1. The Pearl
By: Cheyanne Kingcannon

2. About the Author
• John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California
on February 27, 1902.
• He became an avid reader early in life.
• He was a reporter in New York.

3. Plot Summary
• Kino and Juana live a well off life as pearl divers.
• Their baby Coyotito gets stung by a scorpion.
• They go visit a doctor but he rejects them because he
knows they have no money
• Juana prays that they will find a pearl and they do.

4. Setting/Period
• Mexican/American boarder
• Early 1900’s

5. Main Characters
• Kino (the protagonist)— Juana’s Husband &
Coyotito’s Father.
• Juana— Kino’s wife & Coyotito’s mother.
• Coyotito—Kino & Juana’s only child.

6. Minor Characters
• The Doctor— A member of the town who
looks down on Kino’s people.
• The Priest— A member of the town who owns
the local church.

7. Moral
• Greed can and will be the downfall of your life.
• Never entrust your faith in one thing oppose
to what you usually entrust your faith in.

8. Interesting Info
• Pearls are found inside oysters and other
“mollusks”.
• Oysters were found in ocean floors and river
bottoms.

9. Interesting Info
• Scorpion venom is strong enough to cause
severe symptoms.
• There are 15,000 species of scorpions world
wide.

10. Citations
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scorpionstings/basics/definition/con-20033894
• http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/natural_pearls.html
• http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/pearl/characters.html