The Pearl Wealth And Greed Essay

581 Words3 Pages
Many of the world’s issues revolve around wealth and greed. The Pearl by John Steinbeck informs readers how greed can effect human behavior, and that power/wealth changes a person. In this novella, with the pearl comes responsibility, power, and a wealthy status. Steinbeck uses the pearl as a symbol of power, a power that changed Kino’s whole perspective which made him become a person he was against: the greedy pearl buyers. The book starts off with Kino’s only incentive being the recovery of his son, Coyotito. Kino, motivated by frustration at oppression, and love for his family, is trying to protect his family from poverty and discrimination. A character analysis of Kino reveals through “He looked past his pearl, and he saw that the swelling was going out of the baby’s shoulder, the poison was receding from its body. Then Kino’s fist closed over the pearl and his emotion broke over him” (Steinbeck 20). This describes Kino’s personality as family oriented. He believes that the pearl will change his economic status, and provide security for Juana and Coyotito. However, the…show more content…
The pearl gave him hope and future. From the health of his son, Kino’s incentives enlarge, “He spoke softly, ‘We will be married- in the church.’ [...] All of these things Kino saw in the lucent pearl and he said, ‘We will have new clothes’” (Steinbeck 24). AIn addition, Kino’s arrogance appears as the narrator says “and- his mind could hardly make the leap- a rifle- but why not, since he was so rich” (Steinbeck 24). There are no competition between the pearl buyers since they all work together under one boss; price fixing. Instead, the pearl buyers “take joy and satisfaction in breaking it as far down as possible” and “the best and happiest pearl buyer was he who bought for the lowest price” (Steinbeck 42). However, as the villagers’ jealousy grow, competiton for Kino’s pearl
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