The Pearl Greed Essay
Luke 12:15 says: Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” In John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, Kino, the doctor, and the priest all allow their greed to control their lives. Instead of their focus being God, their only ambition is worldly wealth.
Kino’s envy of those more fortunate than he is leads to his greed causing him to make poor choices. Like any young man, Kino is ambitious. He desires to move beyond his station in life. When he finds a great pearl he feels that this is his chance to fulfill his desires. Kino envisions what he would be able to obtain with the money from the pearl; new clothes for his family, a church wedding, a rifle, and most importantly education for his son. Even when the pearl brings destruction, Kino holds onto his dreams. He declares "This pearl has become my soul," and that, "If I give it up I shall lose my soul.” Unlike his wife, Juana, Kino cannot see the consequences of his greed, the novella states that man is half insane and half god. Once consumed by his greed he cannot see reason. By the end of the story, he has realized …show more content…
the error of his ways. He has lost his son. Subsequently, he can finally see that his permitting greed to control him will bring destruction. Upon realizing this, he hurls the pearl back into the sea.
Similar to Kino, the doctor’s avarice also serves as the driving force in his life. He does not use his abilities as a doctor to help people but instead uses it in a self-serving manner. Throughout the story, the doctor’s thoughts are set on returning to Paris and a privileged life. It is said that the doctor has never refused to help the wealthy, regardless of if the people are actually ill. When Kino’s son Coyotito is stung by a scorpion the doctor refuses to help as Kino does not have the money to pay him. However, when the doctor hears of Kino’s finding of a great pearl he immediately offer’s his assistance. He even manipulates Kino into divulging the location of the pearl and into believing the scorpion bite is not healing. By taking advantage of Kino, the doctor is allowing greed to control his life and will be forever discontent.
A more unlikely source of greed in the town of La Paz is the priest.
His objective is not to teach people about the Lord but rather to acquire wealth. It says that when he hears of Kino’s pearl he “put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church.” When the priest first sees Kino he advises him to “remember to give thanks.” The priest attempts to persuade Kino to give his wealth to the church, not to use to help others but to fulfill his selfish desires. It also say that he “he wondered whether he had baptized Kino's baby, or married him for that matter.” This suggests that, like the doctor, you can only be married or baptized if you are able to provide money. Instead of listening to his calling as a priest to spread the word of Jesus his greed is controlling his
actions.
Kino’s envy of those more fortunate than he is leads to his greed causing him to make poor choices. Like any young man, Kino is ambitious. He desires to move beyond his station in life. When he finds a great pearl he feels that this is his chance to fulfill his desires. Kino envisions what he would be able to obtain with the money from the pearl; new clothes for his family, a church wedding, a rifle, and most importantly education for his son. Even when the pearl brings destruction, Kino holds onto his dreams. He declares "This pearl has become my soul," and that, "If I give it up I shall lose my soul.” Unlike his wife, Juana, Kino cannot see the consequences of his greed, the novella states that man is half insane and half god. Once consumed by his greed he cannot see reason. By the end of the story, he has realized …show more content…
the error of his ways. He has lost his son. Subsequently, he can finally see that his permitting greed to control him will bring destruction. Upon realizing this, he hurls the pearl back into the sea.
Similar to Kino, the doctor’s avarice also serves as the driving force in his life. He does not use his abilities as a doctor to help people but instead uses it in a self-serving manner. Throughout the story, the doctor’s thoughts are set on returning to Paris and a privileged life. It is said that the doctor has never refused to help the wealthy, regardless of if the people are actually ill. When Kino’s son Coyotito is stung by a scorpion the doctor refuses to help as Kino does not have the money to pay him. However, when the doctor hears of Kino’s finding of a great pearl he immediately offer’s his assistance. He even manipulates Kino into divulging the location of the pearl and into believing the scorpion bite is not healing. By taking advantage of Kino, the doctor is allowing greed to control his life and will be forever discontent.
A more unlikely source of greed in the town of La Paz is the priest.
His objective is not to teach people about the Lord but rather to acquire wealth. It says that when he hears of Kino’s pearl he “put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church.” When the priest first sees Kino he advises him to “remember to give thanks.” The priest attempts to persuade Kino to give his wealth to the church, not to use to help others but to fulfill his selfish desires. It also say that he “he wondered whether he had baptized Kino's baby, or married him for that matter.” This suggests that, like the doctor, you can only be married or baptized if you are able to provide money. Instead of listening to his calling as a priest to spread the word of Jesus his greed is controlling his
actions.