Examples Of Greed In The Pearl By John Steinbeck

After the aforementioned low-ball salesmen, Kino had decided that he was going to the big city to sell the pearl there and receive the money he felt it was worth, "For his dream of the future was real and never to be destroyed, and he had said, 'I will go,' and that made a real thing too. To determine to go and to say it was to be halfway there (Chap. 4).” This is where the greed is very noticeable with Kino being very determined that his way is the correct way and even if it meant leaving his wife and sick child behind. There was nothing that was going to stop him from being right and saving his dream he had as soon as he found the pearl.

In Chapter 4 Kino proclaims, “I am cheated . . . My pearl is not for sale here. I will go, perhaps even to the capital” (52). For this reason, it showed the voracious side of Kino as he denies every one of the offers given towards the pearl. Even when he could’ve made a decent amount off from the pearl buyers. He needed the wealth and he wouldn’t stop until he receives every inch of wealth there was.

Steinbeck shows us how, “He heard the rush, got his knife out and lunged at one dark figure and felt his knife go home, and then he was swept to his knees and swept again to the ground. Greedy fingers went through his clothes, frantic figures searched him, and the pearl, knocked from his hand, lay winking behind a little stone in the pathway”(59). People are becoming jealous of Kino and his pearl, and this is ultimately where the trouble begins. Kino has killed a man, and that is prime example of how greed can in fact lead to uncontrolled

Greed is perhaps one of the most destructive forces in this world, it breeds anger, hate, jealousy, and more. The novella “The Pearl” is based on how the finding of a pearl causes greed to be awakened in the hearts of people and cause them to commit evil. During the Novella, Steinbeck develops the theme that greed left unchecked can cause immoral behavior and that is show in the doctor, the attackers, and Kino. All of them are forced by greed to commit sins that they otherwise would not do.

Many people in the world today grow crazy and mad when surrounded by even the slightest bit of wealth and good fortune. Even a strong person who recognizes their priorities can still become corrupt with too much power. There is no better example of a person falling into the path of evil and corruption than in a novel written by John Steinbeck. In the novel The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, the author writes about a poor Indian man named Kino who becomes corrupt from the wealth of a magnificent pearl. Steinbeck uses the motifs of music, light and dark imagery, and values to develop the theme that good fortune, wealth, and prosperity steer even the most innocent of people towards a path of evil and corruption. The reader learns that one

In a small town called La Paz, a pearl diver named Kino life turns upside down after the promise of imminent wealth is brought to him. The story of The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck, is a story that swerves left and right, and revolves around greed. With many examples of foreshadowing, imagery, and characterization, John Steinbeck shows many ways that greed can be influential. Greed is like violence, it’s evil and overtakes anything else. John Steinbeck shows this in many ways whether it be how greed can change someone, in literary techniques, and how greed has changed Kino and his family.

Some ways the author showed how greed took over Kino was by using characterization, foreshadowing, and symbolism. Through characterization the author showed how Kino was overtaken by greed. In the beginning of The Pearl, Kino was a humble man who cared about his family before all else. “Kino’s eyes opened, and he first looked at the lightening square which was the door and then he looked at the hanging box where Coyotito slept” (Steinbeck 1). This quote from the beginning of the book shows how Kino watched out for his family and made sure they came first.

Kino’s neighbors state that, “Luck, you see, brings bitter friends”. This shows that the neighbors of Kino knew that the pearl was evil, but Kino was not listening, and he started the downfall of his family. Since Kino did not listen, the pearl unleashed its evil upon Kino and his family. Juana also stated that, “This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us.” Kino acts like he is a man, shows no respect to his wife, and tells his wife that everything is alright when it is truly not. Kino does not care about the evil that will hurt his family, he just wants the money. Kino shows a lot of ignorance, which proves the fact that Kino is the true villain of this story.

One character who displays a lack of greed is Juana, in the book she is always an advocate to get rid of the pearl in any way possible even if it means destroying the pearl and getting no money form it, this shows that she sees past the value of the pearl and realizes it is causing more harm than good. The pearl buyers show a lot of greed, they show the greed by teaming up and saying that the pearl is not worth much at all when in reality the peal is priceless it is so expensive, they do this in hopes that Kino will sell the pearl to them for less than its worth. Kino starts of as a very humble person. In the first chapter of the book it describes his calm every day life were he knows every thing that is going to happen.

First after one of the attacks Juana gets scared and says, “It will destroy us all.” Kino is so focussed on being rich that he doesn’t even realize how bad he could be hurting his family. Kino also goes a bit overboard when he is with the pearl buyers, “ My pearl is not for sale here. I will do perhaps even to the capitol!” Kino wants to be rich so he will not take the pearl buyers offers because they aren’t enough for him.

Kino wanted to to get rid of the pearl since he needs money for his family. But the no one would buy it for the amount he wanted so he left with the pearl. Kino’s family had to leave town because the dealer didn’t get the pearl so they went after the family. Even when Kino’s family was in danger he would not give up the pearl, even though Juana doesn’t care about the money, she just wants a happy family before Kino found the pearl. Kino’s greed got so worse that they had to leave town, leave no trace and had to hide from the town members they lived with for years because of a single pearl.

The pearl's evil infects Kino like a ravaged disease and consumes his mind. He starts off with good intentions, but they become twisted. He wants to sell the pearl and use the money to better his family's lifestyle. He has dreams and goals that each depends on the pearl selling for a good price. Juana sensing the evil and greed coming from Kino attempts to destroy it. Kino beats 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." Juana sees through the outer beauty of the pearl and knew it would destroy Kino and herself. Kino's vision from the soul becomes blurred by the possible prosperity the pearl will bring. The evil invades Kino's life as well as everyone he knows and loves.

Another example of greed is shown when Juana takes the pearl from Kino to throw back into the sea. Kino realizes what she is doing and goes after her. Just as Juana is about to discard the pearl, Kino grabs her arm and wrenches the pearl from her. He punches her in the face and when she falls on the boulders, he kicks her in the side. The following quote establishes the violence that Kino unleases on his wife in order to protect his precious pearl from harm, due to his greediness of what the pearl will bring to him and his family: “…Rage surged in Kino. He leaped at Juana and wrenched the pearl from her…with clenched fists, struck her in the face…kicked her in the side…Greedy fingers went through his clothes” (58-59).

He imagined a better life for his family. Despite everything that went wrong, despite people telling him to throw the pearl away, Kino continued to believe in the value and importance of the pearl. Early on Juana tried to convince Kino to get rid of the pearl, “‘This pearl is a sin! It will destroy us,’ and her voice rose shrilly ‘ throw it away.’”(John Steinbeck 38). Kino would have ordinarily taken into consideration his wife’s concerns and this was out of character. While under the spell of the pearl, It didn’t matter to him that Juana had his best interest in mind when she advised him to get rid of the pearl. Even after Kino was attacked, he was unwavering in his conviction in the value of the pearl, “but Kino’s face was set, and his will was set” Kino was given many chances to throw away the pearl, but yet he was stubborn and continued to believe in the pearl even though his world was falling apart and even though he could lose

After fighting battles with himself, Kino began to lose his ability to control himself because he was set on his plan for his family that he once saw in the pearl. “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders and he kicked her in the side.” (Steinbeck 59). Multiple instances have occured since Kino first got the pearl, including two attacks to steal it during the night, as well as thousands of eyes that have stared through him and looked into his soul full of secrets, making him feel scared throughout the day and night, worried that those eyes would turn into attacks on his pearl, which holds the future for his family. After Juana, Kino’s wife had enough jealous stares and greedy attacks, she took the pearl and boldly planned to throw it into the water, for it to drown with the wealth and the struggles attached to it. But, as Kino was constantly aware of everything occurring with the pearl, he didn't care whether it was his wife or a stranger, because he knew he had to attack and prevent the loss of the pearl, especially since he has such a close connection to it. “The pearl has become my soul. If I give it up, I shall lose my soul.” (Steinbeck 67). Kino cannot live without the pearl and as everyday goes by, his connection with the pearl grows stronger, and his