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Discuss the theme of greed in the story of the pearl
An essay based on the novel the pearl. humanity is riddled with greed
An essay based on the novel the pearl. humanity is riddled with greed
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The balance between greed and modesty is an important struggle in life. Without modesty a person will be overcomed by corruptness and evil; without greed a person will never want to achieve more than what is necessary to life. The relationship of Kino and Juana in “The Pearl” portrays this human struggle in the form of a story. Kino represents a human’s hunger to achieve more, while Juana's role in the story is to represent the modest reaction to the human greediness. Juana’s does not have a modest reaction to Kino’s greediness in the beginning of the story, a modest reaction in the middle of the story that is not heard, and a modest reaction at the end of the story that is heard. At first, Juana’s modest reaction to Kino’s greedy actions …show more content…
Two men tried to rob Kino of his pearl in the middle of the night, but Kino was able to defend himself and the pearl. Kino’s plan started to have negative results, therefore Juana said, “It [the pearl] will destroy us all,” (Steinbeck 39). The pearl caused a bad action to take place, giving Juana a reason to warn Kino that his greediness will lead to more bad things. Both Kino and Juana are the voice of reason and logic; Kino thinks that the pearl will bring the family fortune because the pearl is valuable and Juana argues that the pearl will bring the family trouble because of the same reason. Both Kino and Juana have the same amount logic and reasoning to their point. Kino decides to keep going with his plan to sell his pearl because human nature is more likely to be greedy than it is to be modest. This point in the story shows why Juana, a women, represents modesty. The urge to be greedy is more powerful than the wish to be modest in humans and in Juana’s society, husbands are more powerful than wives. The wife is more likely to exemplify modesty, therefore Juana becomes the one that wants to throw away the pearl. Juana’s desire for modesty is rejected because she is the wife; just like how greediness overcomes modesty in …show more content…
At first there is no conflict between the two and no modesty is needed because their greed has good intentions. These good intentions are met with undesirable occurrences, giving Juana a reason to suggest modesty. It is not until the end that when their lives have reached rock bottom that they decide to rid themselves of the pearl and live a modest life. Juana’s role in “The Pearl” is the same as Kino’s: to show the struggle in the mind of human’s between being greedy or being
In John Steinbeck’s, The Pearl, the village of La Paz is alive with greed. Everyone wants something from the main character, Kino. The doctor wants money for treating Kino's baby. The priest wanted money to fix the church. The townspeople also wanted money. The village is over come by evil from this one man's good fortune. The doctor’s greed over money is revealed when he would not treat Kino's baby because Kino had nothing to pay him with. When the doctor heard of Kino's sudden wealth, he said Kino was his client. The Pearl and its fortune transformed the town into something full of continual desire and jealousy. Everyone was affected and wanted something from the p...
Set during the colonial era in Mexico, the story reveals the subjugation that the natives had to face and it shows the protagonist’s, Kino’s, attempt to go against the norms of the society and ask for something that was frankly unrealistic. This part of the story is related to the creative lens because Kino tried very hard to secure a future for his family but because the circumstances were not in his favor, he failed. It wasn’t socially accepted to ask for an education or a court marriage at that time for the natives because a native cannot desire to have what the colonists have. In this part of the story, the author uses the literary element of conflict to convey the message that even though Kino had the means to secure a future for himself, because he is a native and because he is aspiring to go against the social norms, he will eventually fail. As a result, it is clearly proven in The Pearl that humans will try to achieve something farfetched and will be unsuccessful in doing
In the novel, the main character, Kino, goes out to find a pearl in hopes of getting money to pay the doctor to treat Coyotito, his son, who has been bitten by a scorpion. Kino discovers the biggest pearl anyone has ever seen, and believes the pearl will bring nothing but good for him and his family. The pearl does change the lives of Kino, his wife Juana, and Coyotito, but not in the way he had hoped. When the people in La Paz find out about Kino’s pearl, he is visited by a greedy priest and doctor, the deceitful pearl buyers try to scam him into selling it to them for less than it’s worth, and the pearl was almost stolen twice. Kino kills the second thief in self-defense...
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
First of all, Kino and Juana think the pearl is a great gift when they first discover it, but when bad fortune if brought upon them, they realize the pearl brings bad luck. In
For example, when Juana argues with Kino about the pearl, she tells Kino, “The pearl is like a sin” (38). The pearl is compared to a sin using a simile and reveals how Juana truly feels about the pearl as it connotes evil, envy, and greed. This supports the fact that the pearl converts Kino and that it isn’t benevolent. In addition, when Juan Tomas tells Kino to leave the pearl, Kino tells Juan, “The pearl has become my soul” (67). Kino is shown to have an obsession with the pearl and that it controls him. His commitment to the pearl connotes obsession, delusion, and compulsion. The pearl and it’s hold on Kino is why he is dehumanized as the book progresses
In “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck it shows that family and tradition should be valued above material possessions. It shows that Kino’s people are very poor, they have been doing the same things their whole lives, and that Kino's family will be destroyed by the pearl. To some people this tells them a lot and to others it shows them that being poor and about to be destroyed by the pearl shows
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.
The book “The Pearl” has shown us how things can make us incompatible, it can change you. In the book “The Pearl” the thing was the pearl, it was an example of what makes anyone different but not only that, it signified things to Kino. In what ways the pearl symbolized to Kino? It gives opportunities, greed, life, and more on. All this happen to Kino and it wasn’t all just good things.
Greed, the driving force behind all things evil, or is it? The Pearl by John Steinbeck displays that “there is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed” (Seuntjens and Zeelenberg 505). Greed has two motivations. The driving force behind them is either hunger, or desperation. Kino embodies the desperate nature of man to provide, whereas the others exhibit their deprivation for material objects. History has shown that even those with the best intentions have fallen into lust for wealth and power. Take Judas Iscariot for example. He desired money more than to be with his Master (18-19). Despite all of the temptations caused by greed, Kino stood firm for his family and didn’t give in.
In Matthew 26:16 it says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Truly, the question posed in this quote is one that applies to the main character, Kino, in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. Steinbeck composes a narrative, in which the characters are driven by unrelenting greed, resulting in disastrous consequences. Steinbeck is an exemplary author in the genre of tragic, fictional literature. Indeed, Steinbeck effectively utilizes elements of fiction including characterization, symbolism and conflict in order to convey the theme that misery is inevitable when a person’s insatiable greed precedes it. Steinbeck capably uses characterization to show the reader how the characters evolve as the story progresses, while demonstrating how their insatiable greed led to their downfall. Likewise, Steinbeck utilizes symbolism in the story to give seemingly mundane objects a more profound and substantial meaning, that foreshadow the outcome of the characters’ unquenchable greed. Furthermore, Steinbeck effectively uses different types of conflict, namely internal and external, to communicate to the reader the struggles that follow a greedy heart. Through the use of these elements of fiction, Steinbeck is able to show how greed affects these characters and the unavoidable misery that follows. By reading this essay, the reader will understand how Steinbeck uses various elements of fiction to demonstrate the devastating effects of a person’s greed in a world where the evil in people is often far greater than the goodness in people.
Juana, the wife to fisherman Kino, is one of the main characters in The Pearl. Coming from poverty, Juana and her husband live a minimalist life, as her simple clothes show (a battered blue head shawl and skirt, and a green ribbon knotted in her braids). Many themes in the story revolve around her. Although Juana understands her role to be a subservient and passive wife, she is smart, brave, and determined throughout the novella. Symbolizing the power and strength of women, Juana gradually becomes dominant over her husband. Juana’s second role in The Pearl is to be the protective mother of her son, Coyotito. Last, she is wise and logical in troubling times and acts as the voice of reason. Juana’s words and actions emphasize her various roles in The Pearl.
She takes care of Coyotito as well as Kino and automatically puts their well-being before hers. Her impulses are exhibited throughout the novella; for example, when Kino found the great pearl “instinctively Juana went to Coyotito . . . and looked at his shoulder” (20). She right away thought of her child’s health by checking on the scorpion sting. She could have examined the pearl and thought of all the ways the wealth from the pearl could benefit her, but instead she immediately thought of her child’s needs. Also, Juana displays her nurturing character when Kino and she vanish to the mountains to escape the trackers. “[Juana] raised her bottle of water to Coyotito’s lips . . . she looked up at Kino . . . [and] saw him examine her ankles, cut and scratched . . . and she covered them quickly with her skirt. Then she handed the bottle to him . . . .” (77). Again, Juana put her baby and husband’s needs before her. Furthermore, she hid her wounds to mask weakness and femininity, so that Kino would let her continue up the mountain. The males in Juana’s life, Kino and Coyotito, are characterized as superior to her when she nurses them and puts their well-being before her
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
John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver who lives in Mexico with his wife, Juana and his baby boy, Coyotito. One day Kino finds a huge pearl worth a great deal of money. Kino dreams of being rich and buying all that he wants after he sells the pearl. The one thing that Kino doesn't realize is that there are many people who will do anything to steal the pearl from him. No one ever suspects the pearl's power todeceive, corrupt, and destroy. Hence, The Pearl depicts the ultimate battle between good and evil.