Juana The Pearl

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What would be expected of a person whose life has the chance to change exponentially, whether it is from good fortune, bad fortune, or a combination of the two? In John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, the expectations of a family change with the discovery of an object, a pearl that is like no other, which will bring such fortune to them. This fortune, both positive and negative, results in decisions being made that will affect the family as a whole. However, it is Juana, wife of Kino, mother of the newborn Coyotito, who notices the corruption of the fortune that is being brought upon them. However, in such a society in which the family lived in, the men were at the forefront while women were expected to be in the background. Although that mentality occurred in the family, Juana was …show more content…

When any problem occurred that she felt she could solve, she tried to tackle it. She knew that there was a problem with Kino once the swelling hadn’t receded. As the doctor wouldn’t come cure her child, she tried to work her own magic to at least bring down the swelling, by applying her own remedies on Coyotito, which actually reduced the swelling. The pearl -once the dealers would not give Kino the price he felt the pearl deserved and trespassers were starting to come around to attempt to thieve the pearl - she felt was starting to corrupt her family and way of life. As such, she requested that Kino either destroy it or get rid of it, stating that “Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones. Let us - let us throw it back in the sea where it belongs…” (56). However, Kino disagreed with her statement. As a result, to solve the problem that was the pearl, Juana took it upon herself to throw the pearl into the ocean, which she failed to do in her attempt as ultimately Kino stopped her from doing so, resulting in him disciplining

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