ransacked it searching for the pearl. This really hurts Kino and makes him “an animal”.

Even his brother Juan Tomas warns him about the evil nature of the pearl. He says “There is a devil in this pearl.” (P 90)

Ø  Kino again kills three other men, the trackers who were hot on his pursuit with a view of stealing his pearl. His ultimate loss comes when his only son Coyotito is shot dead by one of the trackers. (P115)

The same pearl that seems like a beacon of hope for Kino turns out to be the cause of evil and irreparable destruction and loss in his life. Indeed, appearance can be deceptive.  

•        The Doctor

The deceptive nature of appearances can also be seen through the doctor. The doctor comes to the brushwood huts to treat Coyotito. This seems like a genuine act of kindness. He says;

“He’s a client of mine”

“I am treating his child for a scorpion sting” (P 41-42)

In order to fully take advantage of Kino’s ignorance and to exploit him, the doctor warns him about the effects of a scorpion sting:

“A withered leg or a blind eye or a crumpled back”

He says he can cure the sting. Although Kino is suspicious of the doctor and angry at him, his rage turns into fear because he is ignorant. (P 51)

The doctor talks about the poison that has made the child’s eyes blue. He gives the child some white powder enclosed in a capsule of gelatine. (P 51) After about an hour the baby is very sick. His face is flushed; his throat is working, a little drool of saliva, and spasms of the stomach muscles.

Coyotito only gets better after the doctor administers three drops of ammonia. Afterwards, he asks for when Kino can pay the bill. (P 56) It becomes apparent that the doctor poisons the child for his own selfish gains (greed, avarice). At first he had refused to treat Coyotito disdainfully claiming that Indians have no money. His servant says he is out attending to a serious case when he was actually in. When he gets wind of the news about the great pearl, his dream of going to Paris comes alive. He remembers the luxurious place, the hard faced woman, the restaurant in Paris, and the bottle of wine.  (P 42)

The doctor is not genuine in his quest to treat Coyotito. He only wants to satisfy his avarice.

The doctor seems hell bent on acquiring the pearl by any means possible. Later that night, someone tries to steal the pearl and in the process of protecting it Kino bruises his forehead.  The thief escapes. (P 55-56)

Juana says:

“The pearl is like a sin” “It has brought evil” (P 59)
“It will destroy us” Juana cried. “Even our son.” (P 60)

•     The pearl dealers

The way the pearl dealers are organized it appears as if there are many pearl buyers yet there is only one buyer who keeps many agents in different offices to give a semblance of competition. Kino and his people were easily deceived by this little trick. (P 42)  

The stout pearl dealer silently contemplates of cheating Kino out of his pearl. He appears benign and fatherly. His eyes twinkle with friendship. He seems jolly and harmless, yet he plays to cheat Kino. (P 69) He says that Kino’s pearl is tantamount to fool’s gold, a curiosity that has no value. He claims that the pearl is large and clumsy. He offers to part with a measly 1,000 pesos for a pearl Kino thinks is 50,000 pesos,

He has conspired with the other dealers though it ostensibly doesn’t seem so. The first dealer calls it a monstrosity, the second one says it would fade and die and the third one offers Kino 500 pesos claiming he has a client who can buy it for 600 pesos. When Kino decides that his pearl is not for sale there, the conspiring, pretentious dealers quickly glance at one another for “they knew they had played too hard.” (P 75)

Even Kino’s neighbours fell for the dealers’ trap.  

“The dealers did not discuss those things … ‘“But suppose they had arranged it before?”“If that is so, then all of us have been cheated all of our lives.” (P 75)

•       The Priest

 The local priest ostensibly represents virtues and goodness. However, when he hears about the pearl of the world his evil nature of greed is exposed. He is no different from the others. He immediately thinks about the church repairs, and even about the worth of the pearl. He asks himself whether Coyotito had been baptized, and whether Kino was married in church (P 41) .He even comes to Kino’s village, something he rarely ever does. He lies that Kino is named after a great father of the church (P 47). He reminds Kino to “give thanks”. Our good priest is also clearly greedy just like the others. His main intention, though subtle, is to exploit Kino of his new found wealth. It is baffling that a clergy man would think of exploiting a poor man. 

 To sum up, humans are innately greedy and evil regardless of their social status, creed or race. Even those who appear selfless and benevolent sometimes turn out to be greedy and selfish. All that glitters is not gold.

4. Theme of Poverty 

Kino is a poor man. He lives with his wife Juana and son Coyotito in a brushwood shack in La Paz.

They live a life of squalor. They sleep on a mat while Coyotito sleeps in a hanging box.

“He looked at the hanging box where Coyotito slept” (P 17)

“…he turned his head to Juana his wife, who lay beside him on the mat.” (P 17)

Kino covers his nose with a blanket since the air is dank (unpleasantly damp and cold)They eat simple meals because they cannot afford better food.

“Kino squatted by the fire pit and rolled a hot corn-cake and dipped in sauce and ate it, he drank a little pulque … that is the only breakfast he had ever known” (P 20)

Kino’s shelter is full of crevices. It’s not safe for little Coyotito because he gets stung by a scorpion while sleeping in his box (P 22)Because of poverty they cannot afford to get proper medical services. The avaricious doctor does not come to the cluster of brushwood houses. Juana wants them to go to get the doctor but everyone knows he won’t come. “Why should he, when he had more than he could do to take care of the rich who lived in the stone and plaster houses of the town?” (P 23)  

When they get to the doctor’s house he refuses to treat Coyotito mainly because they are poor.

“Have I nothing better to do but cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’?”

“No, they never have any money”

Because of lack of money they cannot afford medical care for their child. Kino can only offer “eight small misshapen seed pearls, as ugly and grey as little ulcers, flattened and almost valueless.” (P 28) Juana is thus forced to resort to primitive means to help her son from the effects of the scorpion sting. When he is stung, she instinctively sucks the poison out of the child’s shoulder. (P 22) Later she gathers some brown seaweed and makes a flat damp poultice and applies it to the baby’s shoulder as a remedy for the pain. (P 33)

Poor people have to rely on luck for survival. Kino and other pearl divers rely on pearls as a source of livelihood and finding one is usually a matter of chance.

“But the pearls were accidents, and finding one was luck, a little pat on the back by God or the gods or both.” (P 34)

Because Kino is poor, he cannot afford to live a normal life and acquire basic wants like marrying his wife in church (P 44). He can finally dream of these things when he finds a magnificent pearl that he hopes to sell. He hopes to acquire new clothes (P 44), a harpoon, and a rifle and to take Coyotito to school. “…he saw Coyotito sitting at a little desk in school, just as Kino had once seen it through an open door.” (P 45)

Poverty had made Kino to see these things as impossible and he had given up on them (P 44)

Kino is ignorant because he could not afford to acquire education since he is poor. Thus, all manner of people try to take advantage of him. The priest tries to exploit Kino because he has found a great pearl. He says that Kino is named after a great man and a great father of the church and asks him to remember to give thanks. He simply hopes to benefit from Kino’s pearl (P 47-48).

The doctor also tries to exploit Kino when he gets wind of his pearl. He finally comes to the brush hut. He warns Kino about the effects of the scorpion sting “…a withered leg or a blind eye or a crumpled back.” (P 50)

Kino fears that the doctor may be saying the truth. He is a poor, ignorant man and he cannot take chances with his son’s life. 

Poverty is like a prison.  He feels trapped “He was trapped as his people were also trapped”

The doctor takes advantage of Kino’s ignorance and even poisons his child with a view of compounding the illness hoping to cheat Kino out of his pearl (P 52). Poor Coyotito suffers the pain (P 54)

The pearl dealers also try to cheat Kino out of the true value of his pearl. They take joy and satisfaction in breaking the price “as far down as possible” (P 64). They seem honest but a pearl buyer is a pearl buyer and the best and happiest pearl buyer was he who bought for the lowest prices” (P 64)

The pearl dealers take advantage of Kino’s poverty to lower the prices even further. Juan Tomas tells Kino “We do not know what prices are paid in other places ... how can we know what is a fair price?” (P 67) Kino’s people tried to earn more money in the past by sending agents with their pearls but this method bore no fruit. Kino values his pearl at 50, 000 pesos but the highest the dealers can go is 1,500 pesos.

Since Kino lives in a shanty, intruders can easily access his house. A thief sneaks into his hut when they are asleep and tries to steal Kino’s pearl. Kino bruises his forehead trying to defend his new found wealth. (P 58-59)

Due to poverty Kino’s life is seems worthless in the eyes of those trying to acquire his pearl. He is faced with constant danger while trying to defend his pearl. This is because he wants to escape poverty so badly. He says: “This is our chance. Our son must go to school. He must break out of the pot that holds us in” (P 60). The pot of depression brought about by poverty.

Kino suffers physical pain and emotional distress while trying to protect the pearl, his new found hope out of poverty. Juana asks him who he fears and he says he fears everyone. A stranger lurking in the dark slashes Kino badly. “Blood oozes down from his scalp … a long deep cut in his cheek from ear to chin, a deep bleeding slash.” (P 79)  

Kino is attacked again on the path from the beach after he beats Juana up when she tries to throw the pearl away. “I was attacked.” (P 86)

The three trackers also hunt Kino like one would do an animal. One has a rifle. They have no regard for his life. Since he is poor, to them he is dispensable. Kino even offers to be taken by the trackers but Juana warns his about the repercussions. “Do you think they would take you back alive to say they had stolen it?” “Do you you think they would let me live? Do you think they would let the little one here live?” (P 102)

Kino and his people have wallowed in abject poverty and oppression for 400 years since the colonialists arrived. That’s why he tries his best to escape from poverty but as fate would have it, he instead sinks deeper into it. He loses his hut, his only valuable possession a canoe he inherited from his grandfather and his only son Coyotito, who is shot dead by one of the trackers after mistaking his cry for a Coyote’s.

Surely, poverty is dehumanizing

SAMPLE ESSAY QUESTION BASED ON THE THEME OF POVERTY IN THE PEARL 

"Poverty is dehumanizing. Write a composition to ascertain this claim basing your illustrations on John Steinbeck's The Pearl." 

Click here to read the full essay on poverty in The Pearl.   

5. Theme of Family

Kino and his people value family ties. Throughout the novel Kino is comforted by the soft song of the family which brings warmth and comfort in his heart (P17-18).

“Kino felt all the warmth and security of his family behind him, and the Song of the Family came from behind him like the purring of a kitten” (P 49)  

It is a source of joy and hope.

Juana is a caring wife who values her family. When Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, she risks her own life by sucking out the poison from the baby’s shoulder (P 22).

She also makes a poultice out of seaweed to reducing the pain and swelling (P 33)

She wakes up early to prepare breakfast for her family. Kino could never remember seeing her eyes closed when he awakened (P 17).

Kino also values family so much. The own thing of value he owns is a canoe he inherited from his father who got it from his grandfather who brought it from Nayarit. It is Kino’s source of livelihood “for man with a boat can guarantee a woman that she will eat something” (P 32).

Since Kino loves his son and doesn’t want to lose him he allows the doctor to treat him even though he loathes the greedy, contemptuous doctor.  Because of his fear and love for his son he allows the doctor to treat him.

 “He could not take a chance, not with the life or with the straightness of Coyotito” (P 51)

Although the pearl brings pain to Kino and his family, he still clings on to it dearly because he hopes to change his family’s life for the better. He fights to give Coyotito formal education for him to break out of the bondage of poverty, ignorance and oppression.

“Our son must go to school” (P 60).

He tells Juan Tomas: “My son must have a chance” (P 77)

He tells Juana: “Our son must learn to read” (P 98)

This is because he loves him and he does not want him to suffer like other natives of La Paz the Red Indians.

He also wants to marry Juana in church, buy her and Coyotito new clothes and to get a rifle to protect his family.

Juan Tomas also protects and advises his younger brother Kino. He and his family respond quickly when Coyotito is stung by a scorpion. He accompanies Kino both when he goes to the doctor and when he goes to the dealers to sell his pearl. He tells him to be careful that they don’t cheat him.

“You must be careful to see they do not cheat you” (P 66)

He also warns Kino about going to the capital where he has no friends or family 

“Here you have friends, and me your brother. There you will have no one” (P 77)

He knows that the pearl has brought evil and cautions Kino about it. He says: “There is a devil in this pearl. You should have sold and passed on the devil.” (P 90)

Juan Tomas offers to protect Kino and his family and host him in his house after he kills a man. This is after Kino’s house is razed to the ground by unknown people trying to steal the pearl. Juan Tomas risks his wellbeing for the sake of Kino, his brother.

“I will hide you … I will protect you” (P 90).

He helps Kino by diverting the neighbour’s suspicions (P 91) and also tries to collect some supplies Kino may need for the journey north.  

“ …a little woven straw bag of red beans and a gourd full of rice … a cup of dried peppers and a block of salt … a long working knife, and a small axe, a tool and a weapon.” (P 91)

While trying to escape from the trackers Kino considers giving himself up in order to save his family. This spirit of self-sacrifice shows how he cares for his family (P 102)  

Juana tries to persuade Kino to get rid of the pearl several times. She says the pearl is evil and it will destroy their family. When Kino fails to heed, she tries to throw the pearl away herself. She believes the pearl is a sin and tries to protect her husband and son. She is right all along since eventually the pearl brings agony/pain to the family. Kino loses his canoe and his hut and ultimately their only son Coyotito is shot dead. 

SAMPLE ESSAY QUESTION ON THE THEME OF FAMILY IN THE PEARL 

Get more KCSE essays questions on the Pearl here. 

“Family members always want the best for us”. Write an essay to validate this claim basing your illustrations from John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. (20 Marks) 

Click here to read the full essay  

THEME OF CLASS DIFFERENCES

This is one of the most outstanding themes in The Pearl. The society is made up of rich people and poor people. Kino, like the other poor natives of La Paz, is a poor man. He struggles to, albeit unsuccessfully, to escape the bondage of poverty. We can tell that Kino is poor from description of his home, meals, clothes and his ambitions. On the other hand, La Paz has relatively rich individuals like the doctor, the priest, the pearl buyers etc. There is a clear distinction and stratification that sets the social standards apart.

Kino and his people live like paupers. They sleep on mats and hanging boxes (P 17). They eat simple, bland meals day in, day out (P 20). The doctor, who is not of Kino’s race, would rather treat rich people for he does not care about the poor. (P 23)

The description of Kino and Juana’s clothes is so vivid and graphic, that even the four beggars in front of the church “set them down as poverty people” (P 25)

The doctor is not willing to treat Coyotito, when he is stung by a scorpion, because he knows the Indians cannot afford to pay for the treatment. (P 28)

Kino can only offer “eight misshapen seed pearls, ugly and grey as little ulcers, flattened and almost valueless.” (P 28)

There is a sharp contrast between the dwelling places of the rich and the poor. The poor live in brush houses while the rich live in stone and plaster houses with cool gardens, water fountains and secured with walls. (P 24) The description of the doctor’s home shows how affluent he is. (P 26-27) His red watered silk dressing-gown is imported from Paris; he has a servant and eats decent meals like chocolate and biscuits.

When Kino finds the Pearl of the World, he has ambitions to get a rifle to break down barriers. These barriers prevent them from escaping destitution. (P 45) Juan Tomas asks him what he would do since he has become a rich man. (P 44)

Kino has dreams of getting married in church (since he can now pay), buying new clothes, a rifle, a harpoon and most importantly education for Coyotito. (P 44-46) After Kino is attacked by a thief who was trying to steal the pearl, he still holds on to it dearly, since he feels it is their one chance out of poverty.

“Our son must go to school. He must break out of the pot that holds us in.” (P 60)

The rich doctor tricks Kino into letting him “treat” Coyotito because of his ignorance. Kino is trapped in ignorance and poverty.  (P 51)

Coyotito’s illness reminds the villagers that hunger and sickness are the biggest enemies of the poor people. (P 55)

The pearl dealers oppress the poor people by breaking down the prices of the pearls to the lowest possible price (P 64)

The natives of  La Paz are mostly poor while the white settlers, like the doctor and the priest, are relatively affluent.

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Wafula Wekati, ESL. 2009.