The Pearl By John Steinbeck Essay

There are symbols that can have a different meaning. In the book, The Pearl by John Steinbeck in the beginning of the story uses symbolism supposedly expressing hope and happiness brought by the pearl but its true meaning behind it is greed and becomes evil. Because of the pearl, Kino ends up doing terrible things that he would have never done like killing four men by the end of the parable.
In the beginning of the story, the pearl is used to express hope and happiness. When something so beautiful such as a pearl, it is seen as something positive and not threatening. Kino goes and finds the great pearl to help cure his son of a Scorpio sting. This is where Steinbeck the author of The Pearl makes the pearl have so much hope in it. ¨Juana caught
And to Kino, the secret melody of the maybe pearl broke clear and beautiful, rich and warm and lovely, glowing and gloating and triumphant¨(Steinbeck 19). When Kino has the pearl in his hand, the pearl is seen as something beautiful and Kino and his wife Juana gets a sense of hope from the pearl. ¨He picked the pearl from the dying flesh and held it in his palm, and he turned it over and saw that its curve was perfect¨(Steinbeck 19). This news of the pearl brings everyone together to celebrate the good news and everyone congratulates Kino for making a grand discovery.
The pearl makes Kino dreams that were impossible seem possible. The scholar Drewey Wayne Gunn who wrote an essay of the pearl on Masterplots II: Short Story Series, wrote how the pearl was meant to be seen as good and letting this happen to form impossible desire, He wrote “The pearl permits new and formerly impossible dreams, causing a dissatisfaction with the status quo of which Steinbeck approves; he calls it “one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have.” saying that us humans make this seem
Not only Kino has plans for the pearl, but others who heard about the pearl did as well. The scholar Rollins, Jill. who as well wrote about "The Pearl." on Cyclopedia Of Literary Characters stated, “He quickly becomes more aware of his people’s powerlessness and ignorance as he encounters contempt, deceit, greed, and brutality in the bigger world where he goes to sell his glorious treasure.” He is referring to when Kino’s goes to sell his pearl, he notices how greedy the dealers were with the value of the pearl and how all the others that were mentioned wanted the pearl as much as he did but do not see the evil that is within. “Every man suddenly became related to Kino’s pearl, and Kino’s pearl went into the dreams, the speculations,...the futures, the needs, the lusts,... only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so that he became curiously every man’s enemy” (Steinbeck 23). The priest wishes to fix up the church and wonders if he has done anything good to Kino in order to get the pearl for the cost of the fixing of the church. “ 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 was worth and he wondered if he ever baptizes kino’s baby, or married him for that matter”(Steinbeck 21-22). The doctor who at first denied seeing Kino's son because he is poor now