Whether this is correct or not is a matter of opinion. The church definetly needs funding but the peasants are unable to donate these funds, but,
does that make them unable to receive the sacraments should they want to acquire
them? The Priest is so set on achieving money and social status that he puts
aside the real reason one becomes a Priest- to help, and teach the word of God.
In The Pearl, Steinbeck expresses the fact that man's manifestation for wealth
and property leads to the self destruction of man, both mentally, and
physically. The Priest of La Paz, The doctor, and Juana were all affected by the
affects of greed. Whether they are striving for wealth or are in the path of
those that are, they are all equally affected. The story of Midas lives on as a
caution to those who crave the warmth and comfort of money. Beckoning to those
who struggle to achieve wealth, and hoping that they will respond, and possibly
not put wealth on the top shelf of life.
Bibliography
The Pearl MATERIAL SOCIETY, MATERIAL THOUGHTS 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 `
Words: 1015
|
