Reading The Pearl Literature by John Steinbeck When Kino woke up it was still dark and the stars were still shining in the sky The birds were singing and the pigs were looking for something to eat He looked out through the doorway Then he looked at the box where his baby son, Coyotito, was sleeping He turned his head toward Juana, his wife She was looking at him as she always did when he woke up Kino heard the sound of the waves on the beach He closed his eyes again and listened to the music of the sea His people loved music, and long ago they made songs about what they saw, or heard, or thought A song came into Kino’s head—the Song of the Family Juana got up quietly and went to the box where Coyotito slept She whispered some loving words to her baby son and then went to light the fire Kino got up and pulled his blanket around his head and shoulders He put on his sandals and went outside to watch the dawn Inside the little house Juana was busy making corn-cakes for breakfast Kino heard Juana take Coyotito out of his box and wash him She sang an old song as she fed him It was part of the Song of the Family, and Kino felt warm and safe as he listened to it Yellow light fell on the house The world was awake now, and he went inside Juana stood up from the fire as Kino came in She put Coyotito back into his box Kino sat by the fire, ate a hot corn-cake, and drank some pulque When he had finished, Juana sat down and ate Reading Strategy Make Predictions Do you think Kino and Juana’s day will stay calm and peaceful? Explain your thinking dawn the beginning of the day when the sun rises corn-cakes s mall Mexican cakes made of flour, butter, corn, cornmeal, and other ingredients pulque a Mexican drink made from the agave plant (similar to cactus) ✓ Reading Check Recall details What music does Kino hear on the beach? Infer How does Kino feel about his wife and child? Unit • Chapter 143 Suddenly something moved near Coyotito’s box Kino and Juana stood still A scorpion was moving slowly toward Coyotito A scorpion’s tail has a sting in the end, a sting that can kill Kino heard the Song of Evil, the song of the enemy, in his head Kino moved carefully across the room with his eyes on the scorpion Coyotito laughed and put up his hand toward the scorpion The scorpion sensed the danger, stopped and lifted its tail over its back Kino stood perfectly still He could not move until the scorpion moved He put out his hand very slowly But at that moment Coyotito laughed and his box moved Kino quickly tried to catch the scorpion, but it was too late It stung Coyotito’s arm Kino cried out, threw the scorpion on the ground and killed it The Song of the Enemy was in Kino’s ears as Coyotito cried in pain Juana took the baby in her arms She sucked the poison from the red scorpion bite and spat it out The neighbors heard the baby’s cries and they ran to the house Juana lifted her mouth from the bite It was red and getting bigger Everyone knew about scorpions An adult could get very ill from the poison, but a baby could easily die 10 Reading Strategy Make Predictions Predict the surprising action that Juana does Which foreshadowing clues helped you make your prediction? Juana was small but strong She was obedient, cheerful and patient and she worked hard When she was ill she did not need a doctor But now she did something very surprising 11 scorpion animal that carries poison in its tail; it ranges in size from 1/2 inch to inches sting sharp part of an animal that often contains poison spat sent liquid out of the mouth 144 Unit • Chapter 12 “The doctor,” she said “Go get the doctor.” The neighbors said, “Juana wants the doctor.” The doctor never came to the brush houses He spent all of his time with the rich people who lived in the stone houses in the town 13 “The doctor won’t come to us,” Kino said to Juana “Then we’ll go to him,” Juana said 14 15 Juana covered the baby with her shawl and walked past the crowd of people Kino and the neighbors followed her 16 They walked to the center of the town to the big stone houses The houses had thick walls and cool gardens with beautiful flowers The poor people passed in front of the church and more people followed them Now everyone knew about the baby and the scorpion 17 Four beggars in front of the church looked at Kino and Juana’s old clothes They saw that Juana and Kino were poor They knew about everything that happened in the town, and they knew about the doctor too They knew that he was ignorant, cruel and greedy They followed Juana and Kino because they wanted to see what the fat, lazy doctor did for a poor baby 18 Reading Strategy Make Predictions What you think the doctor will for the baby? Which important words in the text help you make that prediction? ✓ Reading Check Recall details Why does the scorpion sting Coyotito? Infer How you know that the scorpion represents “evil”? Compare How the houses in the town compare with the houses by the sea? shawl large piece of cloth worn around the head or shoulders cruel mean greedy wanting more of money or food than is fair or needed Unit • Chapter 145 Reading Strategy Make Predictions Do you think the doctor will agree to see Kino and Juana? How the text, topic sentence of paragraph 23, and picture help you to make your prediction? 19 At last the crowd came to the gate of the doctor’s house They heard the water in the fountain and the birds behind the walls, and they could smell good food 20 Kino stopped for a moment The doctor was not one of his people The doctor was Spanish, not Mexican Indian His people had come to Mexico from Spain four hundred years ago The Spanish had robbed, hit and mistreated them for centuries The doctor’s people spoke to the Indians as they spoke to animals 21 Kino felt weak, afraid and angry He wanted to kill the doctor, not talk to him He knocked on the gate and took off his hat An Indian servant opened the gate and Kino spoke to him in the Indian language 22 23 But the servant refused to speak in the Indian language “Wait a moment,” he said in Spanish and he closed the gate The bright sun made shadows on the white wall of the house “My little son has been stung by a scorpion,” Kino said mistreated acted badly toward centuries time periods of 100 years each shadows dark shapes that form when someone or something blocks the sun or other light 146 Unit • Chapter 24 The doctor was sitting up in bed in his dark, depressing bedroom He was wearing a red silk dressing-gown that he had bought in Paris, and drinking a cup of hot chocolate from an expensive cup 25 The servant came to the door and waited 26 “Yes?” the doctor asked 27 “There’s an Indian outside with a baby He says a scorpion stung it.” 28 “I don’t have time to cure Indian babies with insect bites I’m not an animal doctor!” 29 30 “Does he have any money?” the doctor asked “No, they never have any money Ask him if he has any money.” 31 The servant opened the gate a little and looked at the people This time he spoke in the Indian language 32 33 Kino put his hand under his blanket He brought out eight small, ugly, gray pearls The servant took them and closed the gate After a while he came back and gave the pearls to Kino 34 35 “Yes, sir,” the servant said “Do you have any money?” he asked Kino “The doctor is out,” he said “He was called to a serious case.” And he shut the gate quickly because he was embarrassed The crowd moved slowly away Reading Strategy Make Predictions Where you think the crowd is going? Why you think so? ✓ Reading Check Recall details How does Kino feel about the doctor? Compare What kind of person is the doctor compared with Kino? Infer Why does the servant speak in Spanish at first and in the Indian language later? depressing sad, gloomy dressing-gown type of robe pearls round objects formed naturally within oysters and valued as a jewel Unit • Chapter 147 36 The houses of the Pearl fisherman were outside the town, near the beach In front of their houses there were beautiful wooden canoes painted blue and white 37 Kino and Juana came slowly down to the beach to Kino’s canoe Juana put Coyotito on a blanket in the canoe He was quiet but his face and arm were hot and red Juana took some brown seaweed from the water and put it on his arm The seaweed was an old cure, but it was probably just as good as the doctor’s medicine 38 Kino and Juana pushed the canoe into the water The other fishermen were already looking for pearls Small pearls are not worth much money, but big, beautiful, white pearls are worth a lot 39 Kino jumped into the water He had a heavy stone in his hand, and the stone took him to the bottom of the ocean His hands worked quickly as he pulled the oysters from the ocean floor and put them into a basket 40 Kino’s people sang about everything that happened or existed They sang songs to the fish, to the sea, and to the sun and the moon While Kino filled his basket he heard the songs of the sea He knew Juana was praying for a big pearl to buy medicine for Coyotito Reading Strategy Make Predictions Do you think Kino will find what he is looking for? Use the reading title to help you make your prediction 148 Unit • Chapter seaweed a plant that grows in the sea oysters sea animals in a rough, flat, grayish shell 41 Kino was young and strong, and he could stay underwater for more than two minutes He worked carefully and chose the largest oysters To his right he saw a very large oyster It was half open and he saw something shiny inside, but the shell shut quickly He picked it up and swam to the canoe 42 Juana held the boat still as Kino climbed in He was very excited Kino looked thoughtfully at the basket He picked up a small oyster and opened it There was no pearl inside so he threw it into the water 43 Then he picked up the large oyster and looked at it for a long time He was afraid to open it But Juana was watching him and she could not wait She put her hand on Coyotito’s head “Open it,” she said softly 44 Kino opened the oyster with his knife And there it was, the great pearl, as perfect as the moon It was the color of silver and as big as a seagull’s egg It was the biggest pearl in the world 45 Juana was amazed Kino heard The Song of the Pearl in his head “This pearl will make my dreams come true,” he thought He held it in his hand and turned it over 46 47 Juana went to Coyotito and lifted the seaweed from his shoulder “Kino!” she cried Kino looked up and saw that the poison was going away He shouted with happiness and the men in the other canoes hurried toward him Reading Strategy Make Predictions Do you think the large pearl is valuable? What evidence did you use to make your prediction? ✓ Reading Check Recall detailsWhat does Juana put on Coyotito’s arm? IdentifyWhat does the author compare the pearl to? InferWhy you think the poison is leaving Coyotito’s body? seagull white, sea bird Unit • Chapter 149 ... into the water The other fishermen were already looking for pearls Small pearls are not worth much money, but big, beautiful, white pearls are worth a lot 39 Kino jumped into the water He had... the great pearl, as perfect as the moon It was the color of silver and as big as a seagull’s egg It was the biggest pearl in the world 45 Juana was amazed Kino heard The Song of the Pearl in... his blanket He brought out eight small, ugly, gray pearls The servant took them and closed the gate After a while he came back and gave the pearls to Kino 34 35 “Yes, sir,” the servant said “Do