The Pearl Literary Essay

“But in the song there was a secret little inner song, hardly perceptible, but always there, sweet and secret and clinging, almost hiding in the counter-melody and this was the song of the pearl that might be, for every shell thrown in the basket might contain a pearl” (Steinbeck 17). This is something that might forever deceive us, because of its 'sweet' counter-melody. This is the deception of money. It still happens today- people confuse money with power, because in some way, money can lead to power, and it's not always a good thing. Money is not the answer to everything, as it can serve to beguile people, confusing them between what they think they want, and what they really do want or need. In the book 'The Pearl' by John Steinbeck, Kino became blinded by the outside sheen of the pearl. “The shell was partly open, for the overhang protected this ancient oyster, and in the lip-like muscle Kino saw a ghostly gleam, and then the shell closed down” (Steinbeck 18). This 'ghostly gleam' is the power of the pearl, and it started to delude Kino little by little, starting from the point of where he had first seen the pearl to where it had cost him something very dear to him- his son, Coyotito. Kino originally saw the pearl as a practical method to improve his and his family's life, however later, he saw it only as a method of survival, and in the end, Coyotito dies because of this. Only at the end had Kino realized the power of the pearl, but this realization was of no help at the end, as everything was done. Money really is not everything, and in Kino's case, it had caused death. Take the lottery, for instance. Everyone wants to win the lottery- the chance to win it big and be rich, and not have to live tight and counting every single penny. If you hit the jackpot, you could simply live off the interest and not have to worry about a single thing. Now, applying this to 'The Pearl,' Kino and Juana had basically nothing; they lived in a hut that had a