Kino is the main character of The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Kino often “hears” songs that represent his situation. For example, if he is in danger, he can hear the Song of Evil or the Song of the Enemy. The songs in this book set the theme of what has happened, what will happen, and what is happening. In The Pearl, Kino hears the song of family, the song of evil, and the song of the pearl. The family song symbolizes the balance of Kino's life and his contentment. This is most prevalent in The Pearl near the beginning and end of the book. At first, Kino hears it when he wakes up and later when he is determined to go see the doctor. In Kino's head now there was a song, clear and sweet, and if he could have spoken about it, he would have. called it the family song… Juana sang softly an ancient song that had only three notes and yet an infinite variety of intervals. And it was also part of the family song. It was all part of it. Sometimes it rose to a painful chord that gripped his throat, saying this is safety, this is warmth, this is All. On the other side of the fence there were other brushes, from which also came the smoke and the noise of breakfast, but they were other songs, their pigs were other pigs, their women were not Juana. (Steinbeck 2-3) The song shows that Kino is extremely satisfied and happy with his life and his family life even though it is almost exactly the same as any other family that lives near them. In the end, he hears the family song again when he finally abandons the pearl after Coyotito's death and throws it into the sea. "To Kino's ears, the Family Song was as fierce as a scream . He was immune and terrible, and his song had become a war cry... And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distortion...... middle of paper ...... m the medicine. And Kino put the pearl back into his clothes, and the music of the pearl became sinister in his ears, and it mingled with the music of evil. (Steinbeck 71) This shows how Kino ultimately views the pearl as a source of danger and evil. He now sees the Song of the Pearl joining the Song of Evil. The Song of the Pearl represents greed and how it can corrupt a person. The Song of the Family, the Song of Evil, and the Song of the Pearl all represent how Kino feels and the current motif of the book. The Song of the Family represented balance and content, the Song of Evil represented imbalance and danger, and the Song of the Pearl represented greed and what it can do to you. The Pearl's songs are extremely important to understanding the book. Works Cited Steinbeck, John Ernst, Jr. The Pearl. 1992 ed. New York: Penguin, 1945. Print.