“‘I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We will have our chance.’ His fist pounded the sleeping mat. ‘No one shall take our good fortune from us,’ he said. His eyes softened then and he raised a gentle hand to Juana 's shoulder. ‘Believe me,’ he said. ‘I am a man’” (57). The question posed to the audience is simple: are women truly relevant to society or should men take over everything? In John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, Juana and Kino are poor, young Mexican-Indian parents. Kino is a pearl diver while Juana is a stay-at-home mother. Their only son, Coyotito, falls sick from a scorpion sting. Later, while oyster diving, Kino discovers an enormous pearl in one the oysters pulled - ‘The Pearl of the World’. This discovery leads Kino and his family to embark on a journey to sell the pearl in order to experience the things in which they could not before. As a woman, Juana played a
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The Pearl depicted her to be inferior when compared to Kino. In actuality, she was superior. Her supportive role to her husband was stronger than Kino’s place as a man. When Coyotito fell sick, Juana was the one who took control. When there was a sense of uncertainty on the “evil presence” surrounding the pearl, she was the voice of reason. Women, as stated above, were lessened in value. Overall, Juana was in fact the dark horse of the story. She was able to use her female figure to bring back stability to her family by asserting her superior self. Without this woman, Kino would have made the wrong decisions based on greed and evilness. Therefore, Steinbeck shows women’s relevance in society. If men were to have authority over every aspect in the world, there would be no need for women. But if there were no women the world would be filled with poor choices made based upon the irrational thoughts of men. Consequently, a woman’s role, like Juana, is essential in society to balance out their husbands, and later their
The Pearl depicted her to be inferior when compared to Kino. In actuality, she was superior. Her supportive role to her husband was stronger than Kino’s place as a man. When Coyotito fell sick, Juana was the one who took control. When there was a sense of uncertainty on the “evil presence” surrounding the pearl, she was the voice of reason. Women, as stated above, were lessened in value. Overall, Juana was in fact the dark horse of the story. She was able to use her female figure to bring back stability to her family by asserting her superior self. Without this woman, Kino would have made the wrong decisions based on greed and evilness. Therefore, Steinbeck shows women’s relevance in society. If men were to have authority over every aspect in the world, there would be no need for women. But if there were no women the world would be filled with poor choices made based upon the irrational thoughts of men. Consequently, a woman’s role, like Juana, is essential in society to balance out their husbands, and later their