Preview

The Pearl Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
782 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Pearl Essay
Have you ever been told you were greedy? When Kino found the Pearl, he was suddenly changed by it. He became greedy and selfish the longer he had and thought of the Pearl. Taking possession over the Pearl also caused him to make horrible decisions. Lastly, the incredible find of it made him powerful and popular. Everyone came to him asking for wishes, favors, or needs. The longer Kino held on to the Pearl, the more he became selfish.
Greed can emotionally change a person. When Kino found the pearl, suddenly everything was all about him and his new wealth. “The news came to the doctor… [his] eyes rolled up a little in their fat hammocks and he thought of Paris. He remembered the room he had lived in there as a great and luxurious place...” (22) When the towns people learned of Kino’s great wealth, they began let their minds wonder in search of things they desired that would bring pleasure to them. They became selfish as they only thought of themselves. “And in the incandescence of the pearl the pictures formed of the things Kino’s mind had considered in the past and had given up as impossible.” (24) Kino really only wanted to own objects he did not need that would only benefit him and his family. Lastly, the pearl emotionally changed Kino by making him greedy and selfish.
Greed can make you do horrible things to you and your surroundings. When Kino found the pearl, he became extremely greedy and overprotective of it for he did not want anyone to steal it from him. “After he had probed the night with his senses he went to the place by the side post where the pearl was buried, and he dug it up and brought it to his sleeping mat, and under his sleeping mat he dug another little hole in the dirt floor and buried the pearl and covered it up again.” (36) Instead of spending enjoyable time with his loving family, Kino decided to guard the pearl. The money meant so much to him; he could not stand losing it. This was not the only horrid thing Kino did. “Now, in an

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    One example or quote that is in the story about greed, is that when Kino,Juana,Coyotito went to the doctor's house and banged on the gate the servant answered and said yes why are you here and he said.My baby Coyotito was stung by a scorpion and the servant went up inside to ask if the Doctor would treat the poor sick infant.but when he got up there the doctor…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    He purchased the stolen regalia and put it up for sale at the pawn shop. He faces a man vs. self conflict because he felt sad and sorry for taking advantage of Jackson Jackson’s disadvantage when he found out that particular regalia was stolen from Jackson Jackson’s grandmother. On the other hand he couldn’t afford to lose the one thousand dollars he paid for it. He is not your stereotypical pawnbroker as he gave Jackson Jackson the opportunity to purchase the regalia for less than what he paid for it. “’I’d sell it to you for a thousand dollars if you had it. Heck, to make it fair, I’d sell it to you for nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars. I’d lose a dollar. That would be the moral thing to do in this case. To lose a dollar would be the right thing’” (Alexie 12). Pawnbrokers are known to buy things for cheap and sell them at a higher price to make a profit. He not only gave Jackson Jackson the opportunity but he also got him started by giving him twenty dollars. To conclude, he eventually gave the regalia back to Jackson Jackson even though Jackson Jackson didn’t have the money for it. “’I don’t want your money’” (Alexie 28). The man vs. self conflict was not resolved even though he gave the regalia to Jackson Jackson, he still ended up losing one thousand dollars. He experiences fundamental character change because even though he gave the regalia to Jackson Jackson, he had always felt it was the right thing to do from the beginning. He may have lost one thousand dollars, but he gained satisfaction knowing that the regalia went back to its rightful owner. The pawnbroker in this story is a sympathetic character. He was nice to Jackson Jackson from the beginning and a very good…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Pearl Harbor Essay

    • 755 Words
    • 1 Page

    Veterans who fought in the war of Pearl Harbor and received a Medal of Honor, for their…

    • 755 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The vital theme that John Steinbeck has examined was Greed, Greed as a Destructive force in Kino’s life. Kino seeks to gain wealth and status through the pearl and he transforms from a happy and comfortable father to a brutal criminal, and it is demonstrating that desires and greed are the root of all evil. As well as it destroys the innocence, and it is found in the New Testament in Paul’s first message to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:10) “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” This was the exact situation that happened to Kino. Kino’s greed led him to behave violently towards his spouse; it also led to his son’s death and it detached…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Does Kino Change

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Kino begins to become dangerous to the people around him: the book reads, “He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side”(Steinbeck, 59). Kino is so infatuated with the pearl that he would hit and kick his own wife to get it back. Not only does he strike her in the face, but he kicks her when she is down. He kicks her in the side out of spite, knowing that he has already won the fight. To hit your wife and the mother of your child is a horrendous act. In the beginning of the book Kino would have never even thought about laying a hand on his wife. Kinos relationship with the pearl is taking control over his rational thinking. The pearl has a hold of Kino and it will not let go. It is getting into his head and corrupting his…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The power of greed can destroy people and their wonderful and simple lives. It is not a physical power that physically kills you, but rather a power that gets in your soul and destroys you from the inside. The greed of Kino, the main character, is shown throughout The Pearl. The author showed greed throughout the book by using foreshadowing, symbolism, and characterization. John Steinbeck, the author, used all of these devices to show that greed was able to take over people's souls and change their state of minds because of the pearl’s ability to change people.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the people's traits affected by human nature in many stories is greed. As shown throughout, greed is an evil sin. This is especially obvious in the Pardoner's Tale, where the Pardoner, a church-appointed official who collects gold for absolving people their sins, tells about the evils of money. In the story, three friends, who wanted to make the world better by killing death, find gold, and unwilling to share, start planning to kill each other. Two friends sent the third to bring them food and wanted to kill him after he came back. The victim, however, also wanted the money, and poisoned their drinks. As a result, all three friends die. "Thus were these two homicides finished,/ and the false poisoner too." (Chaucer 365). Even though Chaucer's conclusions are not expressed and actually are very different from what the Pardoner says, Chaucer manages to convey his message to the audience. In the Reeve's Tale, greed and envy caused two young students and the Miller to trick and steal from each other. "This Miller has done me great mischief, and I will not leave without first finding his daughter" (The Reeve). In the end, the students sleep with the Miller's wife and daughter, and the Miller ends up beaten and losing many of his possessions, but the story doesn't justify the students, the stealing, or even the greed itself. Chaucer leaves it up to the…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    At the end of “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, Kino felt guilty and decides to throw the pearl back into the sea. The pearl symbolizes greed and suggests wealth could bring contentment while also teaching a lesson.Kino fantasized all the possibilities for his family when Juan Tomas asked him, “What will you do now that you have become a rich man?” (pg 24) KIno then stated, “We will get married at the church”, “Have new clothes”, “Have a rifle”, and “My son will go to school.” (pg 24-25) When Kino tried to sell the pearl to fulfill his dreams, the dealer stated, “This pearl is like fool’s gold..It is large and clumsy, As a curiosity it has interest; some museum might perhaps take it to place in collection of seashells. I can give you, say, a…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Pearl, events in Kino’s life cause him to change from the beginning to the end of the story. “ It was a morning like other mornings and yet perfect among mornings.” This is a quote from The Pearl shows that Kino is content with his life. Even though Kino is poor, he is happy and not searching for other things to come into his life. “ ...Juana stared at him with wide unfrightened eyes like a sheep before the butcher. She knew there was murder on him…” This shows that the pearl is taking over kino and that…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is Candide Greedy?

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Greed is shown at every place that Candide visits, from the Castle where he grew up to the village where he ends his journey. Some of the most well noticed acts of greed are played out by the con artists in France, has they manage to trick Candide out of enormous sums of money while pretending to be his friends. Also has Candide is staying in El Dorado he learns about how if the Europeans were to discover them that they would all be slaughtered over what they saw has rocks and clay. People value the material wealth above almost everything else including human life. This greed is shown in most characters throughout the book demonstrating how it is so strongly tied to human nature.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Pearl Harbor Essay

    • 1759 Words
    • 8 Pages

    What significant reason did the Japanese choose to start a war with the United States?…

    • 1759 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pearl Final Essay

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Pearl Buyers also bring unhappiness to Kino because they do not offer him a fair price and lie to Kino about his pearl. Saying that it is like fools gold too large and nobody would want it (49). This “perplexed and worried” Kino (49). Also when Kino realizes that the pearl buyers are trying to take “cheat” him, he is filled with “rage” and leaves the buyer’s store with his pearl unsold (52). Once again the interaction Kino had concerning the pearl left him miserable and angry.…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning he saw the pearl as this great thing that would help his family live on and be happy. "Our son must go to school. He must break out of the pot that holds us in," he said this with hopes of using the pearl for Coyotito’s schooling and giving him a better future with that knowledge. Toward the end of having the pearl he becomes insane and insecure. Juana realizes that the pearl is evil and says to Kino, "Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones. Let us - let us throw it back in the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil!” Kino then starts taking into consideration of Juana is saying and becomes more into the thought that the pearl is really evil. Kino believes different things about the pearl from the beginning to the end, he goes from seeing it as hope to destruction and…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sophocles once said, “Money: There’s nothing in the world so demoralizing as money.” Since the beginning of time, humans have associated money with tearing away people’s goodness or, for a more known example, the saying that money is the root of all evil. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Kurtz exemplifies this exact situation of becoming somewhat addicted to gaining riches and lets his darker side take control. This tragic obsession eventually leads to his character’s downfall.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pearl could have brought him success and education, a big, suited house, and care and love for and from others. Him and his family could have had a great life filled with health and joy. Because of fear of regret he loses many opportunities. Through the essay the reader acknowledges that regret and fear are another way of telling you to back out. In time of anger, people make bad decisions. That is why Kino could have led a his life deftly using the Pearl. Like Lucille Ball once stated, " I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics