The Pearl: Synopsis

Synopsis

The Pearl is a parable that mainly warns people against greed and selfishness. It is set in a village of fishing families in La Paz, Mexico, probably in the early 1900s. Calamity visits a family of three (Kino, his wife; Juana and Coyotito; their son) one early morning when they have just woken up and taken their breakfast. A scorpion stings Coyotito while sleeping in his hanging box, leading to the main conflict in the story. The entire village of Indians living in brush houses as a sign of their poverty is an initially peaceful place before the scorpion strikes. Villagers assemble at Kino's home and later accompany them to the doctor's house. He, however, turns them away by instructing his servant to tell them that he is not around.

After being turned away, Kino embarks on a mission to look for a pearl in order to use it as a source of money for the treatment of his child. Meanwhile, Juana fetches poultice, which she uses in treating Coyotito's wound. Kino jumps on his canoe and goes to the seabed where people hunted for pearl-producing oysters. Coincidentally, he finds one and soon changes his mission and starts looking for a buyer. The writer first shows his disdain for greed when Juana in a stream of consciousness says that it is not good for people to want something too much.

Soon after finding the pearl, his ambition for his son's education and a church wedding are revealed. However, greed among the people around him becomes more evident as many of them want to take advantage of him. First, the priest visits them and reminds him of his position in the church. He also gives him blessings. Second, the doctor, who had initially refused to treat Coyotito by claiming that Indians never had money by lying that he was not around, comes to treat him. He administers some drugs then disappears and promises to come back later. The drugs only make Coyotito's situation worse. He comes back to treat the worsening situation and is promised to be paid once Kino sells the pearl. Before he leaves, he stares at where Kino's pearl is hidden, making him very worried about the pearl's security.

There are several attempts by intruders to steal the pearl from Kino that leave him badly wounded. The first one occurs the same night the doctor visits them and another one occurs after their attempt at selling the pearl to buyers and realizing that they also wanted to take advantage of them. In fact, Juana is resigned. She feels that nothing good can come out of that pearl. She even attempts to throw it away but Kino follows her and saves it.

Steinbeck also brings out the selfishness and greed of the members of Kino's society through their attempt to kill Kino and his family by burning them down in their house. Luckily, they escape and decide to make a journey to the capital, where they hope to get a good price for their pearl. In their efforts to run away, three people trail them. Kino draws a false trail towards the mountain to misguide them. At the right time during the night, he fatally injures all the three trackers. Unfortunately, one of the trackers fires a shot towards a cry they hear in the dark, killing Coyotito before Kino kills them.

The following day, Kino and Juana, carrying their dead child, make their way through the village as the other villagers stare. They go all the way to the sea, where they dispose of the pearl to signify their final resignation to their fate.