What are four important events in The Pearl and why are they significant?
Four important events in The Pearl may include:
1. Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion. This event is the main event that leads to all other events in the novel. This begins the chain of events that lead to Coyotito's eventual death. It is ironic because we can infer that Coyotito is cured of this initital injury by Juana's simple method of applying poultice to the wound. However, because Kino is turned away by the greedy doctor, he decides to go pearl diving. This then leads to...
2. Kino finds the large pearl. The pearl becomes a symbol of hope and opportunity for Kino and his family. However, this changes. The pearl later symbolizes greed. Kino's family is preyed upon by greedy people who desire the pearl. Kino also makes bad decisions because he refuses to get rid of the pearl even though strangers invade his home at night to search...
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for the pearl. One night, Juana tries to throw the pearl into the sea because she fears for her family. Kino stops her and kicks her, showing us that his greed for the pearl is causing him to hurt his own family. That night...
3. Kino murders a mysterious stranger in the night who attacks him and tries to take the pearl. Kino and Juana decide to take Coyotito and run away. The only people who know about this are Kino's brother and his brother's wife. They secretly leave that night. However...
4. Kino and his family are hunted by trackers who wish to steal the pearl. One night, the family hides in the mountains. Kino is making his way towards one of the trackers when Coyotito begins to cry. One of the trackers thinks that it is a coyote (which is what Coyotito's name means) and he shoots in the direction of the cry, killing Coyotito. The irony is that Kino's original goal was to save his son. In the end, his greed caused him to put his family in danger, and his son dies.
What are the major turning points in "The Pearl"?
The first turning point is the finding of the pearl, and the subsequent invigoration in Kinos' mind of a different life for his family. He predicts,
"My son will read and open the books, and my son will write and will know writing. And my son will make numbers, and these things will make us free because he will know - he will know and through him we will know...This is what the pearl will do."
The next turning point is the change from promise to poison. The discovery has ruined their lives, "It will destroy us all," Juana cried. "Even our son."
Another revolution comes when the problem of the pearl results in Kino's murder of a man he suspects of trying to steal his treasure. Still,
"Kino thrust the pearl back into his clothing, and the music of the pearl had become sinister in his ears and it was interwoven with the music of evil."
Kino is under the spell of the pearl and it will take the death of his son, Coyotito, to return the dial to morality. Finally, he clearly sees the true nature of the pearl:
And the pearl was ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growth. And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distorted and insane...And Kino drew back his arm and flung the pearl with all his might....They saw the little splash in the distance..And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared.