Skip to main content

In The Pearl, what is the evidence that the doctor poisoned Coyotito?

The doctor has no interest in treating Coyotito until Kino finds the pearl, and Coyotito was getting better before seeing the doctor.

Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, which is of course very dangerous for a baby.  His parents act quickly.  Kino kills the scorpion (smashing it to dust in anger), and Juana tends to the wound using home remedy methods.



But Juana had the baby in her arms now. She found the puncture with redness starting from it already. She put her lips down over the puncture and sucked hard and spat and sucked again while Coyotito screamed. (Ch. 1)



Sucking the poison out of the wound is a common technique.  It must be administered very soon after the bite or sting, so that the poison does not get a chance to enter the bloodstream.  In this case, it must have worked.  Coyotito does not die.


Juana wants to take him to a doctor anyway. It is unusual for anyone from the village to go to a doctor.  The doctor is a colonist, and is only interested in money.



A wonderful thing, a memorable thing, to want the doctor. To get him would be a remarkable thing. The doctor never came to the cluster of brush houses. Why should he, when he had more than he could do to take care of the rich people who lived in the stone and plaster houses of the town? (Ch. 1) 



The doctor dismisses them immediately.  Kino has nothing but a few tiny, misshapen pearls.  He does not even get in to see the doctor.  He has no money, so the doctor doesn’t care about his sick baby. 


However, things change when Kino finds “the Pearl of the World.”  Everyone wants a piece of Kino’s new fortune, including the doctor.  Suddenly, he can see the baby.  The doctor claims that Coyotito is his patient and he has been treating him.  He tells Kino that he wasn’t there when he first came. It is all lies. 


Kino tells the doctor that Coyotito is “nearly well.”  He is suspicious when the doctor says that sometimes it can seem that a person is recovering from a scorpion sting but then things take a turn for the worse.  Fearing for his baby, he allows the doctor to minister to him. 


The doctor gives the baby and white powder, and his next words are very suspicious. 



"I think the poison will attack within the hour," he said. "The medicine may save the baby from hurt, but I will come back in an hour. Perhaps I am in time to save him." (Ch. 3) 



He obviously gave the baby some kind of poison, so that Kino would have to call him back and pay him.  When the baby takes a turn for the worse, Kino says aloud that the doctor knew it would happen but “his mind was hard and suspicious and he was remembering the white powder” (Ch. 3).  The doctor comes back and ministers to the baby, and pretends to be surprised that Kino has a great pearl.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with... Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him.  Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law.  “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till ...
Post a Comment
Read more