The Pearl Greed

Kino’s desire to gain wealth changes the pearl’s natural beauty and good luck, turning it from a symbol of hope and happiness into a symbol of bad and

A pearl is conventionally associated with wealth and prosperity. Like a philosopher’s stone, the pearl is believed to convert sorrows into happiness. Kino, a pearl diver and his wife, Juana, along with their son, Coyotito, are a poverty-stricken family until they discover “the greatest pearl in the world.” (19) With hopes and dreams for themselves and their son’s future, Kino and Juana perceive this pearl to be a resolution for all of their troubles. After finding “the Pearl of the World,” (22) Kino is plagued with vexation. His benevolence and good intentions are soon overcome by his greed. The collective rapacity of Kino and other people precipitates misfortune and violence around Kino. This eventually leads to Coyotito 's death. The

In order to sell his pearl for the highest price possible, Kino was forced to go to the capital. This was due to being cheated by the local pearl buyers. “I have been cheated,” Kino cried fiercely. “My pearl is not for sale here. I will go perhaps even to the capital.” By doing so, Kino wasn’t only risking a long journey, but also putting his family in harm’s

Kino has been ambushed during the night and has killed someone. Juan Tomas recommends him to get rid of it because it has caused a lot of trouble. “"I was attacked in the dark," said Kino. "And in the fight I have killed a man." "Who?", asked Juan Tomás quickly. "I do not know. It is all darkness – all darkness and shape of darkness." "It is the pearl," said Juan Tomás. "There is a devil in this pearl. You should have sold it and passed on the devil. Perhaps you can still sell it and buy peace for yourself."” (Steinbeck 64) Yet, Kino’s actions still don’t convince him to take Juan Tomas’s advice, as a result Kino faces the biggest tragedy he has experienced which is losing his son, Coyotito.

Kino no longer saw the pearl as “beautiful, rich and warm and lovely” (19), but rather “gray and ulcerous” (89). The melody that was “glowing and gloating and triumphant” (19) was now twisted, “distorted and insane” (89). Because of people imposing their selfish desires on the pearl, it was ugly to Kino. He, through the death of his son, understood that the people of his village had corrupted the pearl with what should have been a beautiful, elegant means for a better future. However, once Kino and Juana threw the pearl back into the gulf, it “settled into the lovely green water…the waving branches of the algae called to it and beckoned to it” (90). The pearl becomes destructive and dangerous when it is entangled with notions of material value. However, it is returned to its original beauty only after it is thrown into the gulf. Kino’s action of throwing it back into the ocean represents him finally rejecting the greed that consumed him.

Kino, who attains the pearl the day after this dramatic episode takes place, is eager to shed his skin of poverty, heal his son, and then begin a new life as a rich man, one who is freed from ignorance by knownledge he imagines his son will partake to them

In many ways Kino, and his family, are stranded by themselves after their departure toward the capital. By leaving the small city of La Paz, they have let greed fully take over their lives. Later in the story the family makes a big turn for the worst and is overcome with depression. Kino has lost the greed that had ruined his life over and over again. By wanting to buy a rifle, sending Coyotito, his son, to school, and wanting a better life for his family he shows that he is a family man.

Juan Tomas who is Kino’s older brother, warns him about the peculiarity about the unusual events that happen to him due to discovering the pearl. He says “ There is a devil in this pearl. You should have sold it and passed on the devil” (Bender 98). This quote shows Juan his happy for his brother and wants him to be wealthy but he is also nervous about how society and his life will change around him because everyone wants the pearl.  He hides Kino and Juana in his house after he finds out Kino had killed someone to protect himself. Apolonia who is Juan’s wife warns Kino as well about the dangers of the pearls discovery. She has four children too and agrees to give Kino and Juana housing if they need it. Those characters are well aware of the strange occurrences that follow the finding of the pearl. Steinbeck has included them in his book to show that greed can come of a situation like as illustrated in the book. Another character the doctor, is represented in the book as selfishness and greed in the society. He does not agree to treat Coyotito after he has been bitten by a scorpion until he finds out Kino has a pearl that is worth great fortune. Most people in the book become close to Kino to be closer to the pearl. This demonstrates the lust for currency, which Steinbeck truly despises. The priest as well tries to get close to Kino in hopes he can receive some money. The trackers and

The pearl elicits more and additional greed on Kino’s part, as he initiates to devote all his energies and possessions to defensive it. 1. The implication is that Kino’s acquisition of physical wealth isn’t sufficient to save him from the settlers’ oppression, even though such wealth is the basis of the colonists’ capitalist organization. 2.

Another form of greed is that greed changes people in society. After Kino crosses paths with the pearl, the whole town immediately finds great interest in Kino and his family. To add on, during the exposition of the story, Kino’s son Coyotito is extremely hurt after a scorpion bites him. At first glance, the sound of a doctor helping a poor family with an infant is quite heroic, but the doctor refuses to attend Coyotito due to that the family is impecunious. A quote that displays this form of greed in society is, “It is a little Indian with a baby.

However, two vibrant changes occur as the story progresses —Coyotito, his son, getting stung by a scorpion and Kino’s discovery of the pearl—broaden Kino’s horizons and outlook on the world. As Kino begins to strive for wealth and education for his son, the simplicity of his life becomes increasingly complicated by greed, conflict, and violence. Kino’s character then falls through a gradual decline from a state of innocence to a state of corruption and disillusionment. The factors promoting this decline are ambition and greed. Thus, when going got tough for Kinoo and he had to escape town he faced a lot of hardships, since he had to go into hiding and the only immediate help he had was from his brother. This had an adverse effect on his personality as he became increasingly negative, given the way he hit his wife shows how the pearl preoccupied his mind to such a great extent that he grew indifferent to everything else as evil and restlessness eloped him. In addition to these social changes, Kinoo, after attaining the pearl was on the move to gain economic sustenance, but not being able to find the right price to sell his pearl got him feeling even more uncertain and disappointed but he continued to strive and was reluctant to give up because he wanted everything in his reach for his son, who he consequently ended up losing in the

Kino’s first reaction to his son being stung by the scorpion is to kill it in a fit of rage, while his wife’s maternal instincts instantly kicked in. “But Juana had the baby in her arms now. She found the puncture with redness starting from it already. She put her lips down over the puncture and sucked hard and spat and sucked again while Coyotito screamed” (Steinbeck 6). Coyotito being stung by the scorpion is not part of the daily routine or song of the family, and yet Juana doesn’t speak to her husband for affirmation.

In the beginning you get to experience the quiet and quaint village that Kino and his wife Juana live in with their only child Coyotito. Steinbeck shows

     Coyotito is a outcome of Kino and Juana, and this is how he is one of the main characters. Coyotito is a symbol of unchanging innocence being betrayed by his own flesh and blood. Coyotito?s innocence is equivalent to the innocence of an actual pearl; a pearl is secure in it?s shell until something comes along and destroys the pearl?s home and ruin it?s beauty and simplicity. Being good and innocent doesn't matter in this intense world.

In the novella, The Pearl, Kino is faced with many decisions that later impact his life in ways that he could never image. The Pearl tells the tale of a great pearl that could change the life of any man. Kino happened to be this man, but this great pearl caused nothing but havoc and harm to come upon his family. When they were running from all of the trouble the pearl had caused them, Kino’s son died, their hut burned down in the attempt to get away, and Kino had become a man of anger and violence.