The two inevitably decide they must leave. Fearing even more danger, Juana warns Kino that he will now be labeled a murderer and that the pearl is bad luck. Seeing her husband distraught over the loss of the pearl and laying next to a dead man, she gives the pearl back to him. In the scuffle he drops the pearl, which Juana finds on her way back to the house. When he returns home he is met by a group of men who attempt to rob him of the pearl. When Kino catches her, he beats her badly and leaves her bloodied on the beach. Uneasy about the pearl and the negative attention it is bringing onto the family, Juana tries to steal the pearl and dispose of it. Kino thus decides that they should go to the capital to sell the pearl. Instances and incidents like this become frequent, and Kino’s brother, Juan Tomas, warns Kino that all the dealers are in cahoots to underbid him on the pearl.

Kino’s instincts were correct, that night an intruder comes in (presumably the doctor) looking in the corner for the pearl and Kino fights off the intruder. Knowing he possibly gave its position away, he reburies the pearl under his sleeping mat after the doctor leaves. When he is questioning Kino about the pearl, Kino glances to its secret burial place. When the doctor returns he is able to administer more medicine to help Coyotito. In the meantime, Coyotito grows more ill, prompting Kino to bury the pearl in the corner of the home. Eventually, the doctor returns and treats Coyotito, and says he will return in an hour. With this large pearl he begins to dream and brag about what he will do with the money. Kino finds such a large pearl that it attracts attention from all of the villagers. To remedy this, his father Kino takes their canoe out in search of a pearl that he can sell to pay the doctor.Īt home, Juana prays that her husband will find a pearl bigger than any other and her prayers are answered. His parents take him to the doctor however, they are turned away because they do not have payment for his treatment.

Although they are poor, the family lives a relatively happy life until one day, Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion and his life is threatened. The novella takes place in a remote seaside village where a young family of three live: Kino, Juana, and their infant son, Coyotito.

The pearl john steinbeck citation