The Pearl Greed

1080 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Steinbeck's vision of the american dream

The pearl, composed by John Steinbeck, highlights the journey of an impoverished family that struggles to save their child while ignoring the evils of their community. Kino, the father, discovers the Pearl of the world, which he desires to sell for maximum profit. However, the greed that follows him and the pearl corrupts the once content and happy family prior to the discovery of the treasure as they struggle to forsake the consequences of their creation. The author expresses changes in the pearl that can distinguish as opportunity, greed, and destruction.
Upon unearthing the magnificent pearl, it is seemingly an object of hope. “And in the incandescence of the pearl the pictures formed of the things Kino’s mind had considered in the past …show more content…

The people of La Paz foretold how Kino’s mindset would alter due to the greed the pearl incites. “All of the neighbors hoped that sudden wealth would not turn Kino’s head, would not make a rich man of him, would not graft onto him the evil limbs of greed and hatred and coldness.” As the neighbors chatted about how they would use the acquired riches from the pearl, an underlying thought of the consequences of discovering the pearl invaded their musings. The notion of Kino behaving similar to the wealthy discomforted them; for the wealthy only acted in self-indulgence and to benefit themselves. Not only do the villagers see the danger of the pearl, but Juana does as well. “Let us throw it back into the sea. It has brought evil.” Juana stated this to Kino when unidentified figures attempted to steal the pearl. Greed has swelled within the community as well as Kino. Kino’s life prior to the discovery of the pearl was simple, never having experienced a burglary. However, the pearl has provoked such greed within some members of the community that they have attempted to steal during the night when a person’s peripheral vision is substandard. Kino partially realizes the peril of keeping the pearl, but his greed for the riches has prevented him from throwing it away. Additionally, Kino’s greed is also expressed when he arrives at the buyer’s dwelling to sell the pearl. However, the buyer calls the pearl a monstrosity and offers low profit. “You thought it was a thing of value, and it is only a curiosity.” The buyer offered 1,000 pesos, a lot of money compared to what other villagers earn in months. Instead of being content with that money, greed clouds his thoughts to strive for more money for the

Show More
Related

  • Of Mice And Men Vs The Pearl

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kino found one of the most valuable and precious pearls in the world and being convinced of its worth was not going to be cheated by only minimally upgrading his condition of life. Instead he wanted to break the fixed life and role that he and his family had and always would live. Kino refuses the maximum offer of fifteen hundred pesos that would easily ease his and his family’s pain and suffering for the coming months. Kino is then determined to trek to the capital to find a fair and just offer. Kino continues determined through the mountains after an attempt at the pearl, his canoe destroyed and his hut set a blaze. Continuing to put his family’s life on the line. It eventually takes the death of his beloved son Coyotito to make him realize he needs to stop being so greedy, no matter how hard he tries and to shut his mouth and know his role.

    Read More

  • Juana POV Essay Rough Draft

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Kino, you have defied the pearl buyers and passed up 1,500 dollars!” I sighed as I pictured the large bundle of money we could have gained. “We would have prospered with all of that cash, but the pearl has filled you with greed. Only a greedy man would reject such a large amount of money. The pearl caused that greed and should therefore be thrown away.

    Read More

  • The Pearle

    446 Words  | 1 Pages

    When Juana wanted to destroy the pearl, Kino beat her unmercifully: He struck her in the face and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...He hissed at her like a snake and she stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes, like a sheep before a butcher. (742) Juana saw through the outer beauty of the pearl and knew it would destroy them, but Kino's vision was blurred by the possible prosperity the pearl brought. The malignant evil then spread to a secret cult known only as the trackers. This corrupt band of ruffians attacked and destroyed Kino's life. The very night that the trackers learned of Kino's pearl, they tried to steal it. The next night, Kino was attacked twice, which resulted in Kino committing murder. After the final struggle of the night, Juana went back to their home to find more baneful members of the heartless cult rampaging through their belongings to find the pearl. The end result was Kino and Juana's house going up in flames. The trackers then committed the cardinal sin, they destroyed Kino's canoe: This was an evil beyond thinking.

    Read More

  • The Pearl John Steinbeck Analysis

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    At first, the pearl symbolized aa amazing providence. With the discovery of the great pearl, Kino began to have hope for Coyotito’s future and thought of the different possibilities that lead before him. However, as the town found out about ‘“the Pearl of the World”’(Steinbeck, 1947, p. 23), it began to have an injurious effect into Kino’s simplistic life (SparkNotes Editors, 2002). Juana and Kino’s brother began to seek the pearl as a threat rather than a blessing as the pearl began to symbolize and associate more materialistic desires. With Kino’s desire to acquire wealth from the pearl, he altered from a happy and content father into a savage criminal. By Kino’s demonstration of the destruction of innocence from greed and desire, the pearl soon became a symbol of human destruction. Kino’s gluttony shortly leads him to violently mistreat his wife and also to the death of his only son, Coyotito (SparkNotes Editors, 2002). SparkNotes Editors (2002) believed that his greed ultimately isolated Kino from his cultural customs and society. Overall, according to Wheeler (2008), the parable’s moral lesson was that “money cannot buy

    Read More

  • How Has The Pearl Changed Kino's Character

    256 Words  | 1 Pages

    First I will be telling you how the pearl changed Kino’s character over the course of the novel. He went from living a happy and calm life, to gaining wealth and destroying his innocence. Kino prays for wealth to be able to help his poisoned son, his life then changes forever when Kino goes diving and came across a sacred pearl. The pearl had great fortune, with this he could now do many things such as give his son a good education, marry his wife, Juana, in a proper church, etc. Then the pearl begins to give them bad luck, people begin to break into their house for the pearl. Kino tries to sell the pearl but he wasn’t getting offered the amount he wanted. Juana tries to throw the pearl away, but Kino was obsessed with it and out of anger beats

    Read More

  • Greed In The Great Gatsby

    1529 Words  | 4 Pages

    He is driven by greed, so much so that he could even see dreams form in the pearl. Kino is the head of a modest household and until he finds the pearl he lives a satisfied life with all he needs for his family to be happy. As soon as Kino finds the pearl he starts to want possessions he never wanted before. He dreams of education for Coyotito, marrying Juana in a Catholic church, purchasing new clothing for his family, and getting a harpoon and a rifle for himself. “It was the rifle that broke down the barriers . . . for it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (Steinbeck 32). Located within a small poverty-stricken community, a pearl diver named Kino finds “the Pearl of the World” and becomes suddenly rich, he begins to want items that he thought were impossible before. As Kino thinks more and more of what the pearl can do for him, he starts to think that it will raise his social status as well. This is only the beginning of Kino’s greediness, for the more he gets, the more he will want, and this begins to dehumanize him. Kino focuses on the wealth of the pearl and causes him to change his values about life. In the beginning, Kino is only focused on his family, once Kino finds the pearl he becomes more focused on the pearl, rather than his family. Kino cares a lot more about losing the pearl rather than something bad happening to his loved

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism Of The Pearl

    1555 Words  | 4 Pages

    Readers can tell from the statement that many of the people Kino encounters after finding the pearl become bitter “friends”. At this point, Kino and Juana begin to realize that the pearl is bringing bad luck upon them. They are taken advantage of by the doctor and he decides to visit them after knowing they have the pearl. “This pearl is like a sin”(56). Juana begins to realize the pearl is bringing them bad luck, but Kino still trusts that it’s a gift. Readers can also assume that people are trying to take the pearl when Kino is suddenly attacked during the night. “Blood oozed down from his scalp and there was a long…”(56). Readers can now confirm that the pearl has changed and now represents evil. The pearl also begins to destroy Kino and Juana’s relationship as they have different opinions on what to do with the pearl. After Kino wakes up and follows Juana when she wakes up and walks out, readers know he has started to lose full trust in her. “He rolled up to his feet and followed her silently as she had gone” (58). Through the symbolism of the pearl and what it brings upon Kino and Juana, the author emphasizes how the pearl is not what it first appears to be, which was

    Read More

  • Rough Draft Of John Steinbeck's 'The Pearl'

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rough Draft of “The Pearl Essay” The bible teaches us, “For the love of money is link this to rest of paperthe root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” From this teaching, we can learn that money is the root of all evil and it only leads to many sorrows. In this realistic fiction story, set in La Paz, MRUN ONexico, the main character Kino, experiences many tragic situations due to the fact that he do you need to put that in quotes found “the pearl of the world.” The theme of The Pearl is that money is the root of all evil, as shown by all of the tragic things that happen to Kino and his family when they are in possession of the pearl.

    Read More

  • The Pearl Literary Analysis

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    If you were given a million dollars, what would you do? Spend it in a short amount of time? Or save it responsibly for the future? Many would say the latter, confident that they will accomplish that. But for a few, it doesn’t turn out that way. In the book, The Pearl, a family, Kino, Juana and their child, Coyotito, go through various hardships after they have found a pearl, eventually losing everything they had loved. With three examples from the novel, I will explain what the pearl in the book symbolizes.

    Read More

  • Valuing Family over Material Possessions: Analysis of The Pearl

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, in the story, it says “ He struck her face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side” (59). This quote shows that Kino put the pearl above Juana when he mistreated her for getting rid of the pearl. Nobody should mistreat family members just because they want something. Another example from the story is “Hush, said Kino. “Do not speak any more”(39). This quote shows that Kino treats Juana like she is not equal to the pearl and like she is not equal to Kino. He treats the pearl better than he treats Juana. He demands her to do stuff to protect the pearl and to make sure it is not harmed. Kino does not listen to Juana when she says it is evil because he only sees satisyfing things in the pearl and he only trusts what he sees in it not what his family tells him. These pieces of evidence are connected to the theme because they show how Kino treated the Pearl better than his own wife

    Read More

  • The Action of The Pearl

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    The discovery of the "magnificent" pearl changed the lives of Kino and Juana severely because they were not used to this kind of wealth. Before they found the pearl, Kino and Juana lived a happy, humble and quiet life. "Kino heard the little splash of the morning waves on the beach. It was very good - Kino closed his eyes again to listen to his music."(Pg. 1-2) Kino loved the simple life; nevertheless whenever things were beginning to look good and simple something went wrong.

    Read More

  • Humanity's Struggle with Greed Depicted in John Steinbeck's The Pearl

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...een stones. Let us bury it and forget the place. Let us throw it back into the sea. It had brought evil. Kino my husband, it will destroy us” (38). The pearl brought greed to the forefront of the community; everyone wanted the pearl for him or herself. Juana, who was at one time thanking God for the pearl, was now telling Kino to throw it away because the greed that it was causing woul eventually destroy them.

    Read More

  • Humanity's Struggle With Violence Illustrated in Steinbeck's The Pearl

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    One example of this universal theme of humanity’s struggle with violence that occurred in this novel happened when Kino violently attacked his wife to keep her from throwing his “precious” pearl into the sea. “ . . . he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with ...

    Read More

  • Themes In The Pearl By John Steinbeck

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    This leads to change and, eventually, downfall. Before he finds the pearl, Kino “was a well-liked man” (43), and adored by all of his neighbors. Everyone looked up to his kindness and sympathy, but when he finds the Pearl, he changes. The pearl takes control over him, and he becomes too obsessed with getting his money. He loses his many things over it: “now it is my misfortune and my life and I will keep it” (66). The neighbors even suspect, “‘what a pity it would be if the pearl should destroy them all.’” (43) For example, KIno loses his family when he tries to protect the pearl and defies the pearl buying system, and when he mishandles Juana. Loisng his canoe symbolizes thi sloss of his family. He also loses his sanity. he beats Juana and kills four men. He “‘killed a man’” (61) and joins in many fights. For greed, he turns down the salesman`s offer for the pearl and ends with nothing left. Kino has the chance to take the money offered to him and be done, but he is greedy and he wants more. Then, at the end of the book, Kino throws the pearl into the sea, and with it, all the money he could possibly gain. He also lets the doctor treat Coyotito, even with his doubts, and now can not pay him because the pearl is his payment method, which is now gone. He thinks his money is secure, and in his mind, he is a rich man. This is not necessarily true, as readers learn, and because he was so secure, he must now pay for unnecessary

    Read More

  • The Pearl : Appearances Can Be Deceiving

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Kino finds the pearl he is shocked. " It was as large as a seagull's egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world" (Steinbeck 19).Kino and Juana revel in the excitement thatsurrounds Kino's finding the pearl, but their happiness soon turns to distrust. The pearl buyers, whoKino has to sell the pearls to in order to make a profit, try to cheat him. They tell him that the

    Read More

More about The Pearl Greed

Open Document