The Pearl; Motivation Similarities

By Michaela McCormack
When a keen reader reads a book set on distinct oppression, they cannot help
but compare and contrast themselves to the characters of the story. One book that
demonstrates the type of oppression is titled, The Pearl. The Pearl is a book about the
oppression of the Spaniards on the Indegene (Natives) of La Paz, Mexico. The story is
about a man named Kino who found immense wealth in the form of a large pearl and
used his greed as a weapon, thereby causing the death of his only son and the
destruction of his family. Throughout this novella, there have been several characters
who shared some of the same motivations for success as me. In The Pearl, Juana, the
wife of Kino, was motivated by the fact that she wanted the best for her family and
herself, while The Doctor constantly reveries and mourns his former life spent in luxury
in Paris, France.
To begin, Juana tries very hard to keep her family safe, even if it means betraying her
husbands trust, though for the sake of his life. In Chapter 5, Steinbeck writes She burst
clear out of the brush line and stumbled over the little boulders toward the water, and
she heard him coming and broke into a run. Her arm was about to throw when he leaped
at her and caught her arm and wrenched the Pearl from her (Steinbeck 63). In this
quote, Juana tries to throw the Pearl back into the ocean, but Kino stops her. This quote
shows but that she will risk the wealth of The Pearl in order to save her family.
Meanwhile, while The Doctor was treating another patient, he hears about Kinos
immense wealth, and abruptly decides to help him. The Doctor sternly said He is a
client of mine (28). Then the doctor starts daydreaming about his former life The
Doctor looked past his aged patient and saw himself sitting in a restaurant in Paris and a
waiter was just opening a bottle of wine.(28) This shows that The Doctor longs for his
former luxurious life in Paris.
Much like Juana and The Doctor, I want the best for my family and a comfortable
life, respectively. I work hard in school to take thorough and detailed notes and do my
homework every night. I sacrifice screen and friend time for my school work, because I
want the best for myself in the future. I also will help my siblings with their homework,
whether it's long division problems, or with their Word Sort. I want to live an enjoyable
life that I earn myself, not through fake knowledge and intimidation which was how The
Doctor earned his living.
In The Pearl, there are several characters that have the same motivations I have. But,
after reading The Pearl and realized the outcome of these two motivations, I have
changed and improved it for the better. Even though Juanas intention and motivation
was good in the book, the outcome did not turn out very well. The Doctor, on the other
hand, was very narcissus with his decisions which affected him later in the book. Overall,
in the novella The Pearl, Juanas motivation was the hope of the survival of her family,
and The Doctors motivation was wealth. My motivation is to help myself and my family
and work hard to earn a comfortable life.