John Steinbeck’s novella, “The Pearl,” takes place in La Paz, Mexico. The protagonist Kino finds a pearl while he is out diving in the ocean one day. Throughout the story people try to steal it from Kino and his family. This causes him to do bad things. One lesson that this story suggests is that materialism and greed left unchecked, can lead to immoral behavior or violence.
Firstly, One detail of violence caused by greed in this story is seen in chapter 5. Another man's desire to have the pearl causes Kino to react in a violent way. In fact, Steinbeck describes that “Juana saw two dark figures in the path ahead of her… she saw that one was Kino and the other a stranger with a dark shiny fluid leaking from his throat” (60). This is showing that he kills a man. The stranger is trying to steal the pearl, but Kino does not want that to happen, so he slits him in the throat.
Another detail of violence caused by greed in this story is also seen in chapter 5. Juana is trying to get rid of the pearl, and Kino reacts violently. For example, Steinbeck states “He struck her in the face with his clenched face and she fell among the boulders, and he kicked her in the side” (59). This is showing Kino beating up his wife. She is trying to get rid of the pearl, but his desire for the pearl once again causes him to behave badly.
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People are chasing him to get the pearl before he sells it, but he uses violence to protect it. For instance, Steinbeck describes that “The great knife swung and crunched hollowly. It bit through neck and deep into his chest. He whirled and struck the head of the seated man like a melon… Kino had become cold and deadly as steel. He fired the rifle at the third man, and killed him” (87). This is showing him kill three men within the span of about a minute. He is letting his want of the pearl get the best of him, and this causes him to