What Does The Pearl Symbolize Greed
John Steinbeck's The Pearl is a complex novella written in 1947 about a poor Indian man named Kino. Kino is content with his current life, but when he unexpectedly finds the glorious "pearl of the world", he finds himself in many sticky situations. The pearl causes evil to suddenly appear in Kino's life, and he has to decide what to do in order to protect his family and give them a better life in the future. To some the pearl may symbolize greed. To others, it may symbolize human nature, or an illusion. Your outlook on the pearl might even change because of what religion you practice. The pearl is a lot of things, and complex is definitely one of them.
Greed, the narcissistic desire to have more and more. "Money is the root of all evil" was a phrase penned in the bible, and it certainly holds true in this story. During the events following the discovery of the pearl, Kino becomes more and more determined to sell the pearl for a hefty sum of money. You can easily tell when he starts to develop greed, and it starts to take him over. Multiple times Kino refuses to get rid of the pearl, and even attacks his own wife so that she would not get rid of it. He would even go as far as traveling for days on end just to get a good price on the pearl, so greed would be a good explanation for Kino's drastic behavior.
At the very …show more content…
beginning of the story, Kino and Juana's baby, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion. At first they try and suck the poison out, but realize they need the help of a professional, so they consult the town doctor. At first he refuses to help them because he believes he is above them, but then Kino finds the pearl, and the doctor becomes very interested in their baby. And after he treats (poisons, really) Coyotito, he demands that he get the pearl in return for his services. That night, after Kino refuses to give the pearl to the doctor, he finds an intruder in his home, and suspects the worst of the doctor. This is an example of human nature, and the fact that there will always be people that try to sabotage your good intentions. Another example of this is when Kino first tries to sell the pearl. The pearl buyer suggests that the pearl is only worth a certain amount, but Kino knows that they are just trying to cheat him out of a pearl.
When Kino and his neighbors look out at the gulf, the only word they can describe it with is an illusion.
That word appears many other times throughout the book, but they never use it to describe the pearl. To some, that is exactly what it is. This is a fitting title for the pearl, seeing as it did trick him into thinking one thing, but in reality, it's a disaster waiting to happen. At first when Kino finds the pearl, he experiences nothing but joy, but soon realizes that the "dream" is not all it's cracked up to be. Juana realizes this sooner and tries to warn Kino, but her warnings go unheeded until his ignorance leads to the death of his
son.
In conclusion, the pearl is capable of keeping a conversation going on for longer than any normal conversation should last because it is such a complex symbol. The pearl could symbolize greed, human nature, or an illusion, and your outlook on it may or may not change based on what religion you practice, but the pearl is still the pearl, and we may never know what Steinbeck was trying to tell us.
Greed, the narcissistic desire to have more and more. "Money is the root of all evil" was a phrase penned in the bible, and it certainly holds true in this story. During the events following the discovery of the pearl, Kino becomes more and more determined to sell the pearl for a hefty sum of money. You can easily tell when he starts to develop greed, and it starts to take him over. Multiple times Kino refuses to get rid of the pearl, and even attacks his own wife so that she would not get rid of it. He would even go as far as traveling for days on end just to get a good price on the pearl, so greed would be a good explanation for Kino's drastic behavior.
At the very …show more content…
beginning of the story, Kino and Juana's baby, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion. At first they try and suck the poison out, but realize they need the help of a professional, so they consult the town doctor. At first he refuses to help them because he believes he is above them, but then Kino finds the pearl, and the doctor becomes very interested in their baby. And after he treats (poisons, really) Coyotito, he demands that he get the pearl in return for his services. That night, after Kino refuses to give the pearl to the doctor, he finds an intruder in his home, and suspects the worst of the doctor. This is an example of human nature, and the fact that there will always be people that try to sabotage your good intentions. Another example of this is when Kino first tries to sell the pearl. The pearl buyer suggests that the pearl is only worth a certain amount, but Kino knows that they are just trying to cheat him out of a pearl.
When Kino and his neighbors look out at the gulf, the only word they can describe it with is an illusion.
That word appears many other times throughout the book, but they never use it to describe the pearl. To some, that is exactly what it is. This is a fitting title for the pearl, seeing as it did trick him into thinking one thing, but in reality, it's a disaster waiting to happen. At first when Kino finds the pearl, he experiences nothing but joy, but soon realizes that the "dream" is not all it's cracked up to be. Juana realizes this sooner and tries to warn Kino, but her warnings go unheeded until his ignorance leads to the death of his
son.
In conclusion, the pearl is capable of keeping a conversation going on for longer than any normal conversation should last because it is such a complex symbol. The pearl could symbolize greed, human nature, or an illusion, and your outlook on it may or may not change based on what religion you practice, but the pearl is still the pearl, and we may never know what Steinbeck was trying to tell us.