The majority of The Pearl focuses on Kino's development rather than Juana's or Coyotito's. However, Juana, as Kino's wife, is referenced throughout the text. We learn about Kino's personality and his development through his interactions with his wife, which makes her an important character in the story. Cynthia Burkhead's Student Companion to John Steinbeck explains:
". . . it is important that [Juana] does not develop. Her role in the story is to provide the reason that Kino lacks as he moves further into the unreasoning . . . part of his psyche" (108).
It is Juana's constancy that allows her to act as an embodiment of reason while Kino moves closer to insanity and becomes totally consumed by greed. From the beginning to the end of the novella, Kino reminds the people around him that he is a man and that his decisions, as a man, deserve to be respected, no matter what. Juana seemingly accepts Kino's reminders of his superiority, and she accepts a position of submission and deference throughout the novella.
And yet, though Juana blindly submits to her husband's wishes, she also behaves with strength and logic despite the most trying of circumstances (such as a baby with a scorpion bite that she cannot get medical attention for, or a foot journey north to sell the pearl). An early example of her strength is described in chapter one:
"Kino had wondered often at the iron in his patient, fragile wife. She, who was obedient and respectful and cheerful and patient, she could arch her back in child pain with hardly a cry. She could stand fatigue and hunger almost better than Kino himself. In the canoe she was like a strong man" (1.22).
Juana, while submissive to her husband, and genuinely seeming to believe that he is above her because of his gender, is no weakling in the text. She takes care of her herself, her baby, and her husband in any way possible. She does what is best for the family, even if she might anger her husband. This is seen when Juana attempts to throw the pearl into the sea, realizing that this object was consuming her husband and stealing his joy, his safety, and even the peace of their family (since so many people were trying to steal the pearl from them). Though Juana was willing to try to get rid of the pearl without her husband's permission, her essential character does not seem to change. After Kino catches her, he beats her for making this decision without his permission or approval and, as usual, she doesn't seem overly surprised or upset by his response. Just as her husband reminds her that he is a man, she understands what he believes her role is as a woman—and she doesn't fight this. The narrator explains that Juana knew that
". . . Kino would drive his strength against a mountain and plunge his strength against the sea . . . And yet it was this thing that made him a man, half insane and half god, and Juana had need of a man; she could not live without a man" (5.5)
Ultimately, Juana, though she displays strength, believes that Kino is more powerful than she is. She believes that she is unable to navigate her life without a strong man, like Kino, on her side. And, though she makes some independent acts, such as her decision to attempt to rid her family of the pearl and her attempt to take care of baby Coyotito after his scorpion bite, she ultimately submits herself to her husband's wishes. Her belief in Kino's almost godlike nature is likely due to his frequent reminders of his manhood and her local culture's attitudes about women and men.
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