The Pearl Misc.

“The Pearl”

The Picture –

In my picture entitled “The Pearl”, I tried to portray the scene in the book where Kino ventures out pearl fishing. Kino, however is not doing this for leisure or for his job but to save his first born son – Coyotitio. Kino and Juana alike wish for a pearl they can sell and use the money to pay the greedy doctor.

Analysis

The picture is of Kino’s underwater quest for a pearl. Kino however does not expect what he finds – The pearl of the world. In the picture, Kino is swimming underwater towards a collection of oysters on a rock. His basket full of pearls is secure on his arm, but his needs drive him deeper and he continues searching for more. Kino is heading towards the Great Pearl. What has caught his eye is the ghostly ray of light that seems to be beckoning him to the pearl. As Kino heads to the oyster covered rock, it is this pearl that he picks up first.

Kino is wearing a simple garment that is the equivalent of what we would know to day as a bathing suit. It is a somewhat large piece of loincloth.

In the picture you can only see the bottom of the canoe. Juana is nursing Coyotito with a bed of poultice above the surface of the water, in the canoe. While Kino is searching for a better chance at life, Juana is tending to Coyotito and praying to the Gods not for Coyotito’s direct recovery but for a pearl that they might use to pay the doctor. Juana’s prayers were obviously heard by the gods right at that moment, Kino was about to pick up the pearl that would change their life drastically.

Themes Portrayed

The themes I tried to show in my picture were Hope/Faith and Determination.

Juana showed Hope and faith towards the gods. She had faith that they would give them the pearl that they needed, to answer all of their problems at that moment. Kino as well, also had hope that he could find a good pearl.

Determination was shown by both members of the family; Kino and Juana did not give up on their child after they were turned away by the doctor. They almost immediately sprang into action, both knowing what they needed to do. Kino set to work getting the money for the doctor (the pearl) and Juana tried her hand at a remedy for the scorpion venom (the poultice). Even though Juana’s method lacked the doctor’s authority, she tried it and hoped for the best.