Though The Pearl may be a short book, only 83 pages to be exact, it really contains a great story and teaches an amazing lesson.The moral of John Steinbeck’s parable is that you should not let greed overcome you. You should be grateful for what you have and not want more. Greed can be an evil thing, and three ways that Steinbeck shows greed in the story is through characterization, symbolism, and foreshadowing.
Characterization is an important element in The Pearl. It’s one of the ways that John Steinbeck portrays greed. The main character, Kino, is a poor pearl diver with almost no possessions. He doesn’t want any more than what he has, and he loves his family very much. Later, Kino finds a pearl of great value. The pearl changes him, and knowing he can afford many things, Kino is overcome with greed. People try to steal his pearl multiple times, and as he defends the pearl he keeps getting more evil. By the end of the story, Kino claims that the pearl is his soul and values it more than anything. “‘This pearl has become my soul,’ said Kino. ‘If I give it up I shall lose my soul’” (Steinbeck 65). He has even killed for men and only when his baby is shot does he realize what the pearl has …show more content…
,” every time. The songs also help you understand what is going on and what might happen next. There are many more times in the story when foreshadowing occurs. One time, the priest talks about how everyone has a station in life, and that you should not leave your station. Kino selling the pearl would lead to his whole life changing, and that would change his station. It is like a warning to him that trying to change his position in life would lead to bad things, and it did. Another was Juana constantly saying that the pearl is evil and that they should get rid of it. Kino chose to ignore her almost every time and things just got worse for him because of the
Characterization is an important element in The Pearl. It’s one of the ways that John Steinbeck portrays greed. The main character, Kino, is a poor pearl diver with almost no possessions. He doesn’t want any more than what he has, and he loves his family very much. Later, Kino finds a pearl of great value. The pearl changes him, and knowing he can afford many things, Kino is overcome with greed. People try to steal his pearl multiple times, and as he defends the pearl he keeps getting more evil. By the end of the story, Kino claims that the pearl is his soul and values it more than anything. “‘This pearl has become my soul,’ said Kino. ‘If I give it up I shall lose my soul’” (Steinbeck 65). He has even killed for men and only when his baby is shot does he realize what the pearl has …show more content…
,” every time. The songs also help you understand what is going on and what might happen next. There are many more times in the story when foreshadowing occurs. One time, the priest talks about how everyone has a station in life, and that you should not leave your station. Kino selling the pearl would lead to his whole life changing, and that would change his station. It is like a warning to him that trying to change his position in life would lead to bad things, and it did. Another was Juana constantly saying that the pearl is evil and that they should get rid of it. Kino chose to ignore her almost every time and things just got worse for him because of the