“The Pearl” by John Steinbeck

There is a peaceful family including Kino, Juana, and their baby boy Coyotito in La Paz, Mexico. One night, when they are watching Coyotito sleeping, a scorpion falls on his shoulder and stings him. Kino accompanies Juana go to see a local doctor, but he does not want to save their son because he knows that they do not have money. Then, they bring their son to the beach and use seaweed poultice on the wound. To earn money to cure for Coyotito, Kino has an idea that is looking pearl oysters to collect pearls. he sails a boat far away coaster and dives into the ocean to gather oyster. Luckily, he catches an enormous oyster with a big pearl inside. He yells loudly to describe happiness, but many people in his village know that he got the pearl. They get to his house with the hope that he will grant them a little money. The doctor also comes to Kino's house. He tries to convince Kino and his wife to cure for their son even though his son is fine now. Some of them want to find the place where Kino places the pearl to steal, and they found the place he buries the pearl.

At that night, a thief comes to Kino's house, but he drives away. Kino takes the pearl to jewelry stores, but all of them offer him just one thousand pesos while Kino thinks that it is supposed to be fifty thousand. He needs that money for celebrating a wedding, better life, and Coyotito's education. He decides to go to the capital to sell it. That night, there are more thieves chasing him. Juana tells Kino that he should sell it even one thousand because she thinks it could kill her family, but he does not want. She decides to throw it away, but Kino sees it. He tries to take it back. On the way going to the capital, there are three trackers with guns following Kino. Their family hides in a cave, but they get caught because Coyotito cries. The trackers shoot a lot into the cave. Kino runs outside of the cave and kills all of the trackers. When he gets back in the cave, he realizes his wife was killed. He is really depressed for that lost, but he has to keep going because of his son. Eventually, he gets to a jewelry store at the capital. He makes an appointment with a dealer at a hotel to sell the pearl, but he does not know that the doctor is in the hotel too. The doctor gets into Kino's room and looks for the pearl when Kino is not in the room. The doctor sees the pearl placed on Coyotito's neck and tries to take it off. Coyotito cries a lot, so Kino immediately rushes into his room. Kino calls the police, but the doctor tries to prevent him. He fights with Kino and accidentally pushes him out of the window. He flees immediately, but the dealer sees him when he is running out of the room. The dealer sees Coyotito crying a lot and is informed that Kino died. The dealer and his wife are quite old, but they cannot have children. They decide to adopt Coyotito.

At the 18th birthday of Coyotito, they tell him the truth that they are not his real parents and give him a gift that is the pearl. They tell him the story about the reason why his real father died. To appreciate the valuable thing from his father, he always wears the pearl on his neck. When studying at a university, he lives with some people in a dormitory. One day, after playing soccer, he takes off his t-shirt. Dany who lives with Coyotito at dormitory notices the pear and plans to steal it. That night, he waits until midnight and crawls to Kino's bed and use scissors to cut it off. Next day, he brings it far away from the dormitory to sell it. Unfortunately, he comes to Coyotito's father's store. Coyotito's father recognizes the pear that is Coyotito's. Coyotito and his father take Dany to see police officers. They call Dany's father to stand bail for him. Surprisingly, Dany's father is the doctor who killed Coyotito. Coyotito's father recognizes the doctor and tells the officers that he killed Kino. After investigating, the doctor gets sentenced to stay in prison lifetime. Coyotito realized the pear will not bring happiness to anybody. It also might kill him in someday. He buries it in front of Kino's grave.

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