The Pearl Literary Analysis Essay

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Literary Analysis for The Pearl
Erich Fromm once said, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” In The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, a young man finds a great pearl, which brings him and his family happiness. However, the discovery of the pearl reveals the greed and obsession of the people around him such as the Priest, the Doctor, and Kino himself. Using characterization, dialogue, and symbolism, the author illustrates how greed and obsession change people.
To begin with, the Pearl reveals the greediness of the Priest after he mentions how Kino’s family should be baptized. Originally, the priest does not care about Kino as he rarely comes to the brush houses to see people until he hears the news of the Pearl. He then reminds himself about the “certain repairs necessary to the church”(21). Readers can tell the Priest is a greedy man since he has a thoughtful look. After hearing about the pearl, the Priest comes to tell Kino that he is a man who has found a fortune, who could greatly alter his own life: “It has come to me that thou hast found a …show more content…
Everyone knows him as a poor but calm man “Kino felt weak and afraid and angry at the same time”(9). After he finds the pearl, Kino becomes obsessed with it eagerly; he can even hit his wife to get it. Though all of his belongings are gone due to the pearl, he is still blinded by overweening ambition and believes the pearl is valuable enough to change his life. Finally he finds what is the most precious in his life after he loses everything especially his beloved Coyotito. When Kino and Juana went to La Paz, Kino is never scared of anything else after the death of Coyotito. He is “immune and terrible, and his song had become a battle cry”(89). Readers can see Kino’s strict face staring at the pearl and throwing it

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