I Introduction/General Information about the Book
· Title: The Pearl
· Author: John Steinbeck
· Type of Book (fantasy, humor, science fiction, mystery, biography, non-fiction): fiction
II Characters
Main Character: Kino
· Describe this character: (the conflicts and problems that the main character faced in the story)
Kino was really a strong and brave man because he really wants his family to survive from poverty. He was worried because his son, Coyotito was bitten by a scorpion and he needs to be treated soon. He was eager to fish for oysters in search for pearls. He found a huge pearl. Many people tried to steal it from him. Their family hid in the cave but his son was killed.
· I can identify with the main character when:
I can identify the main character when he is in a problem and he tries to solve it.
· Supporting Characters: (name at most three)
Juana
Coyotito
Juan Tomas
· Describe some details about each supporting character
-Juana is the wife of Kino. A very loveing wife and a caring mother. She supports Kino always.
-Coyotito is the only child of Kino and Juana. He was bitten by a scorpion and he died because of the gunshot of the people who followed them.
-Juan Tomas is the brother of Kino. Kino and his family stayed with them when their life was complicated.
III Setting
· Describe the time and place of the story:
The story took place in La Paz, Mexico. Kino and his family lived in a small shack.
· Comments about the setting (examples: setting makes story exciting, setting has an important effect on main character, setting is/is not exciting or new, setting increased my knowledge of something):
The setting has an important effect in the story because Kino and his family are in the lower class of society and are not wealthy by any means. They are experiencing poverty.
IV Plot: The Action/Summary of What Happened in the Story
· Summary of the story (list up to 6 events that happened in the story; keep them in order):
One day, Coyotito is stung on the shoulder by a poisonous scorpion. They went to the doctor but he refused to treat Coyotito because they don't have enough money to the doctor. The next afternoon, Kino decided to go fish for oysters he then finds a large oyster and found a giant pearl. But when the neighbors and all the people knew about the pearl, all of them wanted to get it. The same night, a thief attempts to steal the pearl and attacks Kino. They hid in the mountains so that the people will not get the pearl from them but they were followed by three people. Kino killed them all and all he heard was the cry of death, Coyotito was killed by the men. The two approach the gulf, and Kino, who now sees the image of Coyotito and throws it into the ocean.
V Theme
· What is the author trying to say in this story? Is there a moral to this story?
The story tries to tell the people that when you have something that is very precious to you like your family, you should care and love them. In the story, the pearl is the adversary because Kino and his family had a very hard time. It gave them problems and even the death of Kino's son, Coyotito. The moral to the story is that the pearl makes the people bad and they will do everything just to get it. People nowadays are materialistic.
· This book showed me/I learned from this story:
I learned that material things can really make a family life complicated. It should not be prioritized, the family members instead should be prioritized.
· State a problem in the story and how it was solved
I think the major problem is when the pearl came and because of it, Coyotito died. I think that the problem was not that solved entirely. It was solved because of the death of someone.
VI Evaluation of the Book
· What are your thoughts about the book? (did you or didn’t you like it and why?)
I liked the book because it portrays a family that is facing many trials. And every family should be able to endure it or else their family will be greatly affected. The father, Kino is a very caring man to his family and Juana is there to support him. I admire their family because they are still there for each other. The people are very materialistic, the would do anything for that pearl.
