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John SteinbeckA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
As the protagonist, Kino plays the part of a tragic hero: His bravery and love for his family are admirable, but his obsession with the pearl leads him to a devastating outcome. Physically, Kino is “young and strong,” with dark hair and “warm and fierce and bright” eyes that suggest his impulsive (7), passionate nature. As the priest reminds him, Kino is named after a European priest—presumably Eusebio Kino, who, among other things, demonstrated that Baja California is a peninsula, not an island. Like his namesake, Kino tries to navigate Baja California on land after his canoe is broken, but he finds the territory to be just as restrictive as an island would be so long as he holds onto the pearl.
Kino’s transformation through the narrative involves a journey from innocence to experience. As the story opens, Kino leads a peaceful, happy life with his family within a supportive community. As his early morning vigil demonstrates, he is connected with nature. The one blot upon his happiness involves the influence of the nearby city, with its exploitative settlers. When Kino discovers the pearl, he naively thinks that it offers him an escape and a solution to this problem.
By John Steinbeck
Cannery Row
Cannery Row
John Steinbeck
East of Eden
East of Eden
John Steinbeck
Flight
Flight
John Steinbeck
In Dubious Battle
In Dubious Battle
John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Sweet Thursday
Sweet Thursday
John Steinbeck
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
John Steinbeck
The Chrysanthemums
The Chrysanthemums
John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
The Log From The Sea of Cortez
The Log From The Sea of Cortez
John Steinbeck
The Long Valley
The Long Valley
John Steinbeck
The Moon Is Down
The Moon Is Down
John Steinbeck
The Red Pony
The Red Pony
John Steinbeck
The Wayward Bus
The Wayward Bus
John Steinbeck
The Winter Of Our Discontent
The Winter Of Our Discontent
John Steinbeck
To a God Unknown
To a God Unknown
John Steinbeck
Tortilla Flat
Tortilla Flat
John Steinbeck
Travels With Charley
Travels With Charley
John Steinbeck