The Pearl Essay

Greed is a feeling that is within everyone. It devours anything and anybody causing them to hate, obtain selfishness, obsession, and an overwhelming desire for more. It transforms anybody into something they would rather not be. Throughout this entire novel Kino is gravely impacted by the pearl, it omits an awfully deep, negative appeal towards Kino. The effects caused by the pearl consume him into treating his family in a negative manner and thus making him a murderer.

At first, during the set up of the story, Kino is elated by his discovery of the miraculously large pearl. As the story progresses, with the pearl now in his possession, Kino will stop at nothing to protect it, not even for his beloved wife and family. Afterwards Kino begins to become feverishly violent with his companion, Juana. "He struck her in the face with his clenched fist and she fell among the boulder, and he kicked her in the side." [Steinbeck 59]. The thought of picturing Kino striking anyone is a shock, but striking Juana, his wife, is too unbearable to even imagine. He becomes endowed with a sense that the pearl is more valuable than it actually is and forgets of all else around him. Kino starts to lose control contained within himself and uses violence as an alternative solution.

As the story continues, Kino is plagued with a feeling of complete authorization. This feeling is so grotesque that it develops into a drug, consuming him slowly, little by little. Kino has a sense of obsession for the pearl. "'This pearl has become my soul', said Kino. 'If I give it up I shall lose my soul'". [Steinbeck 67]. This obsession will most likely result in a complete loss of someone or something. Kino ought to have gotten rid of the pearl before hand; this may have prevented the beating of Juana. Obsession is a horrible sense of mania that can overcome anyone and convert them into an over empowered monster.

To conclude, at the end of this novel Kino has now been widely affected by this incident, in which leaving it behind is not an option. As he continues to devote himself to the sole protection of the pearl, he ends up going to the extreme. From the violence to the complete unsanitary obsession, you would think that his better sense would have already caught up to him by now. Unfortunately it has not and has thus lead him in becoming a cold-hearted killer. "He whirled and struck the head of the seated man like a melon...he could see the frantic frightened eyes, and Kino aimed and fired between the eyes." [Steinbeck 87]. Kino's obsession towards the pearl catches up to him and converts him into something he is not. The actions that he has committed, has now lead him to be labeled as an animal, a murderer. Anger should not have over powered him into doing something that horrifically violent. He has now put a burden upon himself by convicting an unforgivable, unforgettable felony.

In conclusion,