The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a novel about a young, poor Native American Pearl diver who is originally foolish and eventually regrets his actions. In The Pearl, it tells about how the discovery of a beautiful pearl that deceives, corrupts, and destroys an innocent family. Kino the protagonist, on a day like any other, he finds beautiful pearl in the ocean one day but he becomes paranoid that someone would take the pearl from him. Because Kino knows that the pearl would bring him wealth, he becomes foolish. Consequently, he killed people and his child was murdered. Wealth can’t buy happiness; it could only solve some problems, but mostly becomes a burden, and causes a change in character. One of the reasons why money cannot buy happiness is because it becomes a chain-and-ball. When Kino found the pearl, he gets robbed and beaten many times, and his house gets burned to the ground. “The baby moaned in fright, and Juana’s eyes were wide and terrified. Kino could see the house was gone and he did not question Juana.” The burning of the house symbolizes the destruction of the family. All this happened because a group of people wanted the pearl for themselves. Their greed overcame and made them think that the pearl would buy their happiness. “For a long a moment, Kino looked out to the darkness and the he stepped outside. Juana heard a grunting struggle, the blow”. Once people found out that Kino found the pearl of the world, their greed consumed them so they try to rob Kino in the darkness. As a result, Kino gets cowed for the pearl. Kino was like that when he first found the pearl, thinking of not being poor anymore, but he didn’t think about how money would change and destroy him.
Another reason why the pearl is not able to buy happiness is because it caused Kino to change his character. “The great knife swung and crunched hollowly. It bit through the neck and deep into the chest, and Kino was a terrible machine now”. In this passage, Kino, an once innocent man kills his pursuer. Also, Kino used to be a favorable husband but after he gets the pearl, he beats his wife for being disobedient. “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders and kicked her in the side”. Although Kino and Juana still love each other at the end of the book, they lost hope on the pearl and their baby was murdered. They are miserable. Wealth has morphed the happy family into a childless, depressed family.
In conclusion, happiness cannot be bought by money. When Kino gets the pearl, he still isn’t happy because he wants more. The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a novel explaining how wealth destroyed an innocent family.
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