In John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, the Indigenous people of La Paz, Mexico are very poor compared to those of Spanish descent who have held the power for centuries. When the Indigenous pearl diver, Kino, finds a pearl that is assumed to be worth a large sum of money, the doctor sends someone to steal the pearl, the Priest visits Kino to persuade him into donating the pearl to the church, and the head pearl buyer sends trackers after Kino to kill him and gain the pearl. Both the Indigene and the Spanish make selfish choices in attempting to obtain the pearl for themselves. Steinbeck suggests that because of greed, people tend to make irrational choices and manipulate, as the doctor, Priest, and the pearl buyer show.
The doctor, who at first would …show more content…
He travels to Kino’s house one day to speak to him about the pearl and share sermons. The priest begins, “‘It has come to me that thou hast found a great fortune, a great pearl.’ Kino opened his hand and held it out, and the priest gasped a little at the size and beauty of the pearl. And then he said, ‘I hope thou wilt remember to give thanks, my son, to Him who has given this treasure, and to pray for guidance in the future’” (28). In this moment, he is suggesting that Kino gives the pearl or its proceeds to the church as a way of “giving back”. While he does not make irrational choices, he does try and make Kino feel guilty if he doesn’t give the church the …show more content…
His four employees failed to persuade Kino into selling them the pearl when they only offered a small price for the pearl which Kino knew was worth more. The head pearl buyer then takes matters into his own hands to get the pearl any way possible. He decides to send trackers after Kino and his family to retrieve the pearl from them. The narrator describes what Kino sees as “two on foot moving slowly along, bent low to the ground … They were the trackers, they could follow the trail of a bighorn sheep in the stone mountains” (73). By sending these trackers, the pearl buyer puts Kino and his family in danger. This shows that he will go to the extreme to get the “Pearl of the World” and won’t stop until he
The doctor, who at first would …show more content…
He travels to Kino’s house one day to speak to him about the pearl and share sermons. The priest begins, “‘It has come to me that thou hast found a great fortune, a great pearl.’ Kino opened his hand and held it out, and the priest gasped a little at the size and beauty of the pearl. And then he said, ‘I hope thou wilt remember to give thanks, my son, to Him who has given this treasure, and to pray for guidance in the future’” (28). In this moment, he is suggesting that Kino gives the pearl or its proceeds to the church as a way of “giving back”. While he does not make irrational choices, he does try and make Kino feel guilty if he doesn’t give the church the …show more content…
His four employees failed to persuade Kino into selling them the pearl when they only offered a small price for the pearl which Kino knew was worth more. The head pearl buyer then takes matters into his own hands to get the pearl any way possible. He decides to send trackers after Kino and his family to retrieve the pearl from them. The narrator describes what Kino sees as “two on foot moving slowly along, bent low to the ground … They were the trackers, they could follow the trail of a bighorn sheep in the stone mountains” (73). By sending these trackers, the pearl buyer puts Kino and his family in danger. This shows that he will go to the extreme to get the “Pearl of the World” and won’t stop until he