The
worst thing that could have happened to this family was finding that pearl.
First it sends evil upon the family as people look to steal it. The family cannot
feel safe and secure when the pearl is in their possession. Also, it divides
the family. Juanna can feel the evil in the pearl, so when she finally stands
up for what she wants and attempts to throw the pearl away Kino shows his
disapproval by hitting her. This moment is the most heartbreaking to me. Not
only because I was rooting for Juanna to do something like throwing away the
pearl, but also because Juanna knows of what is to come and Kino is blinded by
the fortunes he felt the pearl would bring. His high hopes for this pearl make
the fact that his pearl was worthless a little more enjoyable. Juanna got the
satisfaction of being able to think ‘I told you so’ and I hoped Kino would
learn from his mistakes and return to the family man he seemed to be at the
beginning of the story. However, the fact that Kino wouldn’t give up on his
desire so easily was a little predictable.
I was confused when Kino killed the man and ran away. I don’t understand why he felt the need to leave. During that moment he acted almost in self-defense. He felt threatened and so he reacted like most people would. Juanna told him that it would not matter if he were attacked because of the temper he had the day before when they went to the city, but I still found it somewhat odd because to me the brush houses where they live seemed to be in an obscure location. I just didn’t figure that people from the city would look there to find the missing man.
Something I enjoyed though was the way the author depicted men and women in this story. The way the man is described as half insane and half god helps you to envision Kino more as everyone can envision his violent spurts. However, the way the woman is described is very reverent of the man of the household. The man is the one who makes the decisions and the woman is expected to follow. This is shown with Apolina and Juanna. Both may not agree with what the man says, but they always obey. This was a little troubling for me because the women always seemed to know best. Juanna is the one who tries to do what’s best because she knows what is to come, but because Kino tells her he wants the pearl and that he wants to runaway, she agrees.
Overall, The Pearl was a simple story with a great message. The pearl itself was a strong symbol. At first it represented hope for a better life, but when Kino gets lost in its value the pearl no longer represents this hope. It is now the evil that divided the family and took away Kino’s innocence. The evil in the pearl destroys the family by forcing them to leave behind everything they knew to explore unknown territories and fend for themselves. This in turn divided Kino and his wife all the while taking away their son’s life. This story cannot do anything but evoke many emotions in the reader. I found myself struggling with the lovable family that just wanted better.
I was confused when Kino killed the man and ran away. I don’t understand why he felt the need to leave. During that moment he acted almost in self-defense. He felt threatened and so he reacted like most people would. Juanna told him that it would not matter if he were attacked because of the temper he had the day before when they went to the city, but I still found it somewhat odd because to me the brush houses where they live seemed to be in an obscure location. I just didn’t figure that people from the city would look there to find the missing man.
Something I enjoyed though was the way the author depicted men and women in this story. The way the man is described as half insane and half god helps you to envision Kino more as everyone can envision his violent spurts. However, the way the woman is described is very reverent of the man of the household. The man is the one who makes the decisions and the woman is expected to follow. This is shown with Apolina and Juanna. Both may not agree with what the man says, but they always obey. This was a little troubling for me because the women always seemed to know best. Juanna is the one who tries to do what’s best because she knows what is to come, but because Kino tells her he wants the pearl and that he wants to runaway, she agrees.
Overall, The Pearl was a simple story with a great message. The pearl itself was a strong symbol. At first it represented hope for a better life, but when Kino gets lost in its value the pearl no longer represents this hope. It is now the evil that divided the family and took away Kino’s innocence. The evil in the pearl destroys the family by forcing them to leave behind everything they knew to explore unknown territories and fend for themselves. This in turn divided Kino and his wife all the while taking away their son’s life. This story cannot do anything but evoke many emotions in the reader. I found myself struggling with the lovable family that just wanted better.
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