The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Daniel Bach         11/24/09
Mrs. Vigliotti     English 9H
          The Pearl, By John Steinbeck
            Essay Test

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck is a novel written about Kino, a young pearl diver from La Paz. When Kino finds himself a magnificent Pearl, his life is entirely altered. He is soon consumed with greed and fear that the pearl will get taken from him. Throughout the book his desire for a lavish lifestyle and ignorance bring him and his family misfortune. He is reluctant to see the evil it has brought his family until it is too late. The reader is able to learn from the mistakes Kino makes, and obtain an understanding from the morals Steinbeck incorporates in the book.
The message, true contentment can only be found within the family, where human beings feel safe, warm and whole can be derived from the Pearl. Even in our own lives, people forget to see how important their family really is to them. It is something often taken for granted, and not always appreciated. People go through their entire life wanting only material objects, thinking that it is the only thing that will make them happier. They must understand how our family is the only thing that will make us feel happy and content.
Once Kino acquired the pearl, he saw it as a way to break out of the pot that oppressed his people for more then four hundred years. However it became something that controlled his life, and prevented him from seeing what meant most to him. The pearl disconnected him from his family, and he refused to give it up. "This pearl has become my soul. . . . If I give it up, I shall lose my soul.” Once Coyotito died, Kino finally was able to realize that his family is the one thing that brings him happiness. Not even the pearl could bring Coyotito back, and he knew the pearl and its evil had to go. Now because they suffered such a great loss, they can never be the same again.
"Removed from human experience; that they had gone through...