The Pearl

The Pearl begins with a new day beginning and the evil of night passing. Kino wakes up and Juana, who is Kino's wife, begins making corn tortillas. Then as the song of the family gets strong inside Kino's head he sees a scorpion coming down a rope toward Coyotito's sleeping box. Kino lunges toward the scorpion but it is too late and it stings Coyotito who is only an infant. This is where the story rapidly develops. They go to the doctor so he can treat the child, but the doctor is racist and also will not treat coyotito because they're poor. So they leave, angered, and are looking for a way to be able to save Coyotito. They go out into the canoe and Kino begins pearl diving. He comes back to the surface with a bunch of little clams and an enormous clam that he found in a rock cove at the bottom of the clam bed. He opens it and howls like a coyote when he finds the pearl of the world. The news spreads and the doctor comes up with a plot to steal the pearl. That night the doctor comes to the hut and gives Coyotito, even though he's getting better, a white powder. He says he'll be back in an hour. When he comes back Coyotito is vomiting and he gives him another medicine and he gets better. That night someone tries to steal the pearl but Kino fends them off. Then they go to the pearl buyers and Kino feels like he is getting scammed so he says he's going to go to the capital. Then Kino is confronted and he has to kill a man to save himself and their house is burning. He then goes to the home of his brother, Juan Tomas, to hide. He decides to head out toward the capital that night so the family flees. The next day Kino notices trackers are following them. So they lead them up into the mountains and Kino develops a plan. That night just as the sun sets Kino strips and heads toward the resting trackers. Kino sneaks down a hillside and is about ready to leap for the kill when Coyotito cries and the tracker mistakes

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