Reflection assignment for The Pearl by John Steinbeck - Essay Example

The Pearl I do agree with Steinbeck’s preface that there can only be good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and no in-between anywhere. This is the true depiction of human nature which is always at loggerheads and thus cannot be fully be said to be harboring good and bad thoughts and ideas simultaneously.The four songs include; the Song of the Pearl that might be, the song of the family, the song of the Undersea and the Song of the Evil. Songs were quite significant to Kino and his community, and they composed several songs.

Thus these songs symbolized the responses of characters to the actions as they proceeded. For instance in La Paz the Song of the Family is sung by Juana to keep away evil; at the start, amidst the Song of the Family, the appearance of a scorpion leads to the beginning of the Song of the Evil. This therefore means that an event that is bad or unpleasant may bring about the Song of Evil to one’s mind and afterwards the Song of the Family to fight such evil as happens in La Paz and interchangeably as happens at the beginning.

At other times however, songs may interplay feeding one another as when Kino is busy diving for pearls.The five things Kino wishes to do with the money from the Pearl include; a proper marriage for him and his wife in church, a harpoon, a rifle, proper clothing for his family and sending his son Coyotito to school so that he can become schooled. They are important to Kino because by wedding properly in church, his respect will increase in the community and his wife will be happy. In addition to that, if his son gets schooled, then it means he will be able to read and also open books, Coyotito will also know and it is through him that they will also get informed.

These wishes reveal the fact that humans are always searching and yearning for big and better things and are never satisfied by what they have. They are insatiable and want to better their lives no matter what stage of life, race or class they are in.The five things that Kino desires to do after selling the pearl include; marrying his wife in church which represents an opulent and fashionable way of marrying, mostly practiced by the rich. Kino also wishes to buy his son a cap for yachting together with a sailor suit from the US.

This represents the good life that is enjoyed by the rich and Kino simply is dreaming of what the rich do with their money. Human beings envision that buying clothes and dressing expensively is one way of looking rich. Kino also desires for his son to go to school so that he can learn how to read and write. This represents human experience of wanting to advance by bettering their children’s future and well being. The fourth wish is that of owning a rifle which is quite a very big dream which leads to opening of doors of limitless realm of desires.

This represents human desire for power and wealth. Initially Kino was used to paddling a canoe, but now with the money from the sale of pearl, he will be able to own a rifle which will assist him with his daily work and also hunting.The last desire is that of buying proper clothing for himself, his son Coyotito and his wife Juana. With the money from the pearl, Kino will be able to spend well on his family’s need for proper clothes making them look like the Westerners. He thus envisions himself in felt hat that is new, his wife in a skirt and shoes that are also new, and finally his son Coyotito in a new American sailor outfit.

All these things will be new. Kino clearly associates riches and nice new clothes with the European and American culture rather than that of his own.