John Steinbeck: The Fate Of The Tragic Hero

The Fate of the Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a character who is well liked by the audience, but nevertheless, presents a major flaw that leads to his or her eventual downfall. The concept of the tragic hero is used throughout literature to add to a story's complexity and depth. In John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kino is a clear example of a tragic hero.

At the beginning of the story, Kino is extremely well liked by the reader. Although he is poor, he is an honest, hardworking man who provides for his wife and son. When Kino's only child, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion, readers are able to sympathize with his sense of concern. Later, when Kino finds the pearl, readers are able to share his joy and excitement. This is quite evident when, "Kino
It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence. It was as large as a sea-gull’s egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world (Steinbeck 50)." Kino's good nature helps to set up his eventual downfall. A hero cannot be tragic unless he is well-liked by the audience.

In order to be considered a tragic hero, a character must be flawed. However, unlike a conventional hero, a tragic hero does not work out these flaws, and as a result must face consequences for them. In John Steinbeck's The Pearl, Kino's primary flaws are his susceptibility to temptation, refusal to listen to others, and poor response to anger. On several occasions in The Pearl, Kino's wife Juana warns him that the pearl is evil. However, he dismisses her and keeps the pearl in hopes of becoming wealthy. This is displayed when Juana says "'Kino, this pearl is evil. 'Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones. Let us—let us throw it back in the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil!'...'No,' he [Kino] said...'I am a man.' And his face grew crafty(122)." This clearly displays Kino's susceptibility to temptation. Even though he knows that keeping the pearl is dangerous, he is willing to take
After committing murder, Kino flees his home town in hopes of selling the pearl elsewhere. However, he is followed by trackers. The trackers seek to kill Kino and find the pearl. Kino knows he will be unable to escape the trackers and decides to attack and kill them. Although this effort proves to be successful, Kino's son is shot and killed when his is mistaken by the trackers for a coyote. "And then from above came a little murmuring cry. The watcher turned his head to listen and then he stood up, and one of the sleepers stirred on the ground and awakened and asked quietly, 'What is it?''I don’t know,' said the watcher. 'It sounded like a cry, almost like a human—like a baby.'The man who had been sleeping said, 'You can’t tell. Some coyote b**** with a litter. I’ve heard a coyote pup cry like a baby...'If it’s a coyote, this will stop it,' the watcher said as he raised the gun. Kino was in mid-leap when the gun crashed and the barrel-flash made a picture on his eyes(179-180)." The tragic events of this passage are caused by Kino's three fatal flaws. If Kino had taken Juana's advice, he could have continued to live happily with his wife and son. If Kino had listened to the pearl buyer and sold the pearl for 1000 pesos, he could have enjoyed a better quality of life and would not have been put in danger by the pearl. Finally, if Kino had controlled his anger and restrained himself from killing the thief, he may not have been