The Pearl Chapter 5

Kino awakes in the middle of the night to find that Juana is not on their sleeping mat. She has moved the fireplace stone and is walking out the door when Kino rises to follow her. Fury builds in him at his wife's betrayal. When she reaches the beach and raises her arm to throw the pearl back into the sea, Kino attacks her. He grabs the pearl from her and hits her in the face and kicks her in the side. He looks down at her as if to hurt her again and she faces him, unafraid. His face fills with disgust and he turns to walk back to their hut with the pearl in his hand.

Topic Tracking: Evil 7
Topic Tracking: Family 5
Topic Tracking: Superstition 7

As Kino walks back to his hut, a man attacks him. Kino stabs the attacker with his knife, but the pearl is knocked from his hand. Juana tends her wounds at the sea and then walks back up the path. In the moonlight that gleams between clouds, she sees the pearl shining and picks it up. She considers taking it back to the sea again, but the moon peeks around the edge of a cloud again and she sees two men lying in the path. The attacker is dead, and Kino is barely conscious. He tells her that he was attacked and he killed only to defend himself, but they both know that it will not matter. They must leave and save themselves because their old peaceful life has ended. Juana goes to their hut to gather Coyotito and all the corn they have. Kino goes to put his canoe in the water, but a great hole has been made in the shell of the canoe. Kino hears the Song of Evil all around him. Now he and Juana must find other means of escape. It doesn't occur to him to steal one of his neighbors' canoes. He is hurrying up the path to his hut as the morning comes when he sees that it's on fire. Juana meets him on the path and explains that the floor of the hut had been dug up and while she was inside, someone torched the hut. She doesn't know who did it.

Topic Tracking: Evil 8

Neighbors run out of their brush huts quickly to see what is happening, and in the distraction, Kino and Juana make their way to the hut of Juan Tomas. Outside they can hear Apolonia wailing in mourning because everyone believes that the family has burned with their hut. Apolonia returns to her hut to put on her best head shawl for the formal lament, and Kino whispers to her to bring her husband and tell no one else where they are. When Juan comes in, Kino explains that he has killed a man in a fight and he and his family have no way to escape because his canoe has been ruined. Juan agrees to hide them for a day so that they can leave in the cover of darkness. He warns Kino that the pearl is evil and hopes that perhaps he can sell it and pass on the evil. Juan goes out of his hut with his neighbors and Kino and Juana can hear the neighbors raking the ashes for bones. When Kino's boat is found, Juan tells his neighbors that perhaps Kino went along the coast to escape the evil that the pearl brought. Juan tells other neighbors that perhaps Kino found another boat and went out onto the sea. A wind blows up that day and convinces those who think Kino took the sea route of escape that Kino could not have survived the force of those winds on the water.

Topic Tracking: Superstition 8

Juan brings borrowed supplies from each of the neighbors he visits, and gives them all to Kino for his journey. Among the supplies is a heavy knife with a long blade that will work as a tool or a weapon. Kino keeps that close to him. Juan warns that there will be search parties along the south shore, and Kino decides that they will seek out the cities of the North. The wind that has blown up will cover their tracks, and they prepare to set out. Juan asks if Kino will not give up the pearl, and Kino says, "This pearl has become my soul . . . If I give it up, I shall lose my soul." Chapter 5, pg. 87

Topic Tracking: Family 6