Kang 1

Walsh Kang
DePalo
English 9H P7
4/4/13
Radioactive

Change is good. For example, radioisotopes are variations of an element with different

numbers of neutrons. This aberrant change in the mass of the element is a dichotomy: good

and bad, depending on one’s perspective. It releases excess energy through alpha, beta, and

gamma rays. Humans use this energy to kill malignant cancer tumors, yet the rays could also

cause cancer in some cases. Just like elements, humans must interpret change for themselves:

for better or for worse.

Kino’s change comes when he first finds the pearl; he is grateful that he found it, but

when he finds out that the pearl can be used for his family’s personal wants, “he put[s] back his

head and howl[s]” (Steinbeck 20) from the joy of change and the options that come with it. He

suddenly turns from very poor to incredibly rich. Although Kino interprets this change as good,

he realizes that the pearl is feeding on the greed inside him, an undesirable result. He was

warned that the pearl would only bring bad things if he were to cling to that pearl, but he

interpreted the change that came with the pearl as good. He was wrong. With the lack of

atonement for every bad deed he committed to protect the pearl, the pearl itself became an evil

change.

Change is intertwined with a person’s condition, but change can also be synonymous to

the hero cycle. In the “Myth of Sisyphus”, the hero Sisyphus is, “...condemned...to ceaselessly

roll a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight”

(Camus). The dilemma of how to interpret change lies here. Sisyphus could be a man in pain,

conscious of the fact that he will never know the end of his torment. On the other hand, his

heroic triumph could be that instead of pushing the rock up in disgust and reluctance, Sisyphus

would be pushing the rock up, in happiness, because, “the struggle itself toward the heights is
 Kang 2

enough to fill a man’s heart” (Camus).

Of course, Sisyphus’ struggle is only worthwhile if the change in one’s life is taken as a

lesson. Apollo was stricken by Daphne’s death. She was Apollo’s first love and he had a “fire

that was devouring his heart” (Hamilton 156) with yearning. This sudden change that came

upon Apollo was only taken away, leaving him with a broken heart and a memory of “another

one of those independent, love-and-marriage-hating young huntresses” (Hamilton 155). But

Apollo doesn’t choose to view this change in his life as a hindrance, he chooses to remember

Daphne by having her have a “part in all [his] triumphs” (Hamilton 156), with the wreath as the

primeval victory symbol for Greece.

Like a radioisotope, Apollo, Sisyphus, and Kino all find that their lives have been turned

upside-down by a single neutron, whatever that neutron may represent. Regardless, their lives

become volatile because of the change. How they interpreted this change though, determined if

they would emit uncontrollable energy or useful energy; to them and others. With more mass

comes more energy, and with more change in one’s life comes the opportunity for growth.

Works Cited

Camus, Albert. “Myth of Sisyphus & Other Essays.” New York: Vintage Books, 1955. Print.
Hamilton, Edith. “Daphne.” Mythology. New York: Time Warner Book Group, 1969. Print.
Hamilton, Edith. “Oedipus.” Mythology. New York: Time Warner Book Group, 1969. Print.
Steinbeck, John. “Of Mice and Men.” USA: Penguin Books, 1965. Print.
Steinbeck, John. “The Pearl.” New York: Penguin Books, 1973. Print.