The Pearl : themes - Question & Answer

Main themes :
- Love
- Greed
- Sacrifice
- Courage

Example : Write about any three themes in the novel you have chosen. With close reference to the text, describe the themes.

The three themes in ‘The Pearl’ are the theme of love, the theme of courage and the theme of greed.

The story of Kino and his wife, Juana, portrays the theme of love. Their love for each other and their baby comes first before anything else. Kino wants the pearl to get money for his wife and baby. He needs money to marry Juana in a church and to pay the baby’s medical expenses. When he flees to the mountains, the trackers pursue him, accompanied by his wife and his baby. His first concern is for them. Fearing for their safety, he asks Juana to leave him there but she refuses to. Juana didn’t leaves her husband and sees it as her duty to stand by her husband.

Another theme is courage. Kino shows courage when he fights off the trackers. After his baby has been shot and killed by them, he takes revenge and kills all three of them. Juana also displays courage when she follows her husband to the mountains.

Another type of courage is the moral courage shown by Kino when he dares to defy the system. He refuses to sell his pearl to the pearl dealers at the price set by them and loses his son in the process.

The rich characters like the doctor and pearl dealers portray the theme of greed and corruption. The doctor pretends to be nice to Kino after knowing about the pearl. The dealers try to swindle Kino by offering him low prices. They try to take advantage of Kino. They send trackers after them. For greed, they are willing to commit murder.