Discussion Topic

Kino's Transformation in The Pearl

Summary:

In The Pearl, Kino undergoes a dramatic transformation due to the pearl's influence. Initially, he is a content, hardworking fisherman devoted to his family. However, the pearl's promise of wealth and a better future corrupts him, leading to obsession and violence, including domestic abuse and murder. His relationship with Juana deteriorates as she sees the pearl as evil. Kino's perspective shifts from hope to disillusionment, ultimately realizing the pearl's destructive nature after his son's death, prompting him to discard it and seek a return to his former life.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does Kino's behavior change throughout The Pearl?

It is clear that throughout the novella Kino changes greatly thanks to the introduction of the pearl into his life. He starts off as your average hard-working Mexican fisherman, desperately trying to provide for his wife and son and battling against poverty and discrimination to succeed in this goal.

However, with the advent of the pearl into their lives, which should have been a blessing, it is clear that evil only comes. The pearl's malign influence distorts Kino's perceptions of reality and causes him to become absolutely fixated on getting the right price for the pearl so that he can allow his son to break out of the poverty trap that has dominated these lives. Pursuing this goal, however, causes him to change. Note what he says to his wife when she insists that the pearl is evil:

And as she spoke the light came back in Kino's eyes so...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start 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.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
that they glowed fiercely and his muscles hardened and his will hardened.

His face becomes "crafty" when he thinks of what he must do to sell the pearl. In the next chapter, when Juana tries to dispose of the pearl, he hisses at her "like a snake" with bared teeth, hitting her. However, perhaps most chillingly, in spite of all of these transformations, is what Kino says at the end of chapter five:

"This pearl has become my soul," said Kino. "If I give it up I shall lose my soul."

We see here the way that Kino's life has become completely dominated and obsessed with the pearl. He links it inextricably to his soul, indicating the malign influence that the pearl is having on him. Of course, with such an influence, only a tragedy is able to break it, and the death of his son gives Kino the strength he needs to return the pearl to the sea from whence it emerged.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does the character of Kino change in The Pearl?

Like a lot of essentially decent people, Kino becomes corrupted by the prospect of riches. At first, he's presented as very simple, a loving family man who works hard for his loved ones. He's also someone who cares deeply about maintaining the old traditions that have been threatened and undermined by centuries of Spanish colonial rule.

Yet once Kino finds the valuable pearl, his whole life turns upside-down, and with it, his personality. As he realizes that the pearl will bring him nothing but trouble, Kino loses his innocence, becoming more cynical and less trusting of people. He also turns from a peace-loving man into a killer, albeit to protect his family from the men who want to cheat him out of the pearl. The discovery of his highly-prized, valuable object has seriously compromised Kino's integrity. And it's only by throwing the pearl back into the sea that Kino can once more reconnect with his former self.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In The Pearl, how is Kino's life depicted before finding the pearl?

Before his discovery of the Pearl of the World, Kino's life is fairly simple. He is a peasant and a fisherman who lives with his wife Juana and his baby, Coyotito. He is content with his life; when his eyes open each morning, he sees his wife whose dark eyes "made little reflected stars." He hears the "splash of morning waves on the beach." Kino closes his eyes and hears the music of life, "the Song of the Family," as he watches his wife make tortillas and then take down the baby.

Juana sang softly an ancient song that had only three notes and yet endless variety of interval....Sometimes it rose to an aching chord that caught the throat saying this is safety, this warmth, this is the the Whole.

In short,although he is poor, Kino is fairly content with his life and his family. That is, until his baby is bitten by a scorpion. Then the world changes because Kino and his wife must go to the "fat lazy doctor" who would not want to bother with an indigent baby with a scorpion bite. When the servant, who is of the same race as Kino, tells the doctor who is calling and why, the doctor impatiently replies,

"Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for little Indians? I am a doctor, not a veterinary....Has he any money?"

When Kino shows his few grey pearls, the servant tells him "the doctor has gone out" and closes the door on him; Kino stays in the doorway for a long time, then he strikes the gate fiercely with his hand in his loathing of being poor.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does Juana and Kino's relationship change throughout The Pearl?

Juana is a dutiful wife. She is religious. She defers to her husband's judgment. It is her prayers, they believe, that have allowed Kino to find the pearl in the first place. However, after they find the pearl, their son survives the scorpion bite, and Juana begins to see that Kino has become obsessed with the pearl and what it can get him in life - not only money, but prestige. She begins to see the pearl for what is - something that her husband has made into an idol. Although she still respects him and acknowledges his leadership in the family, she begins to beg him to get rid of the pearl. She begins to see it as something evil. She sees that it has become more important to him than his family. She even goes so far as to try to get rid of it, which, even though she fails in her attempt, represents a big change for her because in the beginning of the story, she would not have even considered defying her husband.

Read about it here on eNotes.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does Kino and Juana's relationship change from the beginning to the end of The Pearl?

At the beginning of The Pearl, Juana and Kino seem to have a close relationship.  He describes her as in some ways tougher than himself.

Kino had wondered often at the iron in his patient, fragile wife. She, who was obedient and respectful and cheerful and patient, could bear physical pain with hardly a cry. She could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself. (ch 1, p. 4)

Kino acts helpless, but it is Juana who sucks the scorpion venom from the baby’s wound and asks for the doctor.

At the end of the story, Kino and Juana are only somewhat changed by their experiences with the pearl and the baby’s death.  Juana seems more changed than Kino.

Her face was hard and lined and leathery with fatigue and with the tightness with which she fought fatigue. And her wide eyes stared inward on herself. She was as remote and as removed as Heaven. (ch 6, p. 47)

The disagreement over the pearl and the death of the baby has been a blow to their relationship.  Yet despite this, Juana and Kino remain together.  When they stand side by side, they do so both physically and metaphorically.  Kino’s family song rises again, and they are ready to go on with their lives.

References

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does Kino's perspective change throughout The Pearl?

After Kino discovers the Pearl of the World, he fantasizes about creating a better life for his family. He pictures a beautiful wedding ceremony, new possessions, and an education for Coyotito. Kino essentially views the pearl as a vehicle to dramatically improve his family's situation and attaches all of his hopes, dreams, and aspirations to the pearl. As the story progresses, the pearl dealers in town are all unwilling to pay Kino for what the magnificent pearl is actually worth. He is then attacked several times by anonymous thieves and Juana recognizes that the pearl is evil. She even attempts to throw it back into the ocean but Kino assaults her before she is able to get rid of the pearl. Even after Kino kills a thief in self-defense and forces his family to flee their village, he refuses to abandon the pearl and has faith that it will make his wildest dreams come true. Tragically, Coyotito is shot and killed by a tracker in the wilderness before Kino finally recognizes that the pearl is evil. It is only after Coyotito's death that Kino realizes the destructive nature of the pearl and agrees with his wife that they must get rid of it. At the end of the story, Kino loses all hope, vitality, and peace as he throws the Pearl of the World back into the ocean. Kino transforms from being a hopeful, ambitious man to a dejected, traumatized individual.

Approved by eNotes Editorial