In “The Pearl” the characters, the Doctor, Juan Tomas, and the villagers all represent a type of greed or a lack of greed in the situation of the pearl. All of them want a certain something from Kino that involves them getting money from the pearl or getting the physical pearl from Kino. Some of the characters also represent a lack of greed by not wanting anything out of the pearl, but just wanting to help Kino solve the pearl situation. The type of greed that the Doctor represents is him wanting to take advantage of Kino to get the pearl or get money out of the pearl by saying, “It is as I thought. The poison has gone inward and it will strike soon. Come look!” He held the eyelid down, “See— it is blue”. He is able to say these lies to Kino because Kino is uneducated and doesn’t know any better to tell if the Doctor is lying or telling the truth. The doctor also tries to take advantage of Kino by pretending he doesn’t know about the pearl. After the Doctor finishes healing Coyotitio he asks Kino when he would be able to pay him for …show more content…
healing Coyotitio, “When do you think you can pay this bill?” When Kino tells him that he can pay the bill once he sells his pearl the Doctor suddenly becomes interested and says, “You have a pearl? A good pearl?” By saying this the doctor is trying to get Kino to think that he doesn’t know about the pearl, and that he is trustworthy enough to help Kino. Even though the doctor pretends to know nothing about the pearl, Kino still doesn’t trust the doctor enough to help him with his dilemma. These are the things that represent the greed in the Doctor that came from the pearl situation. The character Juan Tomas represents a lack of greed in the pearl situation.
He represents a lack of greed because instead of him trying to steal the pearl from Kino, the whole time Juan Tomas is trying to help Kino with the pearl situation, and he is protecting Kino and his family from anyone who wants to take advantage of Kino and steal the pearl. Juan Tomas tries helping Kino by making sure he gets the best deal for the pearl and he says, “You must be careful to see they do not cheat you”. Another way that Juan Tomas represents a lack of greed in the pearl situation is that he takes Kino and his family into his home to hide and be safe from the other people so that Kino can come up with a plan to escape from the town and deal with the pearl without having to worry 24/7 if someone is going to steal it from them. These reasons are why Juan Tomas is a good example of someone who represents a lack of greed towards Kino and the
pearl. The Villagers represent a type of greed of them wishing they had ownership of the pearl, and them dreaming about what they would do if they did have it. All of the Villagers have become Kino’s enemy because they have started envying Kino and his family because he has the ownership of the pearl of the world. A variety of the Villagers have tried to break into Kino’s house to steal the pearl, and some of them have even tried bribing Kino or making advantage of him being uneducated, tottery and get the pearl. These explanations present that the Villagers have greed towards Kino and his family, and the pearl. All of these characters represent some type of greed, whether they are lacking it or they are full of it, they all want something out of Kino’s family or the pearl. Some of them have gone out of their way to take advantage of Kino just so they could steal the pearl, and some of them have done nothing but help Kino handle the pearl situation or help Kino keep his family safe from the “dark ones” or the “evil spirits” that lurk in their unfortunate lives.
In John Steinbeck’s, The Pearl, the village of La Paz is alive with greed. Everyone wants something from the main character, Kino. The doctor wants money for treating Kino's baby. The priest wanted money to fix the church. The townspeople also wanted money. The village is over come by evil from this one man's good fortune. The doctor’s greed over money is revealed when he would not treat Kino's baby because Kino had nothing to pay him with. When the doctor heard of Kino's sudden wealth, he said Kino was his client. The Pearl and its fortune transformed the town into something full of continual desire and jealousy. Everyone was affected and wanted something from the p...
Greed also influenced many of the decisions that characters have formulated throughout the book. For example, Jerry Cruncher chose to become a grave digger for the profit gotten from it, which caused many problems in his family. When Jerry Jr. follows his father into the night he witnesses his father committing a horrifying crime that he, “Knew very well knew what it would be; but, when he saw it, and saw his honoured parent about to wrench it open, he was so frightened, being new to the sight, that he made off again, and never stopped until he had run a mile or more” (Dickens 184). Had Jerry not been so acquisitive, he would most likely have chosen not to go into that profession. This would prevent Jerry Jr. from being scarred by his father's bad decisions and possibly decrease Jerry’s drinking due to guilt he has after grave digging. Additionally, when C.J. Stryver proposes to Lucie, his motive for it blossoms from greed. While explaining to Carton why he has decided to do this, Stryver admits, "I don't care about fortune: she is a charming creature, and I have made up my mind to please myself: on the whole, I think I can afford to please myself. She will have in me a man already pretty well off, and a
“He who wants everything everytime will lose everything, anytime”- Vikrant Parsai. This famous quote supports the theme of “Greed and materialism left unchecked, can lead to immoral behavior such as violence” in the book, The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Kino and Juana find the pearl of the world while Kino gets a little too obsessed with the pearl. Juana tries to hide it and make everything better, but everything backfires on her . Kino goes crazy about what Juana tries to do to help him and does things no one would ever imagine.With this in mind, all the readers will look at how greed is expressed through characters,and even Kino himself and symbolism.
In Pearl Tull’s old age, she starts to lose her sight until she is completely unable to see. Pearl may be the only one within Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant who has gone literally blind, but many of the characters are just as blind emotionally. Throughout Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, many characters are too absorbed in their own problems and self-pity to notice the problems of the people around them. Almost all of the characters don’t realize how much their actions may have affected someone else, or are oblivious to the fact they did anything at all. When taking a closer look at the story, it could be said that Pearl Tull is the reason behind all of her family’s problems. Pearl is blind not only literally—in her old age—but metaphorically
“Kino, you have defied the pearl buyers and passed up 1,500 dollars!” I sighed as I pictured the large bundle of money we could have gained. “We would have prospered with all of that cash, but the pearl has filled you with greed. Only a greedy man would reject such a large amount of money. The pearl caused that greed and should therefore be thrown away.
He is driven by greed, so much so that he could even see dreams form in the pearl. Kino is the head of a modest household and until he finds the pearl he lives a satisfied life with all he needs for his family to be happy. As soon as Kino finds the pearl he starts to want possessions he never wanted before. He dreams of education for Coyotito, marrying Juana in a Catholic church, purchasing new clothing for his family, and getting a harpoon and a rifle for himself. “It was the rifle that broke down the barriers . . . for it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more” (Steinbeck 32). Located within a small poverty-stricken community, a pearl diver named Kino finds “the Pearl of the World” and becomes suddenly rich, he begins to want items that he thought were impossible before. As Kino thinks more and more of what the pearl can do for him, he starts to think that it will raise his social status as well. This is only the beginning of Kino’s greediness, for the more he gets, the more he will want, and this begins to dehumanize him. Kino focuses on the wealth of the pearl and causes him to change his values about life. In the beginning, Kino is only focused on his family, once Kino finds the pearl he becomes more focused on the pearl, rather than his family. Kino cares a lot more about losing the pearl rather than something bad happening to his loved
One of the most common and prominent themes of The Pearl is greed. One of the first examples of this is when Kino went to the doctor to beg for treatment, but the doctor responded, "‘Has he any money?’ the doctor demanded. ‘No, they never have money. I, I alone in the world am supposed to work for nothing- and I am tired of it. See if he has any money!’” (Steinbeck 11). Many would consider it unethical to refuse treatment to someone simply because of their poverty. The doctor refusing to cure the ill child shows how greed has corrupted him to the point of having an innocent baby die rather than offering up his services for free. Another early instance of greed was when the news of the pearl “came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church. He wondered what the pearl would be worth” (Steinbeck 21). Even the people of God, those believed to have the highest morals, became materialistic. He who is supposed to be satisfied with just the love of the lord suddenly hungered for more. This greed eventually came to Kino when Juana suggested throwing away the pearl, but Kino replied, “‘No,’ he said. ‘I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We
For example, when Juana argues with Kino about the pearl, she tells Kino, “The pearl is like a sin” (38). The pearl is compared to a sin using a simile and reveals how Juana truly feels about the pearl as it connotes evil, envy, and greed. This supports the fact that the pearl converts Kino and that it isn’t benevolent. In addition, when Juan Tomas tells Kino to leave the pearl, Kino tells Juan, “The pearl has become my soul” (67). Kino is shown to have an obsession with the pearl and that it controls him. His commitment to the pearl connotes obsession, delusion, and compulsion. The pearl and it’s hold on Kino is why he is dehumanized as the book progresses
In chapter 5, Kino performed an act of protective violence and murdered a man who attempted to attack him. In order to keep Kino safe, Juan Tomas acted with a sense of loyalty and protected Kino by providing him with shelter in his home. I believe that this act of righteousness was an accurate representation of trust and that Juan Tomas made the correct decision in doing this. I think this because it only seems right that Kino be assisted by his family when he is in an innocent situation. I feel that Juan Tomas has performed a superior act of protection for his family because family, as explained earlier, is one of the most important factors in a character’s life.
The Medieval times was an age of ignorance, encompassing a long span of years in where people were placed in classes ranging from clergy being the highest to serfs being the lowest, education was only limited to noblemen and was strictly prohibited to women, and poverty was orderly. In the movie, First Knight, many of the problems in Medieval times are portrayed accurately. Empires immense hunger for land, inequitable enforcement of laws, and Religion are some of many issues during the time period represented in the First Knight.
Kino found one of the most valuable and precious pearls in the world and being convinced of its worth was not going to be cheated by only minimally upgrading his condition of life. Instead he wanted to break the fixed life and role that he and his family had and always would live. Kino refuses the maximum offer of fifteen hundred pesos that would easily ease his and his family’s pain and suffering for the coming months. Kino is then determined to trek to the capital to find a fair and just offer. Kino continues determined through the mountains after an attempt at the pearl, his canoe destroyed and his hut set a blaze. Continuing to put his family’s life on the line. It eventually takes the death of his beloved son Coyotito to make him realize he needs to stop being so greedy, no matter how hard he tries and to shut his mouth and know his role.
One example of this universal theme of humanity’s struggle with greed occurred in this novel when the doctor pretended to treat Coyotito for something that he did not have. It all started when a scorpion stung Coyotito. Kino and Juana’s only hope was the doctor, however, he refused to treat Coyotito because they were poor and they had nothing of value to pay for his services. Not long after this, Kino went to search for a good pearl in order to pay the doctor to treat his son. Kino found “the pearl of the world;” Juana and Kino were overjoyed. Once the doctor heard of this fine pearl, he rushed over to Kino’s hut to treat the sick baby by telling Kino a lie. The doctor’s excuse for not treating Coyotito sooner was, “ I was not in when you came this morning. But now at first chance, I have ...
Readers can tell from the statement that many of the people Kino encounters after finding the pearl become bitter “friends”. At this point, Kino and Juana begin to realize that the pearl is bringing bad luck upon them. They are taken advantage of by the doctor and he decides to visit them after knowing they have the pearl. “This pearl is like a sin”(56). Juana begins to realize the pearl is bringing them bad luck, but Kino still trusts that it’s a gift. Readers can also assume that people are trying to take the pearl when Kino is suddenly attacked during the night. “Blood oozed down from his scalp and there was a long…”(56). Readers can now confirm that the pearl has changed and now represents evil. The pearl also begins to destroy Kino and Juana’s relationship as they have different opinions on what to do with the pearl. After Kino wakes up and follows Juana when she wakes up and walks out, readers know he has started to lose full trust in her. “He rolled up to his feet and followed her silently as she had gone” (58). Through the symbolism of the pearl and what it brings upon Kino and Juana, the author emphasizes how the pearl is not what it first appears to be, which was
When the doctor gets word that Kino has found the pearl he quickly rushes to their house to care for Coyotito after first turning them away. The doctor decides to help Coyotito because he realizes they now can afford to pay him which makes him start to recall the luxurious life he once lived while in Paris. This shows that the doctor does not care about helping Coyotito; he is merely interested in getting paid so he can live like he once did. The doctor is a good examp...
This leads to change and, eventually, downfall. Before he finds the pearl, Kino “was a well-liked man” (43), and adored by all of his neighbors. Everyone looked up to his kindness and sympathy, but when he finds the Pearl, he changes. The pearl takes control over him, and he becomes too obsessed with getting his money. He loses his many things over it: “now it is my misfortune and my life and I will keep it” (66). The neighbors even suspect, “‘what a pity it would be if the pearl should destroy them all.’” (43) For example, KIno loses his family when he tries to protect the pearl and defies the pearl buying system, and when he mishandles Juana. Loisng his canoe symbolizes thi sloss of his family. He also loses his sanity. he beats Juana and kills four men. He “‘killed a man’” (61) and joins in many fights. For greed, he turns down the salesman`s offer for the pearl and ends with nothing left. Kino has the chance to take the money offered to him and be done, but he is greedy and he wants more. Then, at the end of the book, Kino throws the pearl into the sea, and with it, all the money he could possibly gain. He also lets the doctor treat Coyotito, even with his doubts, and now can not pay him because the pearl is his payment method, which is now gone. He thinks his money is secure, and in his mind, he is a rich man. This is not necessarily true, as readers learn, and because he was so secure, he must now pay for unnecessary