The Pearl Greed Essay

“The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, truly has a great example to the life lesson on greed. A family destroyed and a culture distressed is what one can see in the short story, “The Pearl.” Greed plays an important role in the lesson of “The Pearl,” in which John Steinbeck uses imagery and foreshadowing to highlight this theme and he utilizes personification and similes/metaphors to explain the theme easily.

Kino in The Pearl creates the theme of greed and power can make one’s downfall. In the book Juana (Kino’s wife) hears evil music with the pearl and fears it will tear apart the family and the village. So she sneaks out in the early morning with it and tries to get rid of it to free her family from evil but gets caught in the action by her husband who goes savage. “Her arm was up to throw when he leaped at her and caught her arm and wrenched the pearl from her. He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side...Kino looked down at her and his teeth were bared. He hissed at her like a snake…”(page 58-59) This shows how greed and power can make one’s downfall because the greed of the pearl and the idea of what riches it could bring to the family and the whole village which makes Kino fill with rage when he sees Juana trying to get rid of

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

Throughout the book there are many themes and the one I chose to use was greed. Greed was present in many instances like; the doctor didn't want to help Coyotito because Kino and Juana couldn’t pay him what he wanted. He finally decided to help after he heard that they had found a perfect pearl and he wanted it for himself. The priest wanted it to help repair and make changes for the church. “It came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church”(Steinbeck 34). The pearl buyers also demonstrated greed because they tried telling Kino that it was worth nothing and that it was too big. Kino was a happy and hardworking father until he had found the pearl. The pearl changed him and it turned mean and greedy. When Juana tried throwing it back Kino fought her for the pearl back left her on the beach. Also, the many attackers who tried taking the pearl away from them, which made it to where they were trying to kill Kino, Juana, and Coyotito so they can get the pearl. The biggest symbol that represents greed was the pearl.(Symbolism in the Pearl)

Steinbeck describes the setting to the reader through the description of Kino using imagery and personification. The figurative language gives the story a mysterious tone. As “the moon crept through the holes” Kino soon relies that Juana is trying to discard the pearl. The tone is created by the personified phrase to allow the reader to feel Kino

In the world, greed is extremely powerful and can take over someone in the blink of an eye. It is not something that people can quickly recover from, and this is beautifully portrayed in the novel The Pearl, by John Steinbeck. In The Pearl, greed overtakes a man named Kino who has a wonderful family. He ends up finding a pearl and wanting more than he can get. This destroys his family and shows him that he should be grateful for what he has.

For millions of years, two of man's greatest downfalls have been greed and materialism. Throughout the novel The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, the themes of greed and materialism are corroborated with the Mexican folktale the author heard after he visited the country of Mexico. The folk story described the life of an indigent young native who discovered “The Pearl of the World” and how the pearl exhibits evil which leads to his downfall, greed. Numerous terrible things began to happen to him, and most importantly to his family after discovering the pearl. The author, John Steinbeck, makes these themes evident by illustrating the elements of conflict and characterization.

“And to Kino the secret melody of the maybe pearl broke clear and beautiful, rich and warm and lovely, gloating and glowing in triumph.” (Steinbeck 20). This is one of many memorable quotes from John Steinbeck’s classic, The Pearl. While this story is composed of only eighty-seven pages, the author packs the book with more meaning and teaching than many authors have been able to in hundreds. Set in a small village in La Paz, Mexico, the tale deals with many topics, themes, and issues.

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, is a book about greed. The main character is a poor pearlfisher named Kino who lives in La Paz, Mexico. He has a wife named Juana and a baby named Coyotito, whom he loves very much. One day Kino finds a Great Pearl that makes everyone envy him because of its value. To Kino, The Great Pearl opens a door of possibilities.

The short novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck is based on an old folktale and is about a man named Kino, his wife named Juana, their baby named Coyotito, and the struggle they face when Kino finds the pearl of the world. Steinbeck shows that materialism and greed, left unchecked, can lead to immoral behavior through the characters of the town doctor, Kino, and the three attackers. Steinbeck uses the doctor as a symbol to represent the materialism and greed, left unchecked, can lead to immoral behavior. This seen when the town doctor refuses to treat the dying Coyotito. The narrator states, “Have I nothing better to do then cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’?

Many people confuse their desires and necessities. Humans need food, water, and shelter to survive, but what some want are: expensive cars, luxuries, and wealth. Some will become consumed by wealth, leading them to selfish decisions and the inability to satisfy their needs and wants. Through imagery and symbolism, John Steinbeck's The Pearl, shows the main characters going through hardships such as despair because lack of wealth, followed by greed and then grief of a tragic loss that leads to the family tearing itself apart.

“Greed, in the end, fails even the greedy.” – Cathryn Louis. When a person becomes greedy, eventually their greed fails them in some way, shape, or form. The downfall can be destructive, or not. In the novella The Pearl by John Steinbeck, greed plays a symbolic role in the form of a pearl found by a man named Kino. The theme “greed is a destructive force” can be depicted through Kino’s downfall due to his attachment to the Pearl of the World.

In The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, evil transforms certain humble citizens into envious savages. It is this evil which moves the story along and adds drama. It causes the beginning of a happy spirit, but the downfall of goodness and humanity.

What if something seems so worthwhile, you would risk everything to try to get it? The Pearl by John Steinbeck focuses on a man named Kino. Kino found a pearl whose value was so great that it could potentially give his family everything they wanted. But Kino quickly lost sight of what really mattered and let suspicion, anger, and fear overtake him. Throughout the book, Kino’s family is subjected to multiple tragedies. A tragedy is an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, like a serious accident. Kino caused the tragedies his family experienced because he only cared about the pearl, had no control over himself, and didn't listen to others.