How greed comes out of us once we see the pearl

John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl is a simple story with a moral lesson, in the context of the colonization of the Indians by the Spaniards.

The discovery of the pearl of the world exposes evil and greed among the inhabitants of La Paz. It also wakes up old dreams and desires.

The pearl has been symbolized to represent evil and good. For Kino it is an opportunity to improve his life and that of his family. It awakens new desires on the rest of the people who want to claim it for themselves. Men are willing to risk their lives to steal it and Kino is ready to put his life on the line to protect it. The author uses the story to illustrate that individuals can not escape their own destiny.

Although the plot of history is simple, it is rich in thematic concerns. Some of them are poverty, tradition, family relationships, fate, oppression, racism, greed and materialism.

This article will tackle poverty, racism, greed and materialism. . When Kino finds the pearl of the world, all kinds of people are interested in him; people with things to sell and some with favors to ask. Everyone suddenly became related to Kino's pearl. He has entered their dreams, their speculations, their projects, their plans, their futures, their wishes, their needs, their lusts, their hunger and one person has been an obstacle.

Kino becomes, oddly, the enemy of all men. The news fuels something very dark and evil in the city. Thus, poison bags in the city begin to make venom and the city swells and blows under the pressure of the city (page 43). Greed and materialism are evident in the doctor, the priest, the buyers of pearls, the trackers and the obscure ones.

The news reaches the priest who walks in his garden and casts a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of some repairs needed in the church. He wonders what the pearl would be worth. He also wonders if he had baptized Kino's baby or he had married her, from elsewhere.

The priest visits Kino in the evening and tells him that "you are named after a great man and a grandfather of the church". It sounds like a blessing. He told Kino that his namesake tamed the desert and softened the spirit of the people as it was written in the books.

The priest said that he had come to him that he had found a great pearl. Kino opens his hand to show him the pearl and the priest is panting at the size and beauty of it. He told her to remember to give thanks to the one who had given her the treasure and to pray for advice in the future. When Juana says that they are getting married at the church, he says it was nice to know that their first thoughts were good. He blesses them and leaves quietly (page 48).

The news comes to the doctor, who is with a client. When it becomes clear to him who Kino is, he becomes stern and judicious, claiming that he was one of his clients. He says he's treating his child for a scorpion sting. The doctor remembers Paris. He remembers the room in which he had lived there as a grand and luxurious place. He remembers the hard-faced woman who had lived with him as a beautiful and kind girl. He sees himself in a restaurant in Paris and a waiter opens a bottle of wine

GREED, POVERTY AND RACISM

The doctor visits Kino and claims that he was not there sooner when they came to see him. Kino says the baby is doing pretty well, but the doctor says the poison bite has a curious effect; there will be an apparent improvement and then he attacks without warning. He knows that the Kino race loves their trading tools and trusts them. He says that sometimes there will be a withered leg, a blind eye or a crumpled back.

The doctor then looks at the baby's wound, thinks for a moment, pulls back the baby's eyelid and looks at the eyeball. He nods and says the poison is gone in and will soon hit. He says that the eyeball is blue; he will give the child something to distract him from poison.

He places a capsule on the baby's tongue and gives him pulque to swallow. He says the poison will attack in the hour and that the drug will save the baby. He leaves and says that he will come back in an hour.

The baby becomes very sick. The doctor comes later and treats the child. He asks when the bill will be cleared and Kino says when he sells the pearl. He pretends not to know the pearl and offers to keep it safe. He tells Kino that it could be a pity to have him fly before he sells it (pg 56).

The news comes to pearl buyers and their eyes narrowed. Their fingers burn a little, everyone thinking that the boss could not live forever, and that someone had to take his place. Later, when the news of the approach of the procession reaches them, the buyers of pearls stiffen and become alert. They take out papers to be at work when Kino appears and they keep their pearls because they do not want lower beads next to a beauty.

The man in the office told Kino that the pearl is like the gold of a crazy, too big, so a curiosity. He offers a thousand pesos, which Kino refuses. He calls other buyers of pearls. The first merchant refuses to make an offer and calls the pearl a monstrosity.

The second merchant says that the best pearls are made of dough. He says that this one being soft and chalky will lose its color and die in a few months. The third dealer says that he will offer five hundred pesos and sell it at six cents to his client. The man at the table maintains his initial offer and when Kino says he's being cheated, he raises it to fifteen cents. Kino leaves in anger (pg74)

Poverty is evident in the simple life of the natives. They live in scrub houses surrounded by brush fences. The breakfast of Kino and Juana consists of hot corn cakes dipped in sauce and pulque. Beggars from the front of the church declared them poor. This is deduced from Juana's old blue skirt, green ribbon on her braids, the age of Kino's cover and a thousand washes of her clothes.

When asked for money to pay for the treatment of Coyotito, he produces eight small deformed seed beads as ugly and gray as small ulcers. They are flattened and almost worthless. The only thing of value that Kino possesses is a canoe, which he inherited from his father, who had inherited it from his father.

Because of poverty, Kino and Juana were not married to the church and their child was not baptized. Before Kino comes to sell the pearl, his brother borrows certain things from him; a small bag of straw baked with red beans, a gourd full of rice, a cup of dried pepper, a block of salt and a long knife.

Racism is commonplace in the novel. The Spaniards discriminate against Kino and his race, evident in the doctor and the priest. The priest regarded these people as children and treated them as such. He has a sermon that he preaches every year, where he encourages everyone to stay true to their stations since losing pearls is a punishment for those trying to leave. It clearly states that every man and every woman is like a soldier sent by God to keep a part of the universe. (p.68)

The doctor never comes to the scrub group because there is no reason to do it. He is busy dealing with wealthy clients who live in stone and plaster houses. It's not of the Kino breed, but of a race that, for nearly 400 years, has beaten hungry, stolen, scorned and scared the Kino race. The doctor's race speaks to the whole Kino race as though they were mere animals.

In conclusion, learners are encouraged to explore other themes