Preview

The Pearl Greed

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
401 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Pearl Greed
oo much wealth satisfies individual’s heart desires but at times can bring worst out of him or her. The pearl is a novel written by John Steinbeck and examines a man’s own destruction through greed. In this novel, hope and evil consume Kino and the entire city of La Paz immediately information goes around that Kino found the pearl of the world. As asserted by Forman, greed, culture, anger, happiness, luck, death, mystery and evil are all major aspects in this book.

The story unfolds when Juan and Kino’s baby, Coyotito, is bitten by a scorpion. The doctor refuses to treat Coyotito as he knew that the Coyotito’s parents were poor and could not afford to pay for their son’s treatment. Kino discovers that he has to get something valuable to pay
…show more content…
Kino decides to vend the pearl for fifty thousand pesos; nonetheless, the highest bid was only fifteen hundred pesos. He makes his way to the city to get a higher offer. Unfortunately, the pearl only brings to him unhappiness. On his way to city, Kino is attacked by evil men who attempt to take away the pearl. Being unsuccessful, the evil men destroy Kino’s canoe and as well as the house.

Regrettably, Kino begins to understand that money cannot afford happiness, but it was too late. He decides to hide his kin. While hiding his family, Kino realizes that he is being followed by the evil men, and murder one of the evil men. Whilst attempting to kill the remaining evil men around their hiding place, Coyotito, Kino’s son was shot by the attackers and dead instantly. Kino and his wife goes home without their son and decides to throw the pearl back to the sea.

In summary, the novel attempts to elucidate that wealth and money cannot afford happiness. Kino gets the pearl and believes to have all reasons live a happy life, but he ends up living a miserable life. Therefore, people should always be contented with what have and appreciate the importance of everything in their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    You hit the jackpot. Enough to provide for you and your family beyond your wildest dreams. Imagine the riches it would bring, but also the darkness of human nature. Kino lives contently in a small village with his wife Juana and son Coyotito. It’s a simple but happy life. That is until he finds “the pearl of the world”. Although it seems that all of their problems will be gone, in reality it gives way to evil and desire. John Steinbeck creates a remarkable novella following the story of Kino and his family as they are impacted by greed. In the story of The Pearl, characteristics of Aristotle’s System of Tragedy are evident through Kino’s demonstration of hamartia, catastrophe, and catharsis.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Pearl, the pearl represents greed. After finding the pearl, Kino as well as the other characters become greedy because they want the power they believe the pearl contains. The events that take place evoke the reader’s emotions by changing the way the reader feels about a character due to their choices. This helps the author to convey the point that money and power leads to greed.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pearl Greed Theme

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In The Pearl, John Steinbeck tells of the struggles of a native fisherman, Kino, and his family. Kino’s son, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion in the beginning of the story. Kino and his wife, Juana, find the pearl of the world, and they hope it will give them the money needed to cure their son. However, this event leads to a tragic journey in which Kino and his family must overcome many obstacles. The main theme of The Pearl is that greed has the ability to destroy a person’s morals. Kino, the doctor, and the pearl buyers all emphasize this theme.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The vital theme that John Steinbeck has examined was Greed, Greed as a Destructive force in Kino’s life. Kino seeks to gain wealth and status through the pearl and he transforms from a happy and comfortable father to a brutal criminal, and it is demonstrating that desires and greed are the root of all evil. As well as it destroys the innocence, and it is found in the New Testament in Paul’s first message to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:10) “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” This was the exact situation that happened to Kino. Kino’s greed led him to behave violently towards his spouse; it also led to his son’s death and it detached…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Does Kino Change

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the earliest pages of “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, one wouldn’t have been able to predict the changes that overcome Kino. In chapter 1, we are introduced to Kino who is enjoying the sight of his wife and child, and the beautiful nature that surrounds him. The peaceful description of their family and home lead us to believe that they are living a loving harmonious life. Him and his wife Juana have recently had a baby named Coyotito, and are happily raising him in the brush village. Kino is content with his simple life and does not ask for much more. As events in the book go on, Kino’s personality begins to change in negative ways. From the beginning of the book to the end, Kino’s personality changes drastically from a protective, happy, non-materialistic man to a dangerous, selfish and greedy man.…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    At the end of “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, Kino felt guilty and decides to throw the pearl back into the sea. The pearl symbolizes greed and suggests wealth could bring contentment while also teaching a lesson.Kino fantasized all the possibilities for his family when Juan Tomas asked him, “What will you do now that you have become a rich man?” (pg 24) KIno then stated, “We will get married at the church”, “Have new clothes”, “Have a rifle”, and “My son will go to school.” (pg 24-25) When Kino tried to sell the pearl to fulfill his dreams, the dealer stated, “This pearl is like fool’s gold..It is large and clumsy, As a curiosity it has interest; some museum might perhaps take it to place in collection of seashells. I can give you, say, a…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Steinbeck Outline

    • 808 Words
    • 3 Pages

    d. Kino expected so much from the pearl, but then is crushed when pearl buyers reveal to him it is worth next to nothing.…

    • 808 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bless Me Ultimas

    • 1969 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Following a horrific shooting of the towns sheriff by Lupito, a damaged and disturbed returning Mexican G.I. – Antonio witnesses Lupito’s own murder on the river by his father, and a group of towns men seeking vengeance for the senseless murder of the sheriff by Lupito. Here, Antonio sees how Narciso, the town drunk is kinder even than his own father, as Narciso tries to prevent the group of men from killing Lupito – but fails.…

    • 1969 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “This pearl has become my soul,” (Steinbeck 65), said Kino, the main character in John Steinbeck's wondrous book, The Pearl. Kino is a lowly, poor brush house villager given a chance to become rich and accomplish feats that only a wealthy white man at the time could do. When he found a pearl that could make him rich, everything changed. Greed overcame Kino and lead him to hope and wish for things no brush house man would think of. Greed can lead us to do many things, even when people try to stop or warn you, unlucky events occur that are caused by the greed, and your family or friends are endangered.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When a man spends his life, day in and day out as his people have always done, how one pearl could change his whole world around, his wife, his child and his village. Even the pearl of the world couldn't tear the people of song with its greed, jealousy, and hate, only after paying for it with the ultimate price would the fog rise and Kino could see the right and wrong again. He knew he only had one option on how to destroy the pearl and that was to throw the pearl with all its beauty and empty dreams to the place from which it came.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Set in La Paz, Mexico, Kino is content with his small family and house made of brush. However, when his only son Coyotito is stung by a scorpion, Kino sets out to find a pearl grand enough to pay the doctor who has refused to help. In an ancient clam, Kino stumbles upon the largest pearl anyone in La Paz had ever seen. Dubbed “the Pearl of the World” everyone suddenly became interested in Kino and his family. When his brother, Juan Tomas, asks what the future holds, Kino sees images of Coyotito in school and a real marriage for Juana and himself reflected in the pearl’s surface. Even Coyotito’s wound seemed to be healing. However, joy and opportunity dragged paranoia and thievery along for the journey. Kino began to distrust everyone and everything. His new personality resembled an impenetrable shell through which no one could break, not even Juana. At the pearl market, Kino was told that his prize was a monstrosity only worth 1,000 pesos. Knowing that he could get much more, Kino decided to make the trek to the capital for a fair bid to be made. Throughout the story, at least three…

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pearl Epilogue

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It has been five years since Kino and Juana through away the pearl back into the deep blue sea. Kino, has been having many dreams about the day Coyotito’s head had been blown off of his silk skin body. From that day, they knew that it was time to enter a period of hiding. A new King of Spain was chosen because of the old one being assassinated. It was the previous Kings son who was bloodthirsty to find where Kino and Juana were hiding because since Kino had killed a man, he was also pinned for the murder of King Aurellious; which was not a crime he had committed. The King of Spain had searched the native’s entire homeland to hopefully capture them, but the King was thinking to smart. For five years, Kino and Juana have been hiding in a dark black cave that was as cold as a freezer. They were feared of being ripped to shreds as if they were real animals being skinned. Kino and Juana have grown apart from purposes long ago, but they realized they needed each other for the problems they are encountering now.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pearl Symbolism

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The pearl show kino that,” coyotito sitting on a desk and writing on paper”(steinbeck 13). This show hope because the pearl show that coyotito can have an education. This made the reader happy that kino hope for an education for coyotito comes true. This happen in the world because many parents wants their children to have an education. To be exact the author use hope to describe kino, when he saw hope in the future in the pearl.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kino and his family are characters that are being oppressed. They are being oppressed because of their race. Even with a member of their community facing death (Coyotito), medical attention is denied because they cannot afford to pay the doctor. A consequence of oppression is disruption of the community. An example is when the servant of the doctor does not talk in Kino’s native language. The people in Kino’s community are more likely to accept the way the upper class citizens want them to act rather than revolt against them. Also, without education, the Indian pearl divers cannot rebel against authority without proper knowledge. They cannot afford to pay for an education with the little money that they make. When Kino finds the pearl, he discovers the opportunity of empowering his family with the newly acquired wealth the pearl brings. With the money he thinks he can get with the pearl, he can pay for an education for his son, Coyotito, and give him a chance to rebel against the oppressors. Sadly, Kino is unable to succeed in his mission to do so because of the death of Coyotito…

    • 2754 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Rizal

    • 3182 Words
    • 13 Pages

    When the book starts, Ibarra is returning to the Philippines after a 7 year absence, and he is reunited with his lover, María Clara. He also learns the details of his father’s death, which was caused by one of his father’s political opponents in his home town of Binondo, Manila. Father Dámaso is one of the religious/political figures in Binondo who dislikes Ibarra’s dad. By accusing Ibarra’s dad of being a heretic, and by using the death of a local student to make him look bad, Father Dámaso turned the community against Ibarra’s dad, and had him thrown in jail where he got sick and died. Ibarra’s father was disgraced further when his body was thrown into the lake while workers were transporting him between burial sites. After learning about the atrocities committed against his father, Ibarra does not seek revenge, but instead decides to build a school, which was something his father had always planned to do. By building the school, Juan Crisostomo Ibarra shows that he is genuinely concerned about the education and welfare of the Filipino people, because he puts the political squabbling aside in order to help the community. Ibarra is nearly assassinated at the school’s opening celebrations, but he is saved by a man named Eliás. After the assassination attempt, Ibarra is thrown into jail for a crime that he did not commit. Eliás again assists Ibarra by helping him escape from prison. As they are absconding in a boat, Ibarra hides under some leaves. Eliás jumps into the water in an attempt to fool the guards, but his plan fails and he is shot by the guards and left for dead. Since the guards think that they shot Ibarra, they cease their pursuit of the boat he is hiding on, and he escapes unharmed.…

    • 3182 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays