A moving tale of love and greed

THE PEARL by John Steinbeck is an apparently simple story about a family who lives in a South American village. Kino makes a living from diving for fish and pearls. He lives with his wife, Juana, and their baby boy, Coyotito, in a thatched hut, surrounded by their friends and family. They are poor and live a simple life, but they are happy. They are devoted to one another and live according to the customs and traditions of their people.

Then Kino finds an enormous pearl. He thinks being rich will bring him happiness but is sadly mistaken. This is a story about greed, love and the different strengths of men and women. Loyalty, friendship and kinship are also strong themes. We are touched by Kino's bravery in defending his loved ones. Let's see how Steinbeck deals with three of these issues.

1. The evil of greed

The doctor's character shows us the evil of greed. He is described as a fat, silly man who is not interested in curing people; he is only interested in how much money he can make from them in order to fund his love of luxury.

Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion. The doctor refuses to treat him as Kino has no money. As soon as Kino finds the pearl, the doctor arrives and is now willing to provide medicine. In fact, the baby has already recovered, but the doctor gives some medicine to the boy to make him sick again.

Similarly, the traders all conspire together in order to buy the pearl for a much lower price than it is worth. The desire for wealth leads people to cheat, deceive and lie.