The Pearl 3

The Pearl 3

The Pearl
John Steinbeck

Dehumanize: to deprive of human qualities, personalities, or spirits. In the novel The Pearl, the main character, Kino, seeks to gain riches and status through the large and valuable pearl that he finds. At first, the pearl represented wealth, and Kino's family believed that it would solve all of their problems. But in the end, the family was tragically changed. In John Steinbeck's The Pearl, greed is very dehumanizing. Greed outshines the characters' actions, and what they say.
In the beginning, when Kino's son Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion, the doctor will not treat him. But when the doctor hears of Kino's great find, he comes to their small brush house to treat Coyotito. After treating Coyotito, the doctor asks about the medical expenses. Even though the doctor has a good life and lots of money, he still wants more. Greed controls the doctor's mind and the way he acts.
"For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want more." After trouble comes, including an intruder searching for the pearl, Juana, who is Kino's wife, figures out the reality of the pearl trouble. She advises Kino to throw the pearl back into the ocean. Juana says, "The pearl is evil. The pearl is like a sin. It will destroy us all!" Even though Juana tells Kino of the misfortunes the pearl will bring, he does not listen to her. His mind is overtaken by his dreams for his family. He dreams of himself and Juana getting married and having nice clothes to wear. He also said, "My son will go to school." Greed overtakes Kino's mind. He wants all the right things very badly just for his family.
Kino decides that he wants to sell the pearl, and expects that it is worth a lot. Kino and Juana wear their very best clothes on the day they go to the pearl buyers. But, the first pearl buyer claims that the pearl is worthless. Kino becomes angry, and the pearl buyer has three other buyers come in....

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