The Pearl: Chapters 1–2

by John Steinbeck
In this novella based on a Mexican folk tale, a poor diver rejoices when he finds an enormous pearl — but the treasure may not be the blessing it seems to be.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6
15 words 16553 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    His blanket was over his nose to protect him from the dank air.
  2. detachment
    lack of emotion or interest
    Kino watched with the detachment of God while a dusty ant frantically tried to escape the sand trap an ant lion had dug for him.
  3. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    And the newcomers, particularly the beggars from the front of the church who were great experts in financial analysis, looked quickly at Juana’s old blue skirt, saw the tears in her shawl, appraised the green ribbon on her braids, read the age of Kino’s blanket and the thousand washings of his clothes, and set them down as poverty people and went along to see what kind of drama might develop.
  4. avarice
    reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth
    They knew his ignorance, his cruelty, his avarice, his appetites, his sins.
  5. discontent
    a longing for something better than the present situation
    His eyes rested in puffy little hammocks of flesh and his mouth drooped with discontent.
  6. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    The beggars went back to the church steps, the stragglers moved off, and the neighbors departed so that the public shaming of Kino would not be in their eyes.
  7. suppliant
    humbly entreating
    Slowly he put his suppliant hat on his head.
  8. bulwark
    a protective structure of stone or concrete
    It was at once property and source of food, for a man with a boat can guarantee a woman that she will eat something. It is the bulwark against starvation.
  9. poultice
    a medical dressing spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
    She gathered some brown seaweed and made a flat damp poultice of it, and this she applied to the baby’s swollen shoulder, which was as good a remedy as any and probably better than the doctor could have done.
  10. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    Above, the surface of the water was an undulating mirror of brightness, and he could see the bottoms of the canoes sticking through it.
  11. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    Kino moved cautiously so that the water would not be obscured with mud or sand.
  12. perceptible
    capable of being grasped by the mind or senses
    But in the song there was a secret little inner song, hardly perceptible, but always there, sweet and secret and clinging, almost hiding in the countermelody, and this was the Song of the Pearl That Might Be, for every shell thrown in the basket might contain a pearl.
  13. hummock
    a small natural mound
    A little to his right a hummock of rubbly rock stuck up, covered with young oysters not ready to take.
  14. subside
    sink to a lower level or form a depression
    The liplike flesh writhed up and then subsided.
  15. incandescence
    light emission by a body as its temperature is raised
    Kino lifted the flesh, and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence.
Created on Wed Dec 11 18:57:38 EST 2013 (updated Tue Aug 05 14:56:31 EDT 2025)

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