PLN 3

In the book "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, Kino finds a pearl that gives him great power and the chance to help his family. Some options he obtains are giving his son an education, Buying new clothes for his family, and buying a gun as a symbol of power. Kino wants his son Coyotito to receive an education: “Kino looked at his neighbors fiercely. My son will go to school, he said and the neighbors were hushed. Juana caught her breath sharply. Her eyes were bright as she watched him, and she looked quickly down at Coyotito in her arms to see whether this might be possible.” This quote shows how, as a result of obtaining the pearl Kino has many more options. His son Coyotito will receive an education and better his life overall. Kino wants to buy new clothes so that his family's lives could be more normal. “ In the pearl he saw how they were dressed – Juana in a shawl stiff with newness and a new skirt, and from under the long skirt Kino could see that she wore shoes. It was in the pearl – the picture glowing there. He himself was dressed in new white clothes, and he carried a new hat- not of straw but of fine black felt – and he too wore shoes- not sandals but shoes that laced.” Gaining the money from selling the pearl would definitely improve the poor and dirty predicament they are in. Not having shoes greatly affects Kino's and Juana's life because Juana needs to go out and farm so she can make the corn cakes that they eat and Kino is a pearl diver and hunter so shoes would make him faster when trying to kill an animal. Kino wants to buy a rifle so he can hunt and so he can have power: “And Kino saw Kino in the pearl, Kino holding a Winchester carbine. It was the rifle that broke down the barriers. For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more. A man in the rear murmured, “A rifle. He will have a rifle.” I like how Kino wants a rifle because it gives him the power to refuse people demands. Many of the townspeople take advantage of him and that is partially why he doesn't live in the city. When making business deals with people he can have the upperhand because the buyer won't haggle and ask for more than what he is paying for. A rifle would also increase the amount of protection the family has. When a scorpion comes in and is trying to sting little Coyotito rather than having Juana chant black magic Kino can shoot it. Gaining the pearl and the power that comes with it would make Kino's family thrive more because Coyotito will be educated, they will have new clothes and be treated better , and Kino will be able to make better deals and protect his family with his rifle.