CHARACTERS
Character refers to a person in a story. There are main characters and minor characters.
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For the exam, you must be able to:
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Main Characters and Their Qualities
1. KINO
| Characters Traits | Textual Evidence |
| A quiet, loving husband and father | Wants to marry Juana in church and give Coyotito an education (pp. 24-5) |
| Responsible | Dives for pearls to support his family (pp. 18-20) |
| Headstrong and proud | Tells Juana he will fight to protect the pearl (p. 55) |
| Determined | Plans to sell the pearl in the capital when he realizes the pearl buyers are trying to cheat him (p. 51) |
| Brave and protective over his family |
Kills to protect the
pearl (p. 58) Willing to risk his life to hide Juana and Coyotito from the trackers (p. 84) |
2 JUANA
| Character Traits | Textual Evidence |
| A loving and protective mother |
Takes care of Coyotito
lovingly (p.3) Wants the doctor to treat the baby's scorpion sting (p. 6) |
| A loving and dutiful wife |
Takes care of Kino and
prepares his meals (p. 2) Supports his decision to sell the pearl in the capital (p. 56) Helps hide the body of the attacker who Kino has killed (p.59) |
| Strong and brave |
Sucks the poison out of
Coyotito's wound (p. 6) Tries to get rid of the pearl (p. 57) Refuses to let Kino go on alone when the trackers are following them (p. 75) |
| Honest and loyal | Returns the pearl to Kino after he kills the attacker (p. 60) |
| Religious and superstitious | Says her prayers and also incantations to ward off evil (pp. 5 and 81) |
3. THE DOCTOR
| Character Traits | Textual Evidence |
| Greedy and cruel |
Will not treat the
villagers unless they can pay him (p. 11) Wealthy but wants more money (p. 22) |
| Dishonest |
Will do anything for
money-makes Coyotito sick so he can pretend to cure him and ask for payment
(pp. 31-4) Offers to keep the pearl for Kino when he actually wants the pearl for himself (p. 35) |
| Proud | Believes he is better than the poor pearl divers (p. 11) |
Minor Characters and Their Qualities
| Character | Qualities | Textual Evidence |
| Coyotito |
Helpless and innocent Represents the future to Kino and Juana |
Relies on his parents
to take care of him (pp. 3 and 6) Kino wants to give Coyotito an education so he can have a better life than that of a pearl diver (p. 26) |
| The Priest | Proud |
Thinks he is better
than the villagers Treats them like children (pp.27-8) |
| Juan Tomas |
Cautions and wise Supportive and loyal |
Warns Kino about the
pearl buyers-he is suspicious of them (p. 44) Hides Kino after Kino kills the attacker (p. 63) Helps Kino and Juana to leave the village (pp. 64-5) |
| Apolonia | Kind, dutiful wife | Supports Juan Tomas's decision to help Kino and his family (pp. 62-3) |
| The Pearl Buyers | Dishonest and greedy |
Cheat the pearl divers
by buying their pearls cheaply (p.41) They plan to buy the great pearl at a very low price (pp. 48-51) |
| The Attackers | Greedy and cruel |
Attack Kino on three
different occasions (pp. 37, 54 and 58)
Made a hole in Kino's canoe (p. 60) Burn Kino's house when they cannot find the pearl (p. 61) |
| The Trackers |
Skilful Greedy and merciless |
Trained to track
people-they manage to find Kino and Juana (p. 78) Prepared to kill for the pearl (p. 80) |
| Villagers |
Poor and ignorant Curious Jealous Helpful |
Live in brush houses
(pp.14 and 42) Cheated by the pearl buyers and the priest (pp. 41 and 44) They follow Kino to town when he goes to sell the pearl (p.45) Spread rumours (pp. 7-8, 40) They wish the pearl is theirs (pp. 23 and 42) They lend Juan Tomas things even if they are poor (p. 64)
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