Valuing Family over Material Possessions: Analysis of The Pearl

People always say that if they don’t have their phone they will die, but have you ever heard somebody say that about a family member as much as they say that about their phone? In the novella The Pearl written by John Steinbeck the theme that family should be valued above material possessions is used throughout the story. In The Pearl, greed takes over and many people forget what is really crucial to their lives. The main character, Kino, finds the pearl, and treats it as his own soul and he will do anything to keep it. Unfortunately, maintaining the pearl will bring obstacles throughout the story. Many of those obstacles will harm his family. Steinbeck shows that family should be valued above material possessions through the usage of Kino’s

For example, in the story, it says “ He struck her face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side” (59). This quote shows that Kino put the pearl above Juana when he mistreated her for getting rid of the pearl. Nobody should mistreat family members just because they want something. Another example from the story is “Hush, said Kino. “Do not speak any more”(39). This quote shows that Kino treats Juana like she is not equal to the pearl and like she is not equal to Kino. He treats the pearl better than he treats Juana. He demands her to do stuff to protect the pearl and to make sure it is not harmed. Kino does not listen to Juana when she says it is evil because he only sees satisyfing things in the pearl and he only trusts what he sees in it not what his family tells him. These pieces of evidence are connected to the theme because they show how Kino treated the Pearl better than his own wife

In the story Kino would not sell the pearl to the pearl buyers because he knew it was worth more than what they were offering them (50). When Kino did not sell the pearl because of his greed, he did not get the money to save his son. This shows that he cared more about the money than his family. If Kino had sold the pearl and gained the money he would have had enough money to save his son and all of the problems would be over, but because he cared more about the pearl and the money than his son, he did not seize the money. Therefore, he puts the pearl and the money above Coyotitio. An example from the text is “Kino’s face grew dark and dangerous. “It is worth fifty thousand,” he said. “ you know it. You want to cheat me” (50). This quote shows that when Kino’s face got dangerous, he had already lost sight of his family values and is only thinking about the money and the pearl. When Kino knew that they were cheating him, he could not help but pick a fight with them. He wanted money, money, and more money instead of wanting to help his son. These pieces of evidence are connected to the theme because they show how Kino chose money over his