The PEARL: METAPHORS

The Pearl
The most obvious symbol in the story is the pearl itself. It is an accident of the natural world, the
product of the interactions between a tiny grain of sand and an oyster. In this way it is a
metaphor for fortune and the luck that produces it makes it valuable to human beings.

Additionally, it acts as a sort of crystal ball in which Kino sees visions of the future that might be:
a rifle, fine clothes, a formal wedding for he and Juana and an education for his son. In this
manner the pearl is a symbol of Kino's daring - it is a metaphor for the wealth that might be
generated by selling it. The trouble Kino has converting this accident of the natural world into the
wealth of the human world is symbolic of the condition of his people who are seemingly fated to
never rise above their impoverished position.

The Rifle
The rifle that Kino sees when he looks into the pearl and his desire for one symbolizes the break
with his former life. Previous to finding the pearl, Kino would not have dared dream to own such
a valuable item, but with the pearl all things seem possible and the rifle is the wish that opens
the door for all other to follow. Also, a rifle is an item that can be owned by the white, wealthy
people. So, it also symbolizes equality and freedom. However, in the end the rifle becomes the
means of Coyotito's death. When Kino seizes it from the gunman it becomes the one thing that
the pearl actually delivers to him. When he and Juana return to village, Kino carries the rifle
while Juana carries their dead son.

Nature
Many of the elements of the natural world act as metaphors in the course of the story. From the
oyster beds to the vision-obscuring mist of the Gulf; from the harsh landscape of the interior to
the oasis of life around the spring in the granite mountains, images of nature abound in the story.
In this way the oyster bed is a metaphor for luck, the mist a metaphor for the ignorance which
blinds the villagers and the spring in the cleft of the mountains is a metaphor for the struggle
between life and death. Also, the comparison between the sea bed and the seashore symbolize
wealth and poverty in contrast.

Other Metaphors
Kino's bush hut admits light and air, symbolizing not only his material poverty but also his close
relationship with nature. The doctor's stone house, on the other hand, is enclosed by a wall and
contains a caged bird, symbolizing his relative wealth and distance from the natural world and
the Indians whom he considers little more than wild animals. When Steinbeck describes the big
fish feeding on the small fish in the estuary and Kino being hunted by evil people to take the
pearl from him symbolizes how his people have always been oppressed by the ruling class.