Although the past cannot be changed, the future is in your power. But what if power is the reason the future cannot be changed? The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, is a timeless story that is filled with metaphors for how avarice takes over humans. Although there is no easy way to get rid of it, Kino goes through many challenges to free himself from the troubles that come with possessing the power the pearl held. Kino went from a loving human to a dehumanized figure because he saw great wealth in the pearl, attacked in order to maintain the power it held and lost the ability to have emotions.

The previously poor Kino was overcome by the thoughts of the greatness that the pearl held when he could see the wealth in the pearl, and the happiness it would bring. Kino was a poor person, had a poor family and had been looked down upon his whole life. However, for once, he was able to look down on the pearl and see his great future. “Kino looked into the pearl...and in the incandescence of the pearl, the pictures formed of the things Kino’s mind had considered in the past and had given up as impossible.” (Steinbeck 24). After giving up hope on a marriage, Kino was finally able to see his rich marriage in a church with his wife, Juana and child, Coyotito. Kino heard the sounds of Coyotito studying and reading his books, making him feel happy for Coyotito to have a life he did not. Kino saw how his family was dressed in new skirts, instead of old shawls and he imagined himself with a