FREE ESSAY ON STEINBECK'S THE PEARL

STEINBECK'S THE PEARL

The Pearl
MATERIAL SOCIETY, MATERIAL THOUGHTS 
Ever since Midas' lust for gold, it appears to be that man has acquired a greed and
appetite for wealth. Juana, the Priest, and the doctor have all undergone a change due to
money. They are all affected by their hunger for wealth and inturn are the base for their
own destruction, and the destruction of society. Steinbeck's The Pearl is a study of
man's self destruction through greed. 
Juana, the faithful wife of Kino, a paltry peasant man, had lived a spiritual life for
what had seemed like as long as she could remember. When her son Coyito fell ill from the
bite of a scorpion, she eagerly turned towards the spiritual aspects of life. Beginning
to pray for her son's endangered life. The doctor who had resided in the upper-class
section of the town, refused to assistant the child, turning them away when they arrived
at the door. Lastly they turned to the sea to seek their fortune. When Juana set sight on
the Pearl of The World. she felt as though all her prayers had been answered, if she
could have foreseen the future what she would have seen would have been a mirror image of
her reality. Juana's husband was caught in a twisted realm of mirrors, and they were all
shattering one by one. In the night he heard a sound so soft that it might have been
simply a thought... and quickly attacked the trespasser. This is where the problems for
Juana and her family began. The fear that had mounted in Kino's body had taken control
over his actions. Soon even Juana who had always had faith in her husband, had doubted
him greatly. It will destroy us all she yelled as her attempt to rid the family of the
pearl had failed. Kino had not listened however, and soon Juana began to lose her
spiritual side and for a long time she had forgotten her prayers that had at once meant
so much to her. She had tried to help Kino before to much trouble had aroused, only to
discover that she was not competent enough to help. 
A hypocrathic oath is said before each medical student is granted a Doctors degree. In
the oath they swear to aid the ill, and cure the injured. In the village of La Paz there
lived a doctor who had earned his wealth by helping those that were ill and could afford
his services. Not once in his long career would he have dared refuse to aid a wealthy
lawyer or noblemen. However when Kino and the group of money hungry peasants arrived at
his door with a poisoned child he had refused them entry saying Have I nothing better to
do than cure insect bites for `little Indians'? I am a doctor, not a veterinary. for the
doctor had known that the peasants hadn't any money. He had been to Paris and had enjoyed
the splendors of the world, and therefore he wouldn't be seen dealing with the less
fortunate as he knew that the less fortunate would surely always be just that-less
fortunate. However it seemed that he had been stereotypical of the less fortunate, as he
soon discovered when hearing of a great pearl discovered by the peasants who had knocked
upon his door earlier that day. A hunger for wealth was what pushed him to visit the
peasants house and aid their destitute son. However he had already ended Coyito's life
without knowing he'd done so, for if he had administered aid to Coyito when they were
first at the doctors door, Kino would have no reason to seek his fortune in the ocean,
and would not be led down the road to hardships. One might think that a doctor, one who
has the image of being passive, and caring should not stoop to such a level. 
When one is down on their luck, chances are they will turn to superstition in hope to
acquire what it is that they would want to achieve. A good example of this would be a
good luck charm such as a rabbit's foot. In La Paz the peasants were uneducated and
probably had never heard of a superstition. The peasants only reliability, there only
scapegoat was God. God had always been their to aid them in there times of need. The
first reaction of Juana when seeing the scorpion is a good example of spirituality,
rather than attempt to kill the scorpion she began to pray to God for safety. 
In La Paz the only form of God that the peasants knew was that of the Priest of the
church. To the peasants the Priest was so God-like that they were unable to see any
faults in his actions. However the reader is able to determine that the Priest is abusing
his position in society. In order to receive the sacraments the person requesting the
sacrament must donate a small amount of money to the church. Whether this is correct or
not is a matter of opinion. The church definetly needs funding but the peasants are
unable to donate these funds, but, does that make them unable to receive the sacraments
should they want to acquire them? The Priest is so set on achieving money and social
status that he puts aside the real reason one becomes a Priest- to help, and teach the
word of God. 
In The Pearl, Steinbeck expresses the fact that man's manifestation for wealth and
property leads to the self destruction of man, both mentally, and physically. The Priest
of La Paz, The doctor, and Juana were all affected by the affects of greed. Whether they
are striving for wealth or are in the path of those that are, they are all equally
affected. The story of Midas lives on as a caution to those who crave the warmth and
comfort of money. Beckoning to those who struggle to achieve wealth, and hoping that they
will respond, and possibly not put wealth on the top shelf of life. 
Bibliography
The Pearl
MATERIAL SOCIETY, MATERIAL THOUGHTS 
Ever since Midas' lust for gold, it appears to be that man has acquired a greed and
appetite for wealth. Juana, the Priest, and the doctor have all undergone a change due to
money. They are all affected by their hunger for wealth and inturn are the base for their
own destruction, and the destruction of society. Steinbeck's The Pearl is a study of
man's self destruction through greed. 
Juana, the faithful wife of Kino, a paltry peasant man, had lived a spiritual life for
what had seemed like as long as she could remember. When her son Coyito fell ill from the
bite of a scorpion, she eagerly turned towards the spiritual aspects of life. Beginning
to pray for her son's endangered life. The doctor who had resided in the upper-class
section of the town, refused to assistant the child, turning them away when they arrived
at the door. Lastly they turned to the sea to seek their fortune. When Juana set sight on
the Pearl of The World. she felt as though all her prayers had been answered, if she
could have foreseen the future what she would have seen would have been a mirror image of
her reality. Juana's husband was caught in a twisted realm of mirrors, and they were all
shattering one by one. In the night he heard a sound so soft that it might have been
simply `