Ever since Midas' lust for gold, it appears to be that man has
acquired a greed and appetite for wealth. Juana, the Priest, and
the doctor have all undergone a change due to money. They are
all affected by their hunger for wealth and inturn are the base for
their own destruction, and the destruction of society. Steinbeck's
'The Pearl' is a study of man's self destruction through greed.
Juana, the faithful wife of Kino, a paltry peasant man, had
lived a spiritual life for what had seemed like as long as she
could remember. When her son Coyito fell ill from the bite of a
scorpion, she eagerly turned towards the spiritual aspects of life.
Beginning to pray for her son's endangered life. The doctor who
had resided in the upper-class section of the town, refused to
assistant the child, turning them away when they arrived at the
English: John Steinbeck
Grave site of John Steinbeck and family
English: Own Work. 2007. National Steinbeck Centre...door. Lastly they turned to the sea to seek their fortune. When
Juana set sight on the 'Pearl of The World.' she felt as though
all her prayers had been answered, if she could have foreseen the
future what she would have seen would have been a mirror image of
her reality. Juana's husband was caught in a twisted realm of
mirrors, and they were all shattering one by one. In the night he
heard a 'sound so soft that it might have been simply a
thought...' and quickly attacked the trespasser. This is where
the problems for Juana and her family began. The fear that had
mounted in Kino's body had taken control over his actions. Soon
even Juana who had always had faith in her husband, had doubted him
greatly. 'It will destroy us all' she yelled as her attempt to
rid the family of the pearl had failed.