The Pearl Family Structure

The Impact of Family Structure on Gender Roles Within a Household
“She knew she could help him best by being silent and by being near” (Steinbeck 26(PDF version) ). The Pearl revolves around Kino, a simple pearl diver in La Paz, Mexico, and his wife Juana, an obedient wife who hopes to support Kino. Kino, Juana, and their baby Coyotito live along the beach in La Paz and are simple folk. They are poor and are often taken advantage of by richer classes. Kino and Juana’s religion is a mixture of Roman Catholicism and the “Old Religion”. The story explores the negative consequences of sudden wealth. It is clear from the beginning, of the story that the male counterpart is the leader of the household. The family’s welfare rests solely on his
At the time of the writing of The Pearl gender roles were more of an informal rule where, in a relationship, the male figure dominated/dictated the household. For a woman to step out of her informal role as caretaker to the children and sustainer of the family meant disgrace and shame on a “universal” conduct. Such evidence that backs up my reasoning is when Juana is ready to get rid of the “evil” pearl and the author writes: “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and shoe fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side. In the pale light, he could see the little waves break over, and her skirt floated about and clung to her legs as the water receded” (Steinbeck 59). Because of Kino’s stance in the family, in a play towards dominance, he hits Juana in an effort to establish supremacy over her (due to her being a woman) and to institute power over her valid judgment over the pearl. Here we see that family structure (at its simplest form) dictates gender role