The Pearl
The person that I would like to emulate in “The Pearl” written by John Steinbeck is Juana. I find that Juana is a good and dutiful wife, a loving and a devoted woman and a very strong courageous woman.
First, as a wife, she gets up before Kino and prepares corn cakes for him. She only eats when Kino has eaten. She speaks only when she is spoken to. She does so because she respects him. She values what Kino has done for her. She is happy with her decent life. She is grateful to have a responsible husband and a healthy son.
Next, as a mother, Juana loves her baby, Coyotito. When Coyotito is stung by the scorpion, she quickly sucks the poison out and asks for a doctor to treat his son. She sucks out the poison without thinking of the risk. When the doctor refuses to treat Coyotito, she does not give up hope. She tries an alternative treatment that she knows. She applies a poultice of seaweed on Coyotito’s wound. She also chants and pray to God to save her son.
Juana also shows her devotion to both her husband and son. When Coyotito is stung by the scorpion, she asks for a doctor. Even though she knows that they cannot afford to pay him, she insists on getting treatment for her son. Similarly, when Kino decides to leave La Paz, she follows him without much arguement. She devotes herself to her husband even after Kino hits her for trying to throw away the pearl back into the sea.
Moreover, I admire Juana for her strength and courage. She is not a greedy person. When she senses that the pearl is evil, she asks Kino to throw it back into the sea. When Kino refuses, she takes matter in her own hands. She tries to throw it into the sea but is prevented by Kino. Then, when her husband accidentally killed an attacker, she gives her full support. She follows hiM to another city . When Kino asks her to leave first with Coyotito so that he can fight the trackers who are following them, Juana refuses him. She insists on staying by his side.
Again Juana shows her strength and courage when her son is killed by the trackers. Instead of giving up and living in regrets, she carries Coyotito’s dead body on her back and asks Kino to throw the pearl back into the sea. Returning the pearl to where it belongs implies that Kino is throwing away the evil that has ripped off their happiness. She hopes without the evil pearl, she will be able to begin a new life.
So, it is clear that Juana is a person I should emulate. Even though she is only a woman from low class background, she has so many wonderful values and great qualities that many women do not possess.
