What was the major turning point of this book? Please identify that turning point and support with specific details explaining why you identified the event/s as the turning point.
Some might argue that the turning point of the book The Pearl was when the main character in the book Kino found the great pearl. I, however believe that the turning point of the story was when Kino and Juana’s little baby, Coyotito, was stung by the scorpion. This, along with other events, led to the plot of this story. When the baby was brought to the doctor he wouldn’t treat it because their family was poor. It was because of this that Kino is looking so hard and fierce for a pearl. He is desperate for a way to get the money so the doctor will treat Coyotito. While he is looking he happens to find a great pearl, bigger than any anyone had seen in that town, “the pearl of the world”. After this it seems anything is possible. He comes up with dreams he can’t ignore now that they’re possible. After they have possession of the pearl for a little while Juana believes it will only bring evil, because several bad things happen, like their house is broken into. Kino can’t let it go through, losing their only chance at getting out of the trap of poverty they were in. He promises that they will sell it as soon as possible. Another turning point in this story is that when Kino goes to sell the pearl and all of the buyers say it worthless. This totally changes Kino’s point of view on the buyers. He doesn’t trust them anymore and even resolves to go to the capital to sell his pearl. Someone comes after him that night, seemingly for the pearl. They get in a fight and Kino kills him in self-defense. Kino’s family needs to flee town because of this. A hole had been made in his boat and his house was burnt so this sets them on a different course of action. Instead of going to the capital they run north. Trackers are sent after them though following their every move. They manage to evade them for a little while but then they catch up with them. Kino goes to fight them while Juana and the baby hide in a cave. He manages to kill them but not before the baby is found and killed. When this is all over Kino and Juana give up on the pearl deciding it is evil. They return to their village and throwing the pearl back into the sea.
I think the greatest turning point in the story The Pearl is when the pearl buyers tell Kino that the great pearl he found is useless. Before this Kino and his family had high hopes of their lives changing around for the better and that they would be able to get out of poverty. Kino and his family have always lived as poor villagers who go diving for pearls like many others do in their town. Kino believes that the great pearl he found will change this for them. They will be able to have things like a gun and their son will be able to go to school. Strange things start happening though, like their house is broken into by someone looking for the pearl. Kino’s wife Juana is convinced that the pearl is bad so Kino promises to sell it as soon as possible. The next day they go to the pearl buyers to sell the pearl, and their dreams are crushed. The pearl buyers tell them that because the pearl is so big it would be worthless. Kino doesn’t believe them though and resolves to go to the capital to sell the pearl himself. This brings him and his family on their greatest adventure. Someone comes after Kino that night, seemingly for the pearl. They get in a fight and Kino kills him in self-defense. Kino’s family needs to flee town because of this. A hole had been made in his boat and his house was burnt so this sets them on a different course of action. Instead of going to the capital they run north. Trackers are sent after them though following their every move. They manage to evade them for a little while but then they catch up with them. Kino goes to fight them while Juana and the baby hide in a cave. He manages to kill them but not before the baby is found and killed. When this is all over Kino and Juana gives up on the pearl deciding it is evil. They return to their village and throwing the pearl back into the sea.
The Pearl of the World is discovered one morning by a poor man who desperately needs money. Kino is thrilled. After being poor his entire life, his family finally has money. Endless possibilities soar through his mind of what he can spend his new fortune on. His son, new clothes, a better living environment. John Steinbeck sets the book up making the reader think that Kino's new life is going to be filled with happiness and funds. Come to find out, Kino's life takes a major turning point.
Some would say that the biggest turning point was when Coyotito got stung by the scorpio. Because that is what drove Kino to search so hard and desperately for the Pearl. However, I would argue that the major turning point is when the Pearl goes from making Kino extremely rich and happy to making his life a nightmare just overnight. The Pearl brings evil into Kino's house. Ruining everything from his innocence to his son's health. Because everyone's so keen on stealing the Pearl from him, Kino is forced to flee the only village he has ever known, kill a man, and live in hiding for days.
The fortune that Kino was hoping for ends up ruining his life. Was money worth the constant fear of someone breaking in their homes? What about having to run away? What about their son's life? The turning point in The Pearl shows people how quickly people's lives can be ruined because of greed.
The major turning point in this story is when Kino loses his humility. When Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, all that is on Kino's mind is that he needs money for the doctor to see Coyotito. Fate and luck combine forces and present Kino with the "Pearl Of The World". This is when Kino starts to change.
Once Kino has the pearl, he realizes that it would be worth more than enough for Coyotito's treatment. He realizes that HIS dreams of new clothes, getting married in the church, a rifle, and Coyotito going to school are possible. This goes to Kino's head and he won't stop until they have been accomplished.
With his humility tossed by the wayside, Kino sets off to sell the pearl. When he is cheated at the broker's office, he gets angry and won't take the price offered, even though it was more than enough for Coyotito. He wouldn't let his new found greed go. It wasn't about Coyotito anymore, now it was about himself.
With his newly found greed, Kino sets out to sell the pearl at the Capitol where he thinks he can get a better price. Juana sees the trouble that will ensue and tries to dispose of the pearl. When Kino finds her he physically assualts her, something he never would've done had he been in his right mind.
His greed drives him to flee the city with his family. When they are pursued by trackers, he won't let them stop him. He kills them all but returns to his family to find out that a stray bullet hit and killed his son Coyotito. This seems to snap him back to reality. They end up going home where Kino throws the pearl back into the ocean, and regains his humility after great sacrifice.
Some may argue that the turning point of The Pearl is when Kino finds the Pearl of the World. The pearl gives Kino hope for the future life and health of his family. Although the finding of the great pearl is large part of the novel, the major turning point of the story is when Kino succumbs to rage and brutality after the pearl buyers cheat him.
When the pearl buyers fail to give Kino the price that he wants for the Pearl of the World, anger rises in his mind. He hears the music of the enemy pounding in his ears as he rushes to his home. That night he hatches a plan that he, Juana, and the baby will travel to the capital to sell the pearl. Juana, knowing that the pearl is destroying Kino’s peace-of-mind, attempts to sneak out with the pearl that night and dispose of it in the ocean. Kino reaches her before she does so and beats her to the ground. The normally loving relationship between the two becomes stressed.
On the way back to the brush house, Kino senses men outside and kills one of them with his knife. The remaining men set fire to his home, burning all of his possessions. The family is forced to flee their village and hide in the woods. Kino’s senses turn animalistic and he is not afraid to kill.
Because of Kino’s reluctance to give up the pearl, which is the tool for bringing about his dreams, he kills four men, loses his home, beats his wife, and loses his infant son. His past life and former happiness is destroyed. The Pearl shows just how quickly greed can demolish a person’s life and well being.
The major turning point in this story is when Kino finds the Pearl of the World. The reason for this is because once Kino finds the pearl he wishes for bigger and better things and is not satisfied with the way his life currently is. Once he starts dreaming of how his like could be, Kino is never happy with what he has.
Kino imagines his wife, Juana, and himself being married in the church with new clothes, he imagines himself with a rifle, he envisions his son going to school and learning to read and write. Kino pictures a world where his son can share what he knows with his family and once Kino imagines these things, he will not be satisfied until they are reality. Never does Kino think of what the pearl could do for the entire village. He wants to keep the pearl all to himself. He becomes very paranoid over the safe keeping of the pearl and hears the song of the enemy whenever there are strangers around him.
Kino believes that the pearl he has found is worth a fortune. But, when he goes to sell his pearl, the buyers disagree. They do not offer Kino a large amount of pesos, and this makes Kino outraged. Kino was relying on the pearl to fix problems that didn’t exist before he found it. If Kino had never found the pearl, he would never have imagined a world where he was married and his son was going to school. He never would have needed the money to make these things a reality because he would be content with how his life currently was. Rather than solving all of Kino’s problems, the pearl created the discontent Kino now had.
Kino believed that the pearl buyers were trying to cheat him out of the money he deserved. He devised a plan to go to the capital with Juana and Coyotito to sell the pearl. Juana knew that the pearl was evil. She saw firsthand what the pearl was doing to Kino and knew she had to stop it. Juana attempts to sneak out with the pearl and throw it into the ocean but before she can do so Kino stops her. He beats Juana, takes the pearl from her and heads back to the brush house. On his way there Kino suspects men outside and kills one of them with his knife. Kino and his family are forced to flee the village and hide in the woods.
Kino becomes senseless and greed takes over his body. He will do whatever it takes to keep the pearl in his possession. He is not afraid to kill, he is not afraid to die. Because of his unwillingness to give up the pearl, Kino kills four men and his first born son. His life is changed forever because he found ‘The Pearl of the World’. What Kino thought to be a blessing, turns out to be a curse.
I believe that the major turning point of this book, The Pearl is when the main character, Kino is told by not only one pearl buyer but four pearl buyers that his own, larger than normal pearl is of no value. I believe that at this point in Kino’s journey and figuratively speaking is where his travels, thoughts and the events that happen around him go downhill. Before hearing that his pearl was first, similar to fool’s gold, then told it was a monstrosity, Kino had been determined, strong in the mind and felt great hope for not only himself but his whole family. With the finding of the pearl and as poor as Kino was, with only 8 small misshapen seed pearls, he felt hope to save his baby Coyotito, who had been stung by a scorpion soon after rising in the morning, because the doctor was able to help heal the baby’s wounds and expected a bill with the sold pearl’s earnings. Immediately after hearing the bad news from the pearl buyers decisions, Kino’s luck of ever having a fun and successful life as he had first seen within the soft, chalky and large pearl, had just begun to fade away.
Some may argue that this is not the major turning point of this book, but that it’s rather when Kino actually finds this large pearl while pearl hunting in the gulf with his wife, Juana and baby boy, Coyotito. I believe that the direct finding of the pearl is not the major turning point in this book but rather a minor turning point, in Kino’s life. Finding the pearl was emotional buildup for the family and meant everything for Kino’s future. It gave him a sense of pride and strength. Yet Kino was determined to sell his pearl, knowing that he was cheated by the pearl buyers.
Everything had been going Kino’s way up to that point of the disgrace from the pearl buyers. Kino had been glad to be recognized by the community for once as a rich man and was even better to receive help from the doctor who had first ignored Kino for not only his kind but that he had no money. Kino’s family and all hopes of a successful life with the pearl’s earnings fell to wastes. This included his brush house catching fire and burning to ashes as well as being attacked multiple times, killing one attacker and facing three trackers hunting down his family.
Kino also had a kind of conspiracy thinking of hearing evil or the sounds of the enemy ever since Coyotito was stung. From the major turning point of the story where Kino lost all hope and character he had constantly heard the sound of the evil until the very day when Kino threw the great pearl into the sea and all the evil and struggles of the family just disappeared.
In my mind the turning point of the story would be when Kino finds the Pearl of the world lying on the ocean floor. This story shows how money, or even the thought of having a lot of money, can totally change the person you are. Kino was a very nice guy before he found the pearl. After he found the pearl he became a very greedy man and nothing is good enough for him. He becomes an evil man in a way, he lost his sense of knowing between good and evil. Kino isn't the only man who shows how money can change you. Many men from surrounding villages and houses try and steal his pearl from him. He does not want to share and he keeps the money all to himself. When the pearl buyers in town offer Kino a lower offer than he expected he is upset and he decides to take a trip to the capital to sell the pearl thinking it will sell for more. Kino's wife Juana believes that the pearl is evil. She knows that it is making her husband crazy. He has killed men protecting his pearl and beat his wife after she tried to throw it back into the ocean. When Kino found the pearl he went from being a man that everyone really liked and respeceted, to a man who was mean and treated people poorly and without respect. The pearl was a glorious find at first, but when Kino started dreaming he became a very evil man. He got his son killed while he was about to kill a man that was tracking them on their journey. Kino's son Coyotitowas was shot and killed, Kino's realtionship with his wife was drastically changed. Kino lost his home and everything inside. It took Kino all of these things to finally realize that the pearl wasn't the most important thing in the world. The story ended with Kino throwing the pearl back into the ocean. It was a sad ending to a man's life that was once a very happy life.
After many ungrateful events the greatest pearl in the world is found. A lot of people would say that the poverty and bad luck of the main character Kino was the main turning point in the book because it’s what drove him to search so hard for a pearl. To find a pearl was looked highly upon by the brush people. It came with popularity, richness, and bragging rights. Kino’s mind wondered to all the possibilities he could have. New clothes, a new house, medical attention for his sick son, and he could finally get married to Juana. However Kino didn’t realize the consequences that also came with his new life.
When the news spread about Kino’s pearl everyone suddenly wanted something from him. The doctor who had earlier refused to treat Coyotito’s scorpion bite because Kino had no money to offer, seemed to have changed his mid. People became hungry for the pearl and Kino had to spend many nights awake trying to scare off any unwelcome visitors. The pearl ruined Kino’s life. After killing a man who wanted the pearl he was forced to flee his village and go into hiding.
People feared the pearl would make Kino cocky and that’s exactly what it did. When Kino finally realized the pain and suffering the pearl created he threw it back into the ocean. The death of his son and the danger it caused was not worth keeping it. I think the pearl made Kino realize that you don’t need to be rich to be happy.
The turning point in this book to me was when Kino found the Pearl of the World. He went from being happy with what he had in life to always wanting more. Kino invisioned many great things that he could have now in his life. Like his son going to school, him and Juana, his wife, getting married in a church, him owning a rifle. Never did he think of how much he could help the town and the poor people living around him. He became so greedy with what he wanted he wasnt going to here no for an answer. Especially when four pearl buyers said the pearl was of no worth. He would do anything to keep the pearl with him. But to what extent to you go for money? For Kino it costed him his sons life, and lives of others, he had to leave the only place he knew. Juana wanted to get rid of the pearl as soon as it started turing evil. But Kino wouldn't listen.
The turning point of the story is when Kino finds the Pearl of the World and demands he will not be cheated by the dealers. Kino is greedy and will not settle for any less than what he wants. This makes Kino wait, while waiting, that night Juana escapes to the shore to throw the pearl back into the sea. Kino follows her and before she is able to throw it he hits and kicks her, taking the pearl back. He then moved up the path where he met intruders trying to steal his pearl, he fought them and killed one of them. He was unconscious and had lost the pearl. Kino has become mad with anger and rage. His house has been burnt and he is trying to flee when he decides that it is still necessary to move on and sell the pearl after what he has already lost. Kino changes into a different type of man and starts to forget about all the belongings he has lost from the struggle of getting pesos for the pearl. Kino is very determined that under any circumstances the pearl must be kept safe and be sold soon for a great deal of pesos. He cannot make decisions clearly and struggles to stay alive. With the possession of the pearl he wants power and pesos over the happy life he was living before finding the pearl. He sacrifices his wife and son to keep the pearl safe and turns against any decisions that Juana has. After Kino has changed he murders more men and in doing so he gets his son Coyotito killed. He does not realize that the pearl makes him become a target. The event of finding the pearl put him in a dangerous place and he did not react very cautiously, not thinking before acting against his happy life. He chooses to try his luck at becoming rich instead of making a little money and staying safe at his home. Kino is changed from being a poor village man to a greedy man, in hopes of becoming wealthy.
I think that the main turning point in the book is when Kino finds the pearl if the world. Before the pearl was even found, Kino was a poor man but he and his family were all happy. Everyone around town liked Kino and his wife, Juana. The pearl changed Kino a lot more than it changed Juana. People around town worried for Kino, because they didn’t want the pearl to ruin him. Even his own brother warned him that the pearl was going to completely change his life. Kino didn’t agree, he just wanted to sell the pearl so his family could have a better life. When the pearl couldn’t sell for as much as he planned on he got furious because he thought people were trying to cheat him. He was being really greedy because the money they offered him was way more than he had ever had before and he should have accepted it. Other people in his town were becoming greedy and jealous too. Some people tried breaking in to his house to steal the pearl. KIno even killed someone who tried to steal it. Juana kept level headed throughout the book, the pearl didn’t change her. She knew that the pearl was evil and that nothing good would come out of it so she wanted to destroy it. When Juana tried to throw the pearl back into the ocean, Kino caught her and then beat her. Kino killed his only son, which changed his relationship with Juana. He lost all of his family for a pearl that brought him nothing good in life.
In my opinion, the major turning point in the book, The Pearl, would be when Kino, the main character, found the "Pearl of the World". At the beginning of the book, Kino's son, Coyotito, was stung by a scorpion and the doctor refused to treat him because Kino didn;t have any money to pay him. After finding the pearl, Kino starts to think about all the things he could do and buy with the money from selling the pearl. He dreams of being married to Juana in the church, buying a rifle and new clothes, and his son, Coyotito, going to school. All of Kino's dreams begin to take over his life. His good intentions were turned bad and he ended up having to leave the village.
I think another turning point would be later in the book, when Kino goes to the pearl buyers and thinks he was cheated. Later, Kino wakes up in the middle of the night and Juana is gone. The pearl is missing too and he had already figured out that Juana was trying to get rid of the pearl. Kino follows her and he hits her and takes the pearl back to their brush house, but a man attacks him and Kino kills him. Knowing that they will be in trouble, Juana goes to get Coyotito and they hide in his brother's brush house until the next night so they can leave. By this time Kino is becoming more and more angry.
Another might be after they leave the village and Kino kills the three trackers. When he does this he isn't the same man he was at the beginning of the book. He becomes cold and deadly. After he and Juana had returned back to the village, Kino went to the ocean to throw the pearl away, but before he did he looked into the pearl, just as he had when he first found it. He saw everything that went wrong from finding the pearl. He saw how he had gone from being a good and noble man to becoming a cold and angry man and he saw his son, Coyotito, dead. He heard the pears music and instead of the song he first heard, it sounded insane and distorted. He had lost almost everything all because of one little pearl.
The major turning point in this book was when Kino and Juana had the pearl appraised. The couple had very high expectations for the pearl’s value but were told it was too large, imperfect and worthless. The night the pearl was appraised someone tried to sneak into Kino and Juana’s home. I believe they were lied to and the pearl was really of great value. The person or persons that broke in to the house were attempting to take and sell the pearl for themselves. In their defense Kino went after the burglars and ended up killing one of them. Kino and Juana were forced to flee their home and hide for a short time in Kino’s brother’s home. In the dead of night Kino, Juana and their young son Coyotito left for the city to find the true value of the pearl. Due to Kino accidentally killing a man they were fugitives and trackers were sent after them. Juana tried to convince Kino that the pearl was bad luck and too get rid of it, but he did not listen. Kino had to make risky decisions to go on with their trek. If Kino was told the pearl was valuable there may have been a different outcome. Because everyone knew the great value of the pearl it may have been respected and maybe no one would have tried to steal it. I think the major turning point was defiantly when the pearl was appraised.
Imagine finding something that can bring your life around and yet all it brings is evil. I consider when Kino brought the Pearl of the World to the market and the appraisers to be the turning point in The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Life went from extremely well to a nightmare for Kino’s family when the pearl buyer only offered 1,000 pesos for the pearl instead of Kino’s demand 50,000 pesos. The day after the appraising, Kino was attacked on the beach but thankfully Kino survived. Everyone wanted the pearl and people even ruined Kino’s boat so that Kino would be stranded on land for prying hands. Even though all this Kino was determined to sell the pearl for the amount he wanted. I can’t bear to imagine having my dreams thrown away like Kino’s. With everyone trying to get the pearl, Kino and his family had to flee their home in order to be safe. Alas, they weren’t safe for there were hunters looking for the family and they wouldn’t stop until Kino was either captured or dead. I can’t describe why people can get so greedy and maniacal when it comes to wealth. The littlest things can drive civilized people mad and that is never a good thing. The pearl was a burden on Kino, not a gift from the gods. Kino should’ve listened to Juana and threw the pearl back to sea but he didn’t listen until they lost their beloved Coyotito.
All turning points are a start of something. After reading this book I have come to the conclusion, that the major turning point of this book would be when Kino's young baby boy, Coyotito, was stung by the evil scorpion. Although this part happened within the first chapter off the book I feel it has caused the most change. Life is like domino's, one thing can set the rest in motion. Before the baby boy was stung life for Kino was normal and safe. After Coyotito was stung, Kino's life took a turn and was set in motion by the evil scorpion. If the baby hadn't been stung, Juana, and Kino wouldn't have needed money for treatment. Therefore the determined mother, Juana, wouldn't have sent Kino into the water in search for a pearl, a way for treatment for their beloved Coyotito. Without the scorpion having stung the baby the Great Pearl wouldn't have been found, and therefore Kino's life wouldn't have been spun in such chaos.
The Pearl
ReplyDeleteJenn Nichols
Some might argue that the turning point of the book The Pearl was when the main character in the book Kino found the great pearl. I, however believe that the turning point of the story was when Kino and Juana’s little baby, Coyotito, was stung by the scorpion. This, along with other events, led to the plot of this story.
When the baby was brought to the doctor he wouldn’t treat it because their family was poor. It was because of this that Kino is looking so hard and fierce for a pearl. He is desperate for a way to get the money so the doctor will treat Coyotito.
While he is looking he happens to find a great pearl, bigger than any anyone had seen in that town, “the pearl of the world”. After this it seems anything is possible. He comes up with dreams he can’t ignore now that they’re possible.
After they have possession of the pearl for a little while Juana believes it will only bring evil, because several bad things happen, like their house is broken into. Kino can’t let it go through, losing their only chance at getting out of the trap of poverty they were in. He promises that they will sell it as soon as possible.
Another turning point in this story is that when Kino goes to sell the pearl and all of the buyers say it worthless. This totally changes Kino’s point of view on the buyers. He doesn’t trust them anymore and even resolves to go to the capital to sell his pearl.
Someone comes after him that night, seemingly for the pearl. They get in a fight and Kino kills him in self-defense. Kino’s family needs to flee town because of this. A hole had been made in his boat and his house was burnt so this sets them on a different course of action. Instead of going to the capital they run north.
Trackers are sent after them though following their every move. They manage to evade them for a little while but then they catch up with them. Kino goes to fight them while Juana and the baby hide in a cave. He manages to kill them but not before the baby is found and killed.
When this is all over Kino and Juana give up on the pearl deciding it is evil. They return to their village and throwing the pearl back into the sea.
Be careful---ALL---not to summarize the book.
ReplyDeleteThe Pearl
ReplyDeleteJenn Nichols
I think the greatest turning point in the story The Pearl is when the pearl buyers tell Kino that the great pearl he found is useless. Before this Kino and his family had high hopes of their lives changing around for the better and that they would be able to get out of poverty.
Kino and his family have always lived as poor villagers who go diving for pearls like many others do in their town. Kino believes that the great pearl he found will change this for them. They will be able to have things like a gun and their son will be able to go to school. Strange things start happening though, like their house is broken into by someone looking for the pearl. Kino’s wife Juana is convinced that the pearl is bad so Kino promises to sell it as soon as possible.
The next day they go to the pearl buyers to sell the pearl, and their dreams are crushed. The pearl buyers tell them that because the pearl is so big it would be worthless. Kino doesn’t believe them though and resolves to go to the capital to sell the pearl himself. This brings him and his family on their greatest adventure.
Someone comes after Kino that night, seemingly for the pearl. They get in a fight and Kino kills him in self-defense. Kino’s family needs to flee town because of this. A hole had been made in his boat and his house was burnt so this sets them on a different course of action. Instead of going to the capital they run north.
Trackers are sent after them though following their every move. They manage to evade them for a little while but then they catch up with them. Kino goes to fight them while Juana and the baby hide in a cave. He manages to kill them but not before the baby is found and killed.
When this is all over Kino and Juana gives up on the pearl deciding it is evil. They return to their village and throwing the pearl back into the sea.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Pearl
ReplyDeleteTaylor Boynton
The Pearl of the World is discovered one morning by a poor man who desperately needs money. Kino is thrilled. After being poor his entire life, his family finally has money. Endless possibilities soar through his mind of what he can spend his new fortune on. His son, new clothes, a better living environment. John Steinbeck sets the book up making the reader think that Kino's new life is going to be filled with happiness and funds. Come to find out, Kino's life takes a major turning point.
Some would say that the biggest turning point was when Coyotito got stung by the scorpio. Because that is what drove Kino to search so hard and desperately for the Pearl. However, I would argue that the major turning point is when the Pearl goes from making Kino extremely rich and happy to making his life a nightmare just overnight. The Pearl brings evil into Kino's house. Ruining everything from his innocence to his son's health. Because everyone's so keen on stealing the Pearl from him, Kino is forced to flee the only village he has ever known, kill a man, and live in hiding for days.
The fortune that Kino was hoping for ends up ruining his life. Was money worth the constant fear of someone breaking in their homes? What about having to run away? What about their son's life? The turning point in The Pearl shows people how quickly people's lives can be ruined because of greed.
The major turning point in this story is when Kino loses his humility. When Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, all that is on Kino's mind is that he needs money for the doctor to see Coyotito. Fate and luck combine forces and present Kino with the "Pearl Of The World". This is when Kino starts to change.
ReplyDeleteOnce Kino has the pearl, he realizes that it would be worth more than enough for Coyotito's treatment. He realizes that HIS dreams of new clothes, getting married in the church, a rifle, and Coyotito going to school are possible. This goes to Kino's head and he won't stop until they have been accomplished.
With his humility tossed by the wayside, Kino sets off to sell the pearl. When he is cheated at the broker's office, he gets angry and won't take the price offered, even though it was more than enough for Coyotito. He wouldn't let his new found greed go. It wasn't about Coyotito anymore, now it was about himself.
With his newly found greed, Kino sets out to sell the pearl at the Capitol where he thinks he can get a better price. Juana sees the trouble that will ensue and tries to dispose of the pearl. When Kino finds her he physically assualts her, something he never would've done had he been in his right mind.
His greed drives him to flee the city with his family. When they are pursued by trackers, he won't let them stop him. He kills them all but returns to his family to find out that a stray bullet hit and killed his son Coyotito. This seems to snap him back to reality. They end up going home where Kino throws the pearl back into the ocean, and regains his humility after great sacrifice.
The Pearl
ReplyDeleteErik Taylor
Some may argue that the turning point of The Pearl is when Kino finds the Pearl of the World. The pearl gives Kino hope for the future life and health of his family. Although the finding of the great pearl is large part of the novel, the major turning point of the story is when Kino succumbs to rage and brutality after the pearl buyers cheat him.
When the pearl buyers fail to give Kino the price that he wants for the Pearl of the World, anger rises in his mind. He hears the music of the enemy pounding in his ears as he rushes to his home. That night he hatches a plan that he, Juana, and the baby will travel to the capital to sell the pearl. Juana, knowing that the pearl is destroying Kino’s peace-of-mind, attempts to sneak out with the pearl that night and dispose of it in the ocean. Kino reaches her before she does so and beats her to the ground. The normally loving relationship between the two becomes stressed.
On the way back to the brush house, Kino senses men outside and kills one of them with his knife. The remaining men set fire to his home, burning all of his possessions. The family is forced to flee their village and hide in the woods. Kino’s senses turn animalistic and he is not afraid to kill.
Because of Kino’s reluctance to give up the pearl, which is the tool for bringing about his dreams, he kills four men, loses his home, beats his wife, and loses his infant son. His past life and former happiness is destroyed. The Pearl shows just how quickly greed can demolish a person’s life and well being.
The Pearl
ReplyDeleteEmily Taylor
The major turning point in this story is when Kino finds the Pearl of the World. The reason for this is because once Kino finds the pearl he wishes for bigger and better things and is not satisfied with the way his life currently is. Once he starts dreaming of how his like could be, Kino is never happy with what he has.
Kino imagines his wife, Juana, and himself being married in the church with new clothes, he imagines himself with a rifle, he envisions his son going to school and learning to read and write. Kino pictures a world where his son can share what he knows with his family and once Kino imagines these things, he will not be satisfied until they are reality. Never does Kino think of what the pearl could do for the entire village. He wants to keep the pearl all to himself. He becomes very paranoid over the safe keeping of the pearl and hears the song of the enemy whenever there are strangers around him.
Kino believes that the pearl he has found is worth a fortune. But, when he goes to sell his pearl, the buyers disagree. They do not offer Kino a large amount of pesos, and this makes Kino outraged. Kino was relying on the pearl to fix problems that didn’t exist before he found it. If Kino had never found the pearl, he would never have imagined a world where he was married and his son was going to school. He never would have needed the money to make these things a reality because he would be content with how his life currently was. Rather than solving all of Kino’s problems, the pearl created the discontent Kino now had.
Kino believed that the pearl buyers were trying to cheat him out of the money he deserved. He devised a plan to go to the capital with Juana and Coyotito to sell the pearl. Juana knew that the pearl was evil. She saw firsthand what the pearl was doing to Kino and knew she had to stop it. Juana attempts to sneak out with the pearl and throw it into the ocean but before she can do so Kino stops her. He beats Juana, takes the pearl from her and heads back to the brush house. On his way there Kino suspects men outside and kills one of them with his knife. Kino and his family are forced to flee the village and hide in the woods.
Kino becomes senseless and greed takes over his body. He will do whatever it takes to keep the pearl in his possession. He is not afraid to kill, he is not afraid to die. Because of his unwillingness to give up the pearl, Kino kills four men and his first born son. His life is changed forever because he found ‘The Pearl of the World’. What Kino thought to be a blessing, turns out to be a curse.
I believe that the major turning point of this book, The Pearl is when the main character, Kino is told by not only one pearl buyer but four pearl buyers that his own, larger than normal pearl is of no value. I believe that at this point in Kino’s journey and figuratively speaking is where his travels, thoughts and the events that happen around him go downhill. Before hearing that his pearl was first, similar to fool’s gold, then told it was a monstrosity, Kino had been determined, strong in the mind and felt great hope for not only himself but his whole family. With the finding of the pearl and as poor as Kino was, with only 8 small misshapen seed pearls, he felt hope to save his baby Coyotito, who had been stung by a scorpion soon after rising in the morning, because the doctor was able to help heal the baby’s wounds and expected a bill with the sold pearl’s earnings. Immediately after hearing the bad news from the pearl buyers decisions, Kino’s luck of ever having a fun and successful life as he had first seen within the soft, chalky and large pearl, had just begun to fade away.
ReplyDeleteSome may argue that this is not the major turning point of this book, but that it’s rather when Kino actually finds this large pearl while pearl hunting in the gulf with his wife, Juana and baby boy, Coyotito. I believe that the direct finding of the pearl is not the major turning point in this book but rather a minor turning point, in Kino’s life. Finding the pearl was emotional buildup for the family and meant everything for Kino’s future. It gave him a sense of pride and strength. Yet Kino was determined to sell his pearl, knowing that he was cheated by the pearl buyers.
Everything had been going Kino’s way up to that point of the disgrace from the pearl buyers. Kino had been glad to be recognized by the community for once as a rich man and was even better to receive help from the doctor who had first ignored Kino for not only his kind but that he had no money. Kino’s family and all hopes of a successful life with the pearl’s earnings fell to wastes. This included his brush house catching fire and burning to ashes as well as being attacked multiple times, killing one attacker and facing three trackers hunting down his family.
Kino also had a kind of conspiracy thinking of hearing evil or the sounds of the enemy ever since Coyotito was stung. From the major turning point of the story where Kino lost all hope and character he had constantly heard the sound of the evil until the very day when Kino threw the great pearl into the sea and all the evil and struggles of the family just disappeared.
In my mind the turning point of the story would be when Kino finds the Pearl of the world lying on the ocean floor. This story shows how money, or even the thought of having a lot of money, can totally change the person you are. Kino was a very nice guy before he found the pearl. After he found the pearl he became a very greedy man and nothing is good enough for him. He becomes an evil man in a way, he lost his sense of knowing between good and evil. Kino isn't the only man who shows how money can change you. Many men from surrounding villages and houses try and steal his pearl from him. He does not want to share and he keeps the money all to himself. When the pearl buyers in town offer Kino a lower offer than he expected he is upset and he decides to take a trip to the capital to sell the pearl thinking it will sell for more.
ReplyDeleteKino's wife Juana believes that the pearl is evil. She knows that it is making her husband crazy. He has killed men protecting his pearl and beat his wife after she tried to throw it back into the ocean. When Kino found the pearl he went from being a man that everyone really liked and respeceted, to a man who was mean and treated people poorly and without respect. The pearl was a glorious find at first, but when Kino started dreaming he became a very evil man. He got his son killed while he was about to kill a man that was tracking them on their journey. Kino's son Coyotitowas was shot and killed, Kino's realtionship with his wife was drastically changed. Kino lost his home and everything inside. It took Kino all of these things to finally realize that the pearl wasn't the most important thing in the world. The story ended with Kino throwing the pearl back into the ocean. It was a sad ending to a man's life that was once a very happy life.
The Pearl
ReplyDeleteKayla Meserve
After many ungrateful events the greatest pearl in the world is found. A lot of people would say that the poverty and bad luck of the main character Kino was the main turning point in the book because it’s what drove him to search so hard for a pearl. To find a pearl was looked highly upon by the brush people. It came with popularity, richness, and bragging rights. Kino’s mind wondered to all the possibilities he could have. New clothes, a new house, medical attention for his sick son, and he could finally get married to Juana. However Kino didn’t realize the consequences that also came with his new life.
When the news spread about Kino’s pearl everyone suddenly wanted something from him. The doctor who had earlier refused to treat Coyotito’s scorpion bite because Kino had no money to offer, seemed to have changed his mid. People became hungry for the pearl and Kino had to spend many nights awake trying to scare off any unwelcome visitors. The pearl ruined Kino’s life. After killing a man who wanted the pearl he was forced to flee his village and go into hiding.
People feared the pearl would make Kino cocky and that’s exactly what it did. When Kino finally realized the pain and suffering the pearl created he threw it back into the ocean. The death of his son and the danger it caused was not worth keeping it. I think the pearl made Kino realize that you don’t need to be rich to be happy.
The Pearl
ReplyDeleteRandi Duguay
The turning point in this book to me was when Kino found the Pearl of the World. He went from being happy with what he had in life to always wanting more.
Kino invisioned many great things that he could have now in his life. Like his son going to school, him and Juana, his wife, getting married in a church, him owning a rifle. Never did he think of how much he could help the town and the poor people living around him. He became so greedy with what he wanted he wasnt going to here no for an answer. Especially when four pearl buyers said the pearl was of no worth.
He would do anything to keep the pearl with him. But to what extent to you go for money? For Kino it costed him his sons life, and lives of others, he had to leave the only place he knew. Juana wanted to get rid of the pearl as soon as it started turing evil. But Kino wouldn't listen.
The turning point of the story is when Kino finds the Pearl of the World and demands he will not be cheated by the dealers. Kino is greedy and will not settle for any less than what he wants. This makes Kino wait, while waiting, that night Juana escapes to the shore to throw the pearl back into the sea. Kino follows her and before she is able to throw it he hits and kicks her, taking the pearl back. He then moved up the path where he met intruders trying to steal his pearl, he fought them and killed one of them. He was unconscious and had lost the pearl. Kino has become mad with anger and rage. His house has been burnt and he is trying to flee when he decides that it is still necessary to move on and sell the pearl after what he has already lost.
ReplyDeleteKino changes into a different type of man and starts to forget about all the belongings he has lost from the struggle of getting pesos for the pearl. Kino is very determined that under any circumstances the pearl must be kept safe and be sold soon for a great deal of pesos. He cannot make decisions clearly and struggles to stay alive. With the possession of the pearl he wants power and pesos over the happy life he was living before finding the pearl. He sacrifices his wife and son to keep the pearl safe and turns against any decisions that Juana has.
After Kino has changed he murders more men and in doing so he gets his son Coyotito killed. He does not realize that the pearl makes him become a target. The event of finding the pearl put him in a dangerous place and he did not react very cautiously, not thinking before acting against his happy life. He chooses to try his luck at becoming rich instead of making a little money and staying safe at his home. Kino is changed from being a poor village man to a greedy man, in hopes of becoming wealthy.
I think that the main turning point in the book is when Kino finds the pearl if the world. Before the pearl was even found, Kino was a poor man but he and his family were all happy. Everyone around town liked Kino and his wife, Juana. The pearl changed Kino a lot more than it changed Juana. People around town worried for Kino, because they didn’t want the pearl to ruin him. Even his own brother warned him that the pearl was going to completely change his life. Kino didn’t agree, he just wanted to sell the pearl so his family could have a better life. When the pearl couldn’t sell for as much as he planned on he got furious because he thought people were trying to cheat him. He was being really greedy because the money they offered him was way more than he had ever had before and he should have accepted it. Other people in his town were becoming greedy and jealous too. Some people tried breaking in to his house to steal the pearl. KIno even killed someone who tried to steal it. Juana kept level headed throughout the book, the pearl didn’t change her. She knew that the pearl was evil and that nothing good would come out of it so she wanted to destroy it. When Juana tried to throw the pearl back into the ocean, Kino caught her and then beat her. Kino killed his only son, which changed his relationship with Juana. He lost all of his family for a pearl that brought him nothing good in life.
ReplyDeleteThe Pearl
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the major turning point in the book, The Pearl, would be when Kino, the main character, found the "Pearl of the World". At the beginning of the book, Kino's son, Coyotito, was stung by a scorpion and the doctor refused to treat him because Kino didn;t have any money to pay him. After finding the pearl, Kino starts to think about all the things he could do and buy with the money from selling the pearl. He dreams of being married to Juana in the church, buying a rifle and new clothes, and his son, Coyotito, going to school. All of Kino's dreams begin to take over his life. His good intentions were turned bad and he ended up having to leave the village.
I think another turning point would be later in the book, when Kino goes to the pearl buyers and thinks he was cheated. Later, Kino wakes up in the middle of the night and Juana is gone. The pearl is missing too and he had already figured out that Juana was trying to get rid of the pearl. Kino follows her and he hits her and takes the pearl back to their brush house, but a man attacks him and Kino kills him. Knowing that they will be in trouble, Juana goes to get Coyotito and they hide in his brother's brush house until the next night so they can leave. By this time Kino is becoming more and more angry.
Another might be after they leave the village and Kino kills the three trackers. When he does this he isn't the same man he was at the beginning of the book. He becomes cold and deadly. After he and Juana had returned back to the village, Kino went to the ocean to throw the pearl away, but before he did he looked into the pearl, just as he had when he first found it. He saw everything that went wrong from finding the pearl. He saw how he had gone from being a good and noble man to becoming a cold and angry man and he saw his son, Coyotito, dead. He heard the pears music and instead of the song he first heard, it sounded insane and distorted. He had lost almost everything all because of one little pearl.
The major turning point in this book was when Kino and Juana had the pearl appraised. The couple had very high expectations for the pearl’s value but were told it was too large, imperfect and worthless.
ReplyDeleteThe night the pearl was appraised someone tried to sneak into Kino and Juana’s home. I believe they were lied to and the pearl was really of great value. The person or persons that broke in to the house were attempting to take and sell the pearl for themselves. In their defense Kino went after the burglars and ended up killing one of them. Kino and Juana were forced to flee their home and hide for a short time in Kino’s brother’s home. In the dead of night Kino, Juana and their young son Coyotito left for the city to find the true value of the pearl.
Due to Kino accidentally killing a man they were fugitives and trackers were sent after them. Juana tried to convince Kino that the pearl was bad luck and too get rid of it, but he did not listen. Kino had to make risky decisions to go on with their trek.
If Kino was told the pearl was valuable there may have been a different outcome. Because everyone knew the great value of the pearl it may have been respected and maybe no one would have tried to steal it. I think the major turning point was defiantly when the pearl was appraised.
Imagine finding something that can bring your life around and yet all it brings is evil. I consider when Kino brought the Pearl of the World to the market and the appraisers to be the turning point in The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Life went from extremely well to a nightmare for Kino’s family when the pearl buyer only offered 1,000 pesos for the pearl instead of Kino’s demand 50,000 pesos. The day after the appraising, Kino was attacked on the beach but thankfully Kino survived. Everyone wanted the pearl and people even ruined Kino’s boat so that Kino would be stranded on land for prying hands. Even though all this Kino was determined to sell the pearl for the amount he wanted. I can’t bear to imagine having my dreams thrown away like Kino’s. With everyone trying to get the pearl, Kino and his family had to flee their home in order to be safe. Alas, they weren’t safe for there were hunters looking for the family and they wouldn’t stop until Kino was either captured or dead.
ReplyDeleteI can’t describe why people can get so greedy and maniacal when it comes to wealth. The littlest things can drive civilized people mad and that is never a good thing. The pearl was a burden on Kino, not a gift from the gods. Kino should’ve listened to Juana and threw the pearl back to sea but he didn’t listen until they lost their beloved Coyotito.
Autumn Keller, The Pearl by John Steinbeck-
ReplyDeleteAll turning points are a start of something. After reading this book I have come to the conclusion, that the major turning point of this book would be when Kino's young baby boy, Coyotito, was stung by the evil scorpion. Although this part happened within the first chapter off the book I feel it has caused the most change. Life is like domino's, one thing can set the rest in motion. Before the baby boy was stung life for Kino was normal and safe. After Coyotito was stung, Kino's life took a turn and was set in motion by the evil scorpion. If the baby hadn't been stung, Juana, and Kino wouldn't have needed money for treatment. Therefore the determined mother, Juana, wouldn't have sent Kino into the water in search for a pearl, a way for treatment for their beloved Coyotito. Without the scorpion having stung the baby the Great Pearl wouldn't have been found, and therefore Kino's life wouldn't have been spun in such chaos.