The Pearl

Assignment 1 ” Money is the root of all evil”. To what extend is this one of the themes of the novel you studied. The Pearl by John Steinbeck – The theme of Greed Nurain Ariff This theme emerges the moment the people of La Paz get to know about Kino’s pearl and we begin to see changes in the characters. All of them have their own selfish schemes when they learn about Kino’s pearl. When they know that Kino has the pearl the village of La Paz is alive with avarice. Everyone wants something from Kino. Everyone was affected and wanted something from the pearl.
Kino was the only one in the way. The doctor wanted money for “curing” the child. The priest wanted money to fix the church. The shopkeepers, the pearl buyers, and the rest of the town wanted money for their own purposes. The pearl was a poison that ruined many good people and made the evil people worst. The doctor is pure evil. He would not treat Kino’s baby because Kino had nothing to pay him with. When the doctor heard of Kino’s sudden wealth, he said Kino was his client. As he visualized life back in Paris all he could think of was getting enough money to be able to go back again.
When he went to see Kino, he even made up a fake symptom of death to scare Kino into letting him “treat” the baby. Instead, he poisoned the baby and cured him of the poison he had given the baby himself. This horrible doctor is filled with avarice. He did not care who he had to harm to get more money. All he cares about is money. The priest wanted money to fix the church. Even the priest, a person who is highly regarded in the community, has some plans on how to use the money from the sale of the pearl. It is only after this that he thinks how the pearl will affect Kino’s personal life.

The priest is nearly as bad as the doctor. He also wanted money from Kino. He thinks of certain repairs necessary for the church. He wondered what the pearl would be worth. And he wondered if he had baptized Kino’s baby, or married him for that matter. He thought if he did these things he was more likely to get money to fix the church. The priest calls on Kino and his family. He reminds them that they should show their gratitude to God for this unexpected gain and to pray for guidance in the future. Juana agrees and says that they will be married in the church.
The priest is also a horrid person; he is supposed to be a holy figure, but he was poisoned by the thought of riches. These hopes caused him to lie. The new riches also affected the townspeople. The shop keepers hear about Kino’s wealth and hope to sell their clothes. They knew that an indigent man that becomes rich by luck knows how it feels to be poor. Therefore, they would get money too. The pearl buyers were also full of avarice for the pearl. They wanted to buy the pearl for a very low price so they were cheating Kino. They hoped that if they bought the pearl, the boss would promote them and they would make more money.
Everyone wanted something from the pearl. Kino became the whole town’s enemy because of that. The effects of greed after Kino finds the pearl are he learns how far others will go, including committing murder to gain wealth and the power that it brings. All those who hear about the pearl, even his neighbours “suddenly became related to pearl, and pearl went into the dreams, the speculations, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers, of everyone. ” And since Kino stood in their way, “he became curiously every man’s enemy. Kino recognizes this desire in himself, not for wealth, but for the power the pearl can grant him. He says the pearl is his soul. Comments: Good elaboration of points. However, do you actually know the meaning of the word ‘avarice’ you use in the essay? Why don’t you just stick to the common word ‘greed’? Just in case you use it in the wrong context? Overall, good attempt 😉 Taufiq In the novel The Pearl written by John Steinback, one of the themes is money is the root of all the evil because when Kino found the pearl everyone has a bad idea on how to manipulate Kino and become rich such as the doctor who is greedy.
Before Kino had money to treat his son ,Coyotito, he was very evil and later when Kino found the Pearl he took the advantage of Kino to take the pearl that Kino would sell and poisoned his son to convince Kino to let him treat Coyotito . The priest is also evil when he needs the money to repair the church. He used the tactics so that he could have that money by saying that Coyotito should be baptised in the church and Juana and Kino should marry legally in the church. The pearl buyers are also evil when they know that Kino has found the greatest pearl that is also their source of income.
They became very greedy and offered the lowest price to Kino so that they will get more income. Comments: A lot of grammatical errors can be found in your answer. Most of your sentences are also confusing and the meaning is not clear. Try to write simple and short sentences with less error. Make sure you organize your ideas before writing them. Faiqa From the novel that I studied, The Pearl by John Steinbeck, the phrase “Money is the root of all evil” is shown in the theme of greed. The doctor in this novel is an example of a greedy person.
In the beginning of the novel, the doctor refused to treat Kino’s son, Coyotito, who had been stung by a scorpion as he knows Kino will not be able to pay him for the service. To him, the natives or the ‘Indians’ are nothing more than animals. However, after the discovery of the Pearl of the World, the doctor suddenly becomes concerned about Coyotito’s health. He even goes as far as to visit the sick baby at Kino’s brush house. All this is done purely because of his greed. He is hoping that by doing this, Kino will feel indebted to him. He is also certain that Kino will be able to pay him now.
The priest is also a greedy person. Before the discovery of the pearl, the priest does not seem to be too interested in the affairs of the natives. However, after the discovery of the pearl the priest makes the effort of visiting Kino to remind him of his duties. The priest’s visit is actually to ensure that Kino will donate some money so that repair works can be carried out at the church. To a certain extent, I think this phrase is exposes the fact that greed brings out the worst in man. It can also be used to describe Kino’s characteristic.
Before the pearl was found, Kino was contented with his life. The scene at the beginning of the novel shows how Kino’s life is peaceful. Kino is also protective over his family before he found the pearl. The description of him killing the scorpion shows how protective he is to his son. Not only is he caring and gentle with his family, he also takes good care of his belongings, for example, his canoe. But, after the discovery of the pearl, Kino becomes as cold and deadly as steel. He is willing to kill, first the attacker and then the trackers, in order to guard his pearl from falling into their hands.
Kino’s character in the novel slowly changes and the author likens his behaviour to that of animals’. He is suddenly described as a snake after he hits and kicks Juana when the latter tries to throw the pearl back into the sea. Later, he is described as a lizard as he edges his way closer to the trackers before killing all of them. Finally, Kino becomes fierce and violent as the story progresses. He is ultimately described as a terrible killing machine before he kills all the trackers. Comment: Good elaboration. Some minor grammatical error can be found in the essay. Nur Alia
This theme emerges the moment the people of La Paz get to know about Kino’s pearl and we begin to see changes in the characters. All of them have their own selfish schemes when they learn about Kino’s pearl. Even the priest, a person who is highly regarded in the community, has some plans on how to use the money from the sale of the pearl. It is only after this, that he thinks how the pearl will affect Kino’s personal life. Since Kino is the only one who stands in the way of the others by possessing the pearl, he becomes every man’s enemy. The doctor makes Coyotito ill so that he can then ‘treat’ Coyotito and ask for payment from Kino.
Out of greed, he has betrayed the nobility of his profession. The pearl buyers conspire to cheat Kino so that they can make bigger profits. Unidentified people, envious of Kino’s pearl, attack him physically and damage his possessions. His house is ransacked and burnt down. This leaves him no choice but to abandon the safety of his community and travel into the unknown. Even Kino himself is affected by the pearl, although he plans to use it to better himself and his family’s situation, he becomes obsessed with it and turns violent, even against Juana.
He becomes a changed person. He is filled with anger, turning animal-like and “hissed at Juana like a snake”, when she tried to throw the pearl he beats her up and kicks her. Comment: A lot of spelling error found in your answer. Please make sure that you recheck your essay before submitting it next time. Syazwan Based on the novel that I had studied, money is the root of all evil. Kino had found the big pearl when his son Coyotito was bitten by the scorpion. The theme of greed can be seen when the villagers knew about the big pearl.
Kino tried to find good treatment for his son. The greedy doctor only wants the money as he is a selfish person. Kino tried to sell the pearl at town. The dealers only offer him a low price although they know the pearl is of a good quality. Kino was attacked by the attacker Kino saved himself when he killed the attacker. The pearl gives many problems to Kino and his family. Lastly, Coyotito was killed and Kino throws back the pearl into the sea. Comment: Your answer does not really fulfil the requirement of the question. The ideas are there but you did not explain them clearly.
Please refer to your friends’ answer which received good comments from me. Ayuni In the Pearl, “Money Is the root of all evil” represents the theme of greed. The doctor refused to treat Coyotito for the scorpion’s sting as Kino has no money. After Kino’s discovery of the pearl the doctor claims that Coyotito is his patient and pretended to ‘ treat’ the baby . The doctor was just only thinking about money. The Pearl buyers planned to cheat Kino. They offer Kino a very low price for the pearl. They say that the pearl is too soft and chalky and will lose its colour.
They only want to get more profit. The priest came to Kino after knowing about the discovery of the great pearl. He always thought of the church, and used religion for selfish ends. The thief and trackers tried to steal the pearl from Kino until violence happens. Kino has also become a greedy person. He does not listen to Juana when she asked him to throw back the pearl before many evil happened to them. Comment: Your answer is quite okay. Make sure you elaborate a little bit more in your exam so that your ideas will be more organized. Fatin Nabila
Money is the root of all evil. The theme greed and selfishness is the theme that is extended to it. The doctor in the novel is an example of a greedy person. The doctor refused to treat Coyotito because he will not work for free. The doctor is only interested in treating Coyotito after he knows about great pearl that Kino has discovered. Moreover, the attackers and trackers are also greedy. They attempt to steal the pearl from Kino. The priest is also a greedy person. Before the discovery of the pearl, the priest does not seem to be too interested in the affair of the natives.
However, after the discovery of the pearl the priest’s visit is actually to ensure that Kino will donate some money so that repair works can be carried out at the church. Comment: Your ideas are largely organized and supported. However, your answer would be more solid if you include more examples as there are a lot of characters which portrayed greed in the novel. Faris One of the themes represented in the novel The Pearl is greed. It can corrupt people. Kino found a strange pearl, and this is a good thing for Kino and his family. He hopes for a quality treatment for his son, Coyotito who was stung by an evil scorpion.
He wanted to marry Juana in a church and give education to his son when he grows up. The news about it was heard by the villagers including the doctor, the priest, and the pearl buyers. At first the pearl symbolizes hope and triumph but at last it showed how men were overcame by greed when the pearl was known by the villagers. They wanted the pearl for their own use. Because they wanted the power and have the power, they would do anything to get the pearl because it is a great pearl. The pearl made them become so greedy. It shows that the money is the root of all evil.
It can be seen when Kino killed the trackers who wanted to steal it. At last, Coyotito died when the tracker shot him thinking he was a coyote pup. Comment: Quite good. Please pay more attention to grammar and sentence structure. Fatin Inani One of the themes represented in The Pearl is greed. It corrupts people. Kino finds a rare pearl, and this is a good thing for him. He hopes for quality treatment for his baby who had been stung by a scorpion. He hopes that he and Juana will now be able to afford a proper wedding, as well as a better quality of life.
He hopes for power and respect from others, too, as seen in his desire to get a rifle. Most of all, he hopes to give his son a good education that will ensure him a good future and enable him to look after the interests of the simple village folk. The pearl is at first, a symbol of hope and triumph, but because of the greed of men, it soon becomes a symbol of corruptibility and evil desires of man. In itself, it is not an evil thing, but the evil, selfish desire of greedy men turn into an ugly thing. Even the kind, noble, well-liked Kino falls under the power of the pearl.
Here, we see a related theme, the theme of the corruptibility of man. Kino becomes obsessed with the pearl because it holds so much promise for him and his family. It blinds him to the simple beauty of his life. Juana begs him to throw it back into the sea, but he refuses. He says that it has become his soul and he cannot part with it. Comment: A good answer. Take this answer as one of the good example on how to tackle this question. Azuren The theme of greed emerges the moment the people in La Paz get to know about Kino’s pearl and we begin to see changes in the characters.
All of them have their selfish schemes when they know about the pearl. Even the priest, a person who is highly regarded in the community has plans on how to use the money from the sale of the pearl. Since Kino is the only one who stands in the way of the others by possessing the pearl, he becomes every man’s enemy. Therefore, many attempts are made to get rid of him. The greed of the people makes them willing to do anything to get the pearl, for example poison the child, burn Kino’s house, destroy his canoe and even try to kill Kino and his family. Even Kino himself is affected by the pearl.
Although he plans to use it to better himself and his family situation, he becomes obsessed with it and turns violent, even againts Juana. Kino’s anger turn to rage when he discovers that Juana is about to throw away the pearl. He beats her up and kicks her. Kino whom we first see as a loving and protective family man, is now more concerned about the pearl. All of these show how money can change people and the theme of greed is one of the themes found in this novel. Comment: Your answer needs to be written in paragraphs to make it more organized. Be careful of your grammar.