Song of the Pearl
The Song of the Pearl is one of the central musical motifs in John Steinbeck's novella The Pearl, a recurring internal melody that charts the transformation of the great pearl from an object of hope into a symbol of destruction. It first appears as a barely perceptible inner tune, the "Song of the Pearl That Might Be," and evolves through the narrative into a distorted, insane music that accompanies Kino's final loss. The song functions as an emotional and moral barometer, reflecting Kino's changing relationship with the pearl and the escalating cost of his ambition.
Origin and First Appearance
The Song of the Pearl originates in the underwater world of the Gulf, where Kino dives for oysters. As he works, a "secret little inner song, hardly perceptible, but always there, sweet and secret and clinging, almost hiding in the counter-melody" emerges in his mind. This is the "Song of the Pearl That Might Be," a melody of possibility that plays against the backdrop of the Song of the Undersea. The song grows stronger on the morning Kino finds the great pearl because the need is great—Coyotito has been stung by a scorpion and Juana is praying for a pearl to pay the doctor. When Kino sees a ghostly gleam inside an ancient oyster, "the melody of the maybe pearl shrilled in his ears." After he opens the shell and beholds the pearl, "perfect as the moon" and "as large as a sea-gull's egg," the secret melody breaks forth "clear and beautiful, rich and warm and lovely, glowing and gloating and triumphant." At this moment, the Song of the Pearl is a music of pure joy and vindication.
Merging with the Song of the Family
In the aftermath of the discovery, the Song of the Pearl merges with the Song of the Family, the melody of safety, warmth, and wholeness that Kino hears in his daily life. As Kino holds the great pearl in his hand, "the music of the pearl had merged with the music of the family so that one beautified the other." This fusion reflects Kino's belief that the pearl will secure his family's future. When he envisions Coyotito reading and writing, the music of the pearl rises "like a chorus of trumpets in his ears." The pearl's music becomes the soundtrack to his dreams: new clothes, a rifle, a church marriage, and an education for his son. The song is "shrilling with triumph" as Kino's horizons expand, and it seems to guarantee "the future, of comfort, of security." Its "warm lucence promised a poultice against illness and a wall against insult."
Corruption and Interweaving with the Song of Evil
As Kino faces opposition—the doctor's greed, the pearl buyers' collusion, and the first night attack on his house—the Song of the Pearl begins to change. When the priest visits and speaks of the pearl, Kino hears "the music of evil, of the enemy" sounding faintly, and his hand closes tightly on the pearl. The evil song "shrills against the music of the pearl." After the doctor's visit and the poisoning of Coyotito, the music of evil throbs in Kino's head and nearly drives out Juana's song. The two melodies become increasingly entangled. During the flight to the mountains, "the music of the pearl was triumphant in Kino's head, and the quiet melody of the family underlay it, and they wove themselves into the soft padding of sandaled feet in the dust." But when Kino looks into the pearl for his visions, he sees instead a huddled dark body with shining blood dripping from its throat, Juana with her beaten face, and Coyotito's face thick and feverish from medicine. He thrusts the pearl back into his clothing, and "the music of the pearl had become sinister in his ears, and it was interwoven with the music of evil."
The Final Transformation and Silence
In the final confrontation with the trackers, the Song of the Family itself transforms, becoming "as fierce and sharp and feline as the snarl of a female puma." The Song of the Pearl is no longer a separate melody; it has been absorbed into the battle. After Kino kills the trackers and hears Coyotito's death cry, the music of the pearl undergoes its final distortion. When Kino and Juana return to La Paz and stand at the water's edge, Kino looks into the pearl's surface and sees "the frantic eyes of the man in the pool" and "Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away." The pearl is "ugly; it was gray, like a malignant growth. And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distorted and insane." With this final, corrupted sound, Kino draws back his arm and flings the pearl into the sea. The music of the pearl "drifted to a whisper and disappeared." The song that began as a secret melody of hope ends in silence, its promise extinguished along with the life of his son.
