In the pearl, John Steinbeck includes many themes, but to me the main theme in this parable is greed. In the pearl Kino and Juana find “the pearl of the world”, they think that everything will be fine for them and their baby Coyotito, and that they will get everything they want. Instead of everything going their way they are plagued by misfortune and violence due to the pearl and its immense value. In the pearl John shows how our emotions and decisions can be easily clouded and changed by greed.
In the parable, Steinbeck shows how greedy people naturally are. In these two scenes, they show how greedy the doctor instinctively is greedy even when he knows Coyotito has been stung by a scorpion: “Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’? I am a doctor, not a veterinary.” “Has he any money?” the doctor demanded. “No, they never have any money. I, I alone in the world am supposed to work for nothing – and I am tired of it. See if he has any money!” The doctor is already rich yet he still wants money, he cannot think about what is right he only thinks about himself and money.
Another example of greed in The Pearl is when Juana tries to throw the pearl away, Kino acts very violently towards her:” And rage surged in Kino… he struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders and he kicked her in the side.” Due to greed caused by the pearl Kino now has turned against his family.
The Essay on The Pearl Juana And Kino
The Pearl, which takes place in La Paz, Mexico, begins with a description of the seemingly idyllic family life of Kino, his wife Juana and their infant son, Coyotito. Kino watches as Coyotito sleeps, but sees a scorpion crawl down the rope that holds the hanging box where Coyotito lies. Kino attempts to catch the scorpion, but Coyotito bumps the rope and the scorpion falls on him. Although Kino ...
Through out the pearl there are many examples of how greed clouds emotions and decisions and how people are easily people become greedy. The Pearl shows that we should do what is right rather than be greedy.
