Ujian SETARA Q.3

What moral values did you learn after reading the novel ‘The Pearl’ by John Steinbeck? Support your answer with close reference to the text.

The novel, The pearl is a product forged in the mind of John Steinbeck in the 20th century. It is a brilliantly penned novel that explicits the oppressive nature of the colonial Spanish who ruled over the inferior nature of the native Mexican Indians.

There are many moral values that can be extracted out from the novel. These include the moral value of resourceful. Kino and his family live in utter poverty in the outskirts of La Paz city. Kino tries all means to make his family life a better one. For instance, when the scorpion stings Coyotito and the doctor refuse to treat him, they resort to traditional but unproven treatment. Juana takes some seaweed and grinds it into a paste. Then, she applies it onto Coyotito’s swelling and painful wound. This potion works for Coyotito and greatly reduces the swelling. I am truly admired by this event so much as when it seems that all things begin to turn against Kino’s family, they still manage to find an elixir for Coyotito. Besides that, when the attackers set fire to his shack and punctures a hole in his canoe, Kino is still undeterred. He finds another way that leads to the capital city and abandons his initial plan to travel in his canoe. The moral value of honesty be apprised of Kino not stealing another person’s canoe in order to aid in his quest to travel to the capital city to sell off the pearl to fulfill his dreams. I am full of appraisal for Kino’s decision making talent of not plagiarizing on other people’s prized possession. This split second decision by Kino is indeed a remarkable and deserves my full ovation. Kino, with the help of Juan Tomas and Apolonia, gathers supplies of food and water in preparation for the dangerous but rewarding trip to the city. They set off by foot. In these times of peril, Kino’s resourcefulness in getting his family to the capital city teaches me to be more resourceful in life and not to take things for granted. Who knows what the future may hold for me, I have to gear up and be prepared to face those critical predicaments and utilize the things given to me to the fullest extend.

Besides that moral value, I also learn the moral value of love. This moral value is seen in several particular events. For instance, Kino and his wife, Juana loves their first born baby, Coyotito. They shower him with love and care and will take any necessary actions to keep him out of harm’s way. When Kino sees a scorpion that is on the rope of Coyotito’s hanging box, he takes an instinctive action to eliminate the harm. Although the attempt fails and the scorpion manages to sting Coyotito, Kino still takes it as a threat to the family and eradicates it by “rubbing it into a paste”. I have learnt that I should take any actions that are deemed suitable to put my family in a safe zone even though it may mean that I need to sacrifice my precious life for it. Furthermore, seeing her son in agonizing pain, Juana takes the Hobson’s choice to suck the poison from the scorpion’s sting in Coyotito’s wound. This action may kill Juana as the toxins may poison her. She disregards her own safety by minimizing the scorpion’s venom in Coyotito’s little body through sucking truly portrays a motherly love to her son. Her actions truly deserve credit. I learnt that I need to show my love to my family and let them know I really love them.

Moreover, I also learn the moral value of loyalty. This is evidently shown where Juana still pledges her loyalty to Kino even though he punches and kicks her for trying to discard of the pearl which she foresees will bring bad luck to the family. Juana does not deserve the brutal assault from Kino and still she is loyal to her husband. This teaches me that I should be loyal to my wife and she too has to show her loyalty to me. This will result in everlasting love between both of us. Besides that, she is loyal to Kino by not splitting with his family when they come under attack from the trackers. Kino’s decision to split with his family is not net with Juana’s idea. She decides to follow him even though it means certain death. This truly demonstrates that the loyalty bond of Juana to her husband is not lost even though they are under the strain to stay alive. I should always be loyal and be content with my wife when going through rough times.

All in all, I have learnt to be a resourceful person by taking and using what is only given. Moreover, I will not buck under pressure when I am in a dire predicament. Besides that, I too learnt to be a loving person and to love my family more. Last but not least, I also learnt to be a loyal and faithful companion to my wife every time.