The Pearl by John Steinbeck

How do Kino and Juana suffer through the paradox of how evil comes out of good, the tear at the heart of laughter, the dream doomed to disappointment in the moment of dreaming, the despair conjoined with hope, with which humanity, if it wise, must learn to live?

Kino and Juana suffer through this paradox all throughout the story. The idea that "evil comes out of good" starts on page 30 when Kino finds the pearl, "Kino lifted the flesh, and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon." When Kino finds the pearl and brings it home, he begins planning what they're going to use the pearl for: a wedding in a church, new clothes, a harpoon, a rifle, and a proper education for their son, Coyotito. At first, the pearl seems like a great thing that will help make their lives better, but that quickly changes when they realize the negative effects a simple pearl can have on their lives. Men attempt to steal the pearl during the night, Kino and Juana's house is burnt down, the pearl buyers and the doctor try to rip them off in a sense, Kino abuses Juana, the family must run away from their home, and above all, people lose their lives because of this "great" pearl.

"The tear at the heart of laughter" is best represented on page 10: "Kino's hand went forward very slowly, very smoothly. The thorned tail jerked upright. And at that moment the laughing Coyotito shook the rope and the scorpion fell."  Everything was normal and pleasant until the baby is stung by the scorpion, which is literally the tear at the heart of laughter. "The dream doomed to disappointment in the moment of dreaming" strongly relates to this story. As soon as they find the pearl, Kino dreams of all of the possibilities it will bring to his family. The end of the story actually brings a rather ironic twist to these dreams. Firstly, Kino dreams that Coyotito will go to school and get a proper education, but Coyotito is killed because of the pearl. Secondly, the point I find most ironic, Kino says that he will have a rifle, which breaks down the barriers, and in the end he does get a rifle, but it is the rifle that was responsible for his son's death. Kino and Juana  searching for a pearl at the beginning of the book shows the "despair conjoined with hope". The couple are desperately searching and hoping for a pearl so they can pay the doctor to save their son.

I feel that Kino and Juana didn't necessarily learn how to live with the paradox, but they learned how to accept the paradox, which is almost living with it. I think they have also learned to be careful about what they refuse to let go of. Kino was determined to keep the pearl- he hit Juana for trying to throw it away- but because of that, he lost a lot. On page 30, the author describes the initial reaction to the pearl as, "Juana caught her breath and moaned a little. And to Kino the secret melody of the maybe pearl broke clear and beautiful, rich and warm and lovely, glowing and gloating and triumphant. In the surface of the great pearl he could see dreams form." At the end of the book, on page 121, the pearl becomes something different. "He looked into its surface and it was gray and ulcerous. Evil faces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light of burning. And in the surface of the pearl saw the frantic eyes of the man in the pool. And in the surface of the pearl he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away. And the pearl was ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growth. And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distorted and insane." Throughout the story, the pearl goes from beautiful and perfect, to evil, ugly, and gray, like a malignant growth. If Kino hadn't held onto the pearl so strongly, his life would've remained the same as it was before.

When a character acts selflessly against the prevailing vice(s) of the social dominant order, true virtue exhibits itself.

In this book, I don't feel that the character's actions are all that selfless, because the pearl brings out the selfish side of almost every character. On the other hand, Juana and Kino both initially find the pearl to save their son. When their son starts to recover without the doctor, Kino starts thinking of things that he wants. While these things can benefit him and his family, there are more selfless ways to use the money the pearl would bring him.

There actions do, however, exhibit a form of virtue. They exhibit the four cardinal virtues of Ancient Philosophy: justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. Justice is displayed in this story by Kino and his family getting what they deserve for the lives they lived prior to finding the pearl and getting what the deserve for their actions after finding the pearl. Prudence is illustrated through Kino's regard for his own interests and the interests of his family. Temperance, which can be defined as "moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control", is shown through Kino denying to sell the pearl to the pearl buyers, even though  it would have provided his family with money. Fortitude is a very prominent is The Pearl. Both Kino and Juana show extreme mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, and temptation.

Overall, even though I don't think that there are many selfless acts in this book, the actions taken by the characters do result in true virtue exhibiting itself.