From Good To Greedy, The Music Of Kino’s Life

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 11th grade February 2008

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Greed is a very sneaky trait. It can come upon you and you would never know it until it had left. Kino is a simple pearl fisherman that prefers the quite melody of his family life to the material wants of the rest of the world. John Steinbeck illustrates greed in the novella The Pearl by using the pearl itself. Kino finds the pearl of the world and the music of his family slowly abates until all he could hear is the greedy music of the pearl. Kino isn't the only victim of the pearl; everyone around him is effected as well.

Kino is a good man before he finds this spectacular pearl. He loves his wife, and he cares about his child. He is a man of great courage and will defend his family with his life. He didn't care about having a stone and plaster house, nor did does he want lots of little things that a lot of us have.

He is happy the way he is. "…A scorpion moved slowly, Kino was in motion, his body glided quietly across the room… the song of the family cried plaintively"(8) The song of the family dominated Kino's mind; he cared about his family above all.

When Kino finds the pearl it began to change him. He starts to pay a lot of attention to the pearl and what he could get with it, then he does with his family. "Kino held the great pearl in his hand, and it was warm and alive in his hand. The music of the pearl had merged with the music of the family so that one beautified the other."(23) Kino began to name out all the little things that he always wanted, The list keeps growing, and it is said that humans are never satisfied with what they have and always want more. Kino believes so strongly that the pearl will bring him such great happiness so that he does not even listen to what Juana has to say. Juana thinks that the pearl is evil and should be thrown away back where it came from. "Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us throw it back in the sea where it belongs… 'No' he said 'We will have our chance'." Kino has been caught in the spell of greed and will not give up his pearl.

Later on the pearl became Kino's mind, and everyone around him as well had become selfish and greedy. The doctor, the priest, the beggars, the pearl buyers, everyone wants to get the pearl. The doctor wasn't going to treat the baby, but as soon as the doctor found out that Kino found a pearl of great value he immediately rushed over. The priest was walking in his garden and thought about how the pearl could benefit the church "…He is walking in his garden and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes, and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church."(28) The beggars also knew that Kino might give them alms after he sold the pearl because he was once a poor man himself. "...They know that there is no almsgiver in the world like a poor man who is suddenly lucky..."(29) Kino became violent and others suffered because of it. Kino hurt his wife because she had tried to rid of the pearl to the sea. "He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side." At this point Kino does not care about anything except getting what he wants, and he will not going to loose the pearl for anything. He is willing to kill what ever is in his path to wealth.

Greed can change a person's mind, through process, and actions. When someone wants something, they will do anything to get it, using trickery or violence. Kino thought this huge pearl would bring prosperity to him, but it only brought disaster, and destroyed everything he really held valuable. Kino represents all common people and the pearl represents the greed and evil that temps us away from the things that are actually the important ones. Kino is a good person, until he finds the pearl. It changes him in such a way that he thinks of nothing but selling the pearl in the capital, survival of himself, and most of all; getting what he wants