Throughout the narrative, the environment reflects Kino's internal struggle. The sea, once a source of life, becomes a place of danger. The desert is a place of purgatory. The mountains are the site of judgment. Literary geographers might use the pearl pdf to map out Kino's physical and spiritual journey. The movement from the coast to the high interior mirrors the escalation of the stakes. Every step away from the sea is a step further into the trap of his own making.