Literally?
Steinbeck writes that the scorpion “moved like a shadow” toward Coyotito. This comparison is an example of what?
What is a simile?
Kino’s transformation from hopeful father to violent fugitive demonstrates that he is this type of character.
What is a dynamic character?
Kino hopes to sell the pearl in a larger city to the north, often referred to only by this general term.
What is “the capital”?
"I am a man."
Who is Kino.
Kino and Juana flee their home after this violent act destroys their shelter.
What is the burning of the house?
Descriptions like “the wind cried and whimpered in the brush” show Steinbeck giving human traits to nature.
What is personification?
The burning of the brush house and the attack on Kino’s canoe occur during this part of the plot, where tension rises.
What is the rising action?
Kino’s most prized family possession, symbolizing tradition and livelihood, is destroyed by intruders.
What is the canoe?
“This thing is evil… This pearl is like a poison.”
Who is Juana?
Kino kills one attacker in Chapter 5 with this practical tool turned weapon.
What is a knife?
Steinbeck frequently hints at danger before it happens—such as when Kino senses evil after the pearl brings attention to his family—to create this narrative effect.
What is foreshadowing? (Or suspense.)
The climactic mountain confrontation with the trackers is an example of this broad category of story struggle.
What is conflict? (or man vs. man conflict)
As Kino flees, he hides in these natural formations in the mountains to avoid being spotted by the trackers.
What are the caves?
“No one of you knows the value of a pearl… Only I can determine its worth.”
Who is the pearl buyer?
While fleeing, Kino must erase these physical signs so the trackers can’t follow them.
What are footprints?
When Steinbeck describes the “dark shapes” and “the crying of coyotes” around Kino in the mountains, he is primarily using this literary device or form of figurative language to intensify suspense.
What is sensory imagery (or imagery)?
Coyotito’s tragic death signals this stage of the plot, where the story’s tension breaks and events turn toward closure.
What is the climax?
When a person has read ahead of his or her peers and tells others what to expect, this form of foreshadowing signifies that the person who read ahead is this type of terrible human being.
Who is a spoiler?
“He is a client of mine.”
Who is the doctor?
Kino clings to the pearl to provide a better life for Coyotito, yet his insistence on keeping it directly leads to the danger that causes the child’s death. This painful contradiction reflects what literary device?
What is irony? (or tragic irony)
Steinbeck uses this device to heighten emotional impact through his contrast between light and dark—light representing safety and dark representing danger.
What is symbolism?
Kino and Juana’s silent return to La Paz, with Juana carrying the dead child, is part of this final stage that ties up loose ends.
What is the falling action? (or resolution, if I'm feeling generous...)
At the story’s end, Kino finally destroys the pearl by doing this.
What is throwing it back into the sea?
“Perhaps the dealers have colluded. Perhaps they have spoken to each other.”
Who is Juan Tomas?
The tragedy occurs because the trackers mistake Coyotito’s cry for this animal’s sound.
What is a coyote?