Greed is something that everyone faces at some point in their life.. It can be a petty occurrence, or it can drive someone to perform actions that they would not normally do. It can change a person to the point of alienation from their family. In the book The Pearl by John Steinbeck, Kino, the main character, finds a pearl and is instantly overcome by greed. However, he is not the only one to be affected by this discovery. In The Pearl, greed affected a copious amount of people including Kino, his community, and John Steinbeck showed it through symbolism.
Kino was the first person to be affected by the pearl. As soon as he found it, he was immediately overcome by greed. He was picturing what he would buy with his newfound wealth. “Then to the …show more content…
One of these was symbolism. He showed how the pearl affected those around it through its coloring and appearance. In the beginning of the book, he showed it as “...the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured light and refined it and it gave it back in silver incandescence” (Steinbeck 20). This showed that the pearl was a way to start over and get everything that they wanted. It represented the possibilities that the pearl could open. At the end of the book the pearl was described contrarily. “He looked into [the pearl’s] surface and it was gray and ulcerous. Evil faces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light of burning” (Steinbeck 86). After all the pain the pearl had caused Kino and Juana, it no longer looked like a beautiful gift, but a curse. It was gray and ugly and a reminder their dead son, and the life they once had.
In conclusion, The Pearl is a wonderful book that teaches remarkable lessons about sudden wealth and the greed that comes with it. John Steinbeck did a wonderful job writing this story and showing how greed affects a person and their community. He showed how greed affected Kino and the community through literary devices such as symbolism. The way he writes gives the reader a further understanding of the point he wants to prove. In short, this novel is an expedition that will add more than just a superb reading experience, but will also teach remarkable
Kino was the first person to be affected by the pearl. As soon as he found it, he was immediately overcome by greed. He was picturing what he would buy with his newfound wealth. “Then to the …show more content…
One of these was symbolism. He showed how the pearl affected those around it through its coloring and appearance. In the beginning of the book, he showed it as “...the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured light and refined it and it gave it back in silver incandescence” (Steinbeck 20). This showed that the pearl was a way to start over and get everything that they wanted. It represented the possibilities that the pearl could open. At the end of the book the pearl was described contrarily. “He looked into [the pearl’s] surface and it was gray and ulcerous. Evil faces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light of burning” (Steinbeck 86). After all the pain the pearl had caused Kino and Juana, it no longer looked like a beautiful gift, but a curse. It was gray and ugly and a reminder their dead son, and the life they once had.
In conclusion, The Pearl is a wonderful book that teaches remarkable lessons about sudden wealth and the greed that comes with it. John Steinbeck did a wonderful job writing this story and showing how greed affects a person and their community. He showed how greed affected Kino and the community through literary devices such as symbolism. The way he writes gives the reader a further understanding of the point he wants to prove. In short, this novel is an expedition that will add more than just a superb reading experience, but will also teach remarkable