“Life is full of challenges and hardships.” From the novel that you have learnt, describe how a character overcomes the challenges and hardships in his/her life.

I choose to write about the life of Kino in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. Kino’s life was full of challenges and hardships as he was poor. In order to overcome this, the Song of Family reassured Kino as the song represented harmony, peace, well-being, love and unity in his family.

Everyone, except his own family treated him with scorn and disdain. For instance, the doctor refused to treat Kino’s son, Coyotito, when the child was stung by a scorpion. This was because the doctor considered Kino and his family to be animals, when he said “I’m not a veterinary.” Kino had no choice but to endure the discrimination and treat his son with a homemade remedy made of seaweed.

Kino thought his life would change for the better when he found the pearl. Unfortunately this was not the case as his life became worse after he found the pearl. The doctor and pearl buyers tried to take advantage of Kino in order to benefit from the pearl. Intruders entered Kino’s home and tried to steal the pearl. An intruder even attacked and injured Kino. Kino’s house was burned and his boat was destroyed. In order to overcome these challenges, Kino used his brawn and even killed a man as a result. He also decided to La Paz and head for Loreto in search of a better life.