A major theme of The Pearl is that greed can ruin not only your own life, but the lives of those you love. Kino’s life prior to his finding of the pearl is one of contentment. His needs are few, and he finds joy in his wife and child in their modest brush hut. When he discovers the pearl, however, he immediately begins to want. He does not desire anything outlandish, just a rifle for...
A major theme of The Pearl is that greed can ruin not only your own life, but the lives of those you love. Kino’s life prior to his finding of the pearl is one of contentment. His needs are few, and he finds joy in his wife and child in their modest brush hut. When he discovers the pearl, however, he immediately begins to want. He does not desire anything outlandish, just a rifle for himself, schooling for his child, clothes for his family, a proper wedding for his wife. It is not the amount that one craves, but the simple act of craving itself that is the undoing. His greed transitions from the things the pearl can buy to the pearl itself. He becomes violent toward his wife, knocking her down and kicking her when she tries to throw the pearl back into the ocean. He kills a man who is trying to steal the pearl from him. He loses his home, journeying toward the city to find someone who will give him more money for the pearl. Yet he never makes it, losing his son in the process. He returns home and rids himself of the pearl. The question remains: Has he lost all chance for happiness because of his past possession of the pearl? Is there any redemption for him?
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