Steinbeck's Use of Songs in The Pearl Essay Example

Do you have a go-to song to listen to? People have resorted to songs for strength and peace for a long time, songs have gone through many forms and changes from classical piano music played by Beethoven to modern rap. The songs in The Pearl were Paramount, everything dead or alive carried an aura, portrayed by their tune. This Aura helped describe the World around Kino allowing him to see into the hearts of others, create a world of emotions where he ventured, as well as show Kino’s emotions. When listening to music there is little meaning and little value. It is just a tune, but when you listen to a song, it gives you something to relate to and something to feel. 

Songs hold a powerful meaning, they describe the world around them in ways that most words cannot describe. When singers are sad, they sing in a low voice and have a slow sad beat in the background, and people listen to this and think that they’re sad and/or going through tough times. In these same ways, the songs in Kino’s world describe the surroundings and give you a vibe. This vibe shows Kino whether the person is truthful, whether he is in danger, or if something good is happening in his life. In Chapter 4 of The Pearl, Kino goes to the appraiser to get a price for his pearl, but when the appraiser gives him an unfair price the Song of Evil starts to play in his head. Telling him and the reader that the appraiser had bad intentions and was trying to scam him. Without this song, the reader could have assumed that the price was fair just like everyone else in the crowd. But the tone of the song gave off the idea that Kino was getting scammed and that he should look for someone else to sell the pearl to. In a sense, Kino has a guide, like a bird perched upon his shoulder guiding him and watching out for him. This bird’s abilities are incredible, but like everything else on earth, he makes wrong decisions. But since the bird has done so much good for Kino, he stops thinking for himself and dives headfirst into the bird’s commands.

When people listen to songs they zone out, they relax, they try to forget everything around them and trifle away in the world of sounds. While this is usually a good thing this could also send you spiralling in the wrong direction if given the right circumstances. Nearing the end of Chapter 4, Kino had heard the Song of Evil, he sensed a man creeping up on him, as the man approached Kino pulled out a knife and killed him. After this Kino felt a flush of rage and destruction and he took this out on everyone, with the song still playing in his head he didn’t stop and try to interpret the meaning. Kino zoned out, he turned into a fury of fire, and with each verse of the song more fuel was added to the fire. Realizing this, Juana tries to take the pearl and get rid of it, but since Kino was thinking in the headspace of the song rather than his own he took this anger out on Juana, leaving her petrified. The one person meant to protect her was trying to kill her. Eventually, the song stops playing, and Kino realizes what he had done, but the power of the song was much stronger than his own. So he pursued the pearl with not only his life but the life of his son. Listening to songs is something relaxing, but it also brings out a lot of emotions, and it is good to know where and when to use them. 

In the modern world, songs have commonly been used to convey emotions, with the variety of instruments and devices we have, artists have learned how to make songs in a way that connects them to the listener on an emotional level. Similarly, the songs in The Pearl do the same thing, whether it is from the cultural instruments, or the slow mellow tone playing in the background the songs put you in Kino’s head and you begin to think and feel the same way as him. In Chapter 2 of The Pearl, when Kino found the Pearl he was gleeful, and to properly represent this, the Song of the Pearl That Might Be started to play. “This song had a clear, beautiful, and rich melody, the sound was glowing, gloating, and triumphant” (Steinbeck, 19). When Kino found the pearl he was flooded with emotions, everything he had ever dreamt of was coming true. He could send Coyotito to school to get a good education and a well-paying job, and he could officially get married to Juana. The songs in The Pearl put you in Kino’s shoes, while listening to the song of the Pearl you think of happiness, of a dream come true, you don’t think of anything else. It can even bring some readers to think of moments in their own life where they felt this way. 

All of the songs both evil and good held immeasurable importance; everything in and around Kino’s family carried a song that helped guide them. These songs helped describe the world around him, and helped him to see into the hearts of others, many times. When Kino was selling his Pearl, the songs helped guide Kino and inform him that he was getting scammed. Along with this, they created an alter-ego of Kino, where he is controlled by the songs and the emotions they give off. Finally, and most importantly, they showcased the emotions of Kino and his family. When he found the Pearl the song was majestic, soothing and exciting. Without the songs in the Pearl, Kino’s life would not be the same, if the Song of Evil never played when the man crept up on Kino the story would end right there. While listening to songs we tend to focus on the words, or the beat, but when people listen to songs it does much more than create a cool tune. It can help distract you and relax you, by releasing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Even creating a song can help people relax, it helps them get something off their chest in a creative way. Music was one of the most influential creations ever, they help people on all levels whether it might be to relax, or to distract you from negative thoughts. Likewise, the songs in the Pearl helped Kino survive, without the songs Kino would not be where he was and who he was.