What Is The Relationship Between The Pearl And Greed

While providing for your family is important, it is necessary to do so without becoming infatuated with greed. Joseph B. Wirthlin wrote, “Inordinate desire for material possessions can become an obsession that consumes our thoughts, drains our resources, and leads to unhappiness.” This relates to The Pearl, a novella, by John Steinbeck. Wirthlin’s quote means that if one falls victim to avarice over an item, it can lead to distress leading to their inability to accomplish everything they would like. This idea applies to Kino, in The Pearl. Kino allows the pearl to overwhelm him, and that eventually leads to his family, home, and past life being destroyed. Even while having moral intentions, the pearl consumes Kino’s every thought, leading to his devastation.
However, he begins to value the money the pearl could bring him rather than the wellbeing he would be able to have, “...it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (Steinbeck 25). Kino’s greed starts to absorb his every thought leading him to decide to go to the capital, “‘I have heard there are cities in the north…This pearl has become my soul… If I give it up I shall lose my soul" (Steinbeck 67). Later, Kino’s fixation with value led to poor judgment such as the violent actions toward Juana when she tried to protect the family and the murder of men who tried to steal the pearl. Soon the family felt more misery and grief as Coyotio was shot by trackers on their way to the capital. Kino’s materialistic actions showed the town the futile results of a plan that was supposed to give Kino a more prosperous life. The sorrow that the shooting of Coyotito made the intention of selling the pearl in the capital pointless. Everyone associated with the pearl felt the disaster that it had