The Pearl

I. Setting- At this point of the story, where is taking place?
a. Place: In the center of the town where pearl buyers are waiting for Kino.
b. Mood of Atmosphere: It is considered “a special day in the life of the town”. Everybody in the town is behind Kino, like in a procession, to see if Kino sells his Pearl, and to see how much money he can get from it.
II. Charactersc. Kino, Juana and Coyotito
d. Juan Tomás
e. The priest
f. The pearl buyers
g. The doctor
III. Questions:
h. In your own words, how did the story finish?
i. Kino and his family are being sought by three trackers to take the Pearl from them and also kill them. Kino is going to fight them, loses his son to a gunshot and returns to town and takes thePearl and will throw it back to the ocean where it disappears.
i. Do you consider that at the end the actions of Kino were correct?
ii. In his way of thinking, Kino is doing what is correct. He fights for the safety of his family, but when he loses his son, his ambitions are not there anymore. Because of this, Kino throws the Pearl back to the ocean. To that moment, his son hadbeen the center of everything he wanted to do with the money he could have gotten from the selling of the Pearl.
IV. What kind of conflict is there in this part of the story? Explain your answer.
j. Kino must decide what he will do with the Pearl now that his son is dead and the trackers are, too. Everything Kino did to this point was done with the hope of giving his son an education,and a better life for his family. Everything has change now and Kino knows that.
V. Select the correct answer
k. Where does Kino place Juana and Coyotito for the night while in the mountain in Chapter 6?
iii. In a shallow cave.
l. Which songs are in Kino’s head as he sneaks up on the trackers?
iv. Song of the Family and Song of Hope.
m. What does Juanadress Coyotito in on the morning of the Pearl sale?
v. His baptism clothes.
n. Which one of these things was not borrowed by Juan for Kino?
vi. A rifle.
o. What us the highest offer Kino gets for his pearl in Chapter 4?
vii. Fifteen hundred pesos.
p. What gives Kino a strong sense of protection during his and his family’s running escape in Chapter6?
viii. His knife.
VI. Summary of the chapters 4, 5, 6.
q. Chapter 4
ix. It is early in the morning and the whole town of La Paz knows that this is the day that Kino will sell his pearl. The pearl buyers wait anxiously in their stalls to offer the lowest price possible for Kino's pearl. The narrator makes the point that this doesn't make them evil, it only makes themgood pearl buyers because every man should strive to be his best their low bidding is a natural result of their station. The moisture in the air is especially thick and creates the mirage of a large mountain to the north of the city. The pearl divers stay on shore to witness the sale of Kino's pearl. Kino's neighbors discuss what they would do with the money and they hope that the pearl will notdestroy Kino and his family by making them greedy. Because it is a special morning, Juana, Coyotito and Kino dress in their best clothes, which are simple and ragged but clean. Kino puts on his straw hat and checks to make sure it rides properly on his head - too far back or on the side would be indicative of a young, rash man and directly atop his head would be too much like an old man. Kino'shat rides slightly forward to indicate aggressiveness and certainty of purpose.
Many people follow the family as they walk into town but only Juan Thomás walks beside Kino. The two men agree that Kino must be careful not to be cheated but since neither knows what is paid for the pearls outside La Paz they are unsure how to value the pearl. Juan Thomás tells of a time before Kino was born when the...