Steinbeck's the Pearl

Ever

since Midas' lust for gold, it appears to be that man has

acquired a greed and appetite for wealth. Juana, the Priest,

and the doctor have all undergone a change due to money.

They are all affected by their hunger for wealth and inturn

are the base for their own destruction, and the destruction of

society. Steinbeck's "The Pearl" is a study of man's self

destruction through greed. Juana, the faithful wife of Kino, a

paltry peasant man, had lived a spiritual life for what had

seemed like as long as she could remember. When her son

Coyito fell ill from the bite of a scorpion, she eagerly turned

towards the spiritual aspects of life. Beginning to pray for her

son's endangered life. The doctor who had resided in the

upper-class section of the town, refused to assistant the

child, turning them away when they arrived at the door.

Lastly they turned to the sea to seek their fortune. When

Juana set sight on the "Pearl of The World." she felt as

though all her prayers had been answered, if she could have

foreseen the future what she would have seen would have

been a mirror image of her reality. Juana's husband was

caught in a twisted realm of mirrors, and they were all

shattering one by one. In the night he heard a "sound so soft

that it might have been simply a thought..." and quickly

attacked the trespasser. This is where the problems for

Juana and her family began. The fear that had mounted in

Kino's body had taken control over his actions. Soon even

Juana who had always had faith in her husband, had

doubted him greatly. "It will destroy us all" she yelled as her

attempt to rid the family of the pearl had failed. Kino had not

listened however, and soon Juana began to lose her spiritual

side and for a long time she had forgotten her prayers that

had at once meant so much to her. She had tried to help

Kino before to much trouble had aroused, only to discover

that she was not competent enough to help. A hypocrathic

oath is said before each medical student is granted a

Doctors degree. In the oath they swear to aid the ill, and

cure the injured. In the village of La Paz there lived a doctor

who had earned his wealth by helping those that were ill and

could afford his services. Not once in his long career would

he have dared refuse to aid a wealthy lawyer or noblemen.

However when Kino and the group of money hungry

peasants arrived at his door with a poisoned child he had

refused them entry saying "Have I nothing better to do than

cure insect bites for `little Indians'? I am a doctor, not a

veterinary." for the doctor had known that the peasants

hadn't any money. He had been to Paris and had enjoyed

the splendors of the world, and therefore he wouldn't be

seen dealing with the less fortunate as he knew that the less

fortunate would surely always be just that-less fortunate.

However it seemed that he had been stereotypical of the less

fortunate, as he soon discovered when hearing of a great

pearl discovered by the peasants who had knocked upon his

door earlier that day. A hunger for wealth was what pushed

him to visit the peasants house and aid their destitute son.

However he had already ended Coyito's life without

knowing he'd done so, for if he had administered aid to

Coyito when they were first at the doctors