Materialism In The Pearl

In English class, we learned and tried to distinguish many aspects of the novella, "The Pearl". However, there is one symbol in the story that I remembered most of all. What I found out was that the pearl represents greed and other forms of evil that exist in the world. This pearl has affected Kino and his loved ones deeply, but it has put a mark on Kino 's behavior/personality gravely. For example, there were many indications that Kino could be turning ruthless due to his desire for wealth and materialism after he found the pearl. This is one example, "His lips moved hesitantly over this-"A rifle," he said. "Perhaps a rifle."" (Steinbeck, 28). This means the pearl is steadily poisoning Kino with a sense of greed, first indicated by his desire for a weapon. This doesn 't suit him well, considering he was a good man in the beginning. Another example is when Kino is starting to become cautious. He becomes scared of everyone around him including his wife. A sense of distrust is masking the safety he felt with everyone around him. "…he dug another little hole in the dirt floor and buried the pearl and covered it up again. And Juana...she asked, "Who do you fear?" Kino searched for a true answer and at last he said, "Everyone." And he could feel a shell of hardness drawing over him." (Steinbeck, 39). This example implies that the pearl has injected Kino with a sense of evil in the form of distrust among his family and fellow neighbors. From my perspective, the pearl has already