Discussion Topic
Kino's Animalistic Traits and Understanding in "The Pearl"
Summary:
In Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kino's transformation into an animalistic state is a key theme, illustrating the corrupting influence of wealth. After finding the pearl, Kino is compared to animals in several instances: he leaps "like an angry cat," hisses "like a snake," and moves "like a lizard." His understanding of animals is shown through his interpretations of their behaviors, often attributing human-like motivations to them. These elements underscore Kino's descent from humanity to primal instincts as he becomes consumed by greed.
What are four instances where Kino is compared to an animal in The Pearl?
It is interesting that Kino becomes more like an animal after he finds the Pearl of the World and must defend it against society and its cupidity. The greed of the pearl merchants and their desire for this great pearl send Kino whirling into an animal state as the Song of Evil is heard by him,
...the music of the enemy, of any foe of the family, a savage, secret, dangerous melody, and underneath, the Song of the Family cried plaintively.
- Here are four examples of Kino's being animalistic:
1. CAT: In Chapter III as thieves come to his home to steal the pearl, Kino reaches into his shirt for his knife and then springs "like an angry cat," leaping and striking and "spitting for the dark thing" that is at the corner of his home.
2. SNAKE: In Chapter IV, Juana tries to take the pearl and throw it back...
Unlock
This Answer NowStart your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
into the sea, but Kino sees her and tracks her like an animal in his rage. After he strikes and kicks her, Kino looks at her "and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake."
3. ANIMAL/HORSES: In Chapter VI as the hunters crawl over the ground like animals, Kino listens, "an animal light in his eyes." Then, as Kino and Juana flee, the "trotted" like the horses following them.
And Kino ran for the high place, as nearly all animals do when they are pursued.
4. LIZARD: In Chapter Vi, also, as the family rests in the night, "Kino edged like a slow lizard down the smooth rock shoulder."
How does Steinbeck portray Kino's understanding of animals in The Pearl?
Kino shows an awareness of animals by his interpretations of their behavior.
As a native living village life, Kino spends a lot of time around animals. He can tell what they are thinking from their behavior, or at least he thinks he can. He often attributes thoughts and motivations to their behaviors as he witnesses them.
In chapter 1, Kino interprets the pigs’ and roosters’ actions. The pigs are looking for bits of food that might have been overlooked, and the roosters are fighting.
Near the brush fence two roosters bowed and feinted at each other with squared wings and neck feathers ruffed out. It would be a clumsy fight. (ch 1)
Kino uses personification to describe the roosters. They “bowed and feinted” like two boxers in a fight. He therefore compares their actions to humans fighting. This demonstrates an understanding, or an imagined understanding, of the animals' behavior and motivations.
What examples show Kino acting like an animal in The Pearl?
Your excellent question relates to the way in which the possession of the pearl gradually effects Kino more and more, turning him into something that he definitely was not at the beginning of the story before the pearl entered his life. The fact is that the pearl produces a malicious, bad and evil change on its bearer as Steinbeck uses it as a central image of how wealth can corrupt. One way in which this is demonstrated throughout the story is through the use of animal imagery to describe Kino and his actions as he fights to protect the pearl from those around him. One of the best examples of this from the novel comes at the beginning of Chapter Five, when Kino responds to his wife's attempt to dispose of the pearl and the evil it has caused them:
Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake, and Juana stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before the butcher. She knew there was murder in him, and it was all right; she had accepted it, and she would not resist or even protest.
Note the way in which Kino is directly described as a wild animal, with his teeth "bared" and with his hiss that is "like a snake." He is shown to be losing his humanity through his greed for the pearl, and the fact that he is compared to a snake, a symbol of evil and temptation, is highly significant.
What are three references to Kino's animalistic behavior after finding the pearl in "The Pearl"?
One good example of Kino's animalistic behavior is found in Part II. When Coyotito shows signs of improving after being bitten by the scorpion, Kino "put back his head and howled." An animal image is found in Part V when Kino stops Juana from throwing the pearl back into the ocean: "Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake . . . ." Another animal reference appears in Part V when Kino finds that his canoe has been destroyed: "He was an animal now, for hiding, for attacking, and he lived only to preserve himself and his family."