We have all had time in our lives where greed and obsession for things to grant our desires can destroy our lives, mainly because we do not always act the way people want us to. In "The Pearl", by John Steinbeck, Kino's fixation on the pearl and newly found ambitions corrupts his values and directs him away from the normal principles of his people. Steinbeck expresses that greed and obsession lead to the events, whether happy or sad, that can determine a person's destiny or the destiny of others who surround him, while also demonstrating the theme of greed through Kino's obsession to make his future better, but oversees the pearl's value, and puts his family's life in jeopardy.
In "The Pearl", Kino is obsessed by the pearl's persuasive powers, which affects everything that he does. For example, shortly after Juana tried to convince Kino that the pearl was evil, he clamed that "the pearl has become my soul.
English: John Steinbeck
Grave site of John Steinbeck and family
English: Own Work. 2007. National Steinbeck Centre...If I shall give it up, I shall lose my soul. Kino thinks of the pearl as salvation, and resolutions to his family's life. Initialy, he has visions that it will solve and produce their desires. In addition, moments after Juana tried to throw the pearl back into the ocean, "Kino remains adamant about the pearl's virtue, insisting that it will be their road to salvation. Juana, however, disagrees, declaring that it will destroy their entire family." Kino is being a fool, when throwing away opportunities to get his family's life on track. He then misconstrues the pearl's value, making him care for things only under his own terms. In conclusion, Kino's impulses are constantly possessed by the obsession of the pearl's significance, causing him to abuse its uses.
Struggling for righteousness, Kino is stranded between two cultures when he takes...