Steinbeck's The Pearl
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 a
thought... and quickly attacked the trespasser. This is where the problems for
Juana and her family began. The fear that had mounted in Kino's body had taken
control over his actions. Soon even Juana who had always had faith in her
husband, had doubted him greatly. It will destroy us all she yelled as her
attempt to rid the family of the pearl had failed. Kino had not listened
however, and soon Juana began to lose her spiritual side and for a long time she
had forgotten her prayers that had at once meant so much to her. She had tried
to help Kino before to much trouble had aroused, only to discover that she was
not competent enough to help. A hypocrathic oath is said before each medical
student is granted a Doctors degree. In the oath they swear to aid the ill, and
cure the injured. In the village of La Paz there lived a doctor who had earned
his wealth by helping those that were ill and could afford his services. Not
once in his long career would he have dared refuse to aid a wealthy lawyer or
noblemen.
However when Kino and the group of money hungry peasants arrived at
his door with a poisoned child he had refused them entry saying Have I nothing
better to do than cure insect bites for `little Indians'? I am a doctor, not a
veterinary. for the doctor had known that the peasants hadn't any money. He had
been to Paris and had enjoyed the splendors of the world, and therefore he
wouldn't be seen dealing with the less fortunate as he knew that the less
fortunate would surely always be just that-less fortunate. However it seemed
that he had been stereotypical of the less fortunate, as he soon discovered when
hearing of a great pearl discovered by the peasants who had knocked upon his
door earlier that day. A hunger for wealth was what pushed him to visit the
peasants house and aid their destitute son. However he had already ended Coyito's life without knowing he'd done so, for if he had administered aid to
Coyito when they were first at the doctors door, Kino would have no reason to
seek his fortune in the ocean, and would not be led down the road to hardships.
One might think that a doctor, one who has the image of being passive, and
caring should not stoop to such a level. When one is down on their luck, chances
are they will turn to superstition in hope to acquire what it is that they would
want to achieve. A good example of this would be a good luck charm such as a
rabbit's foot. In La Paz the peasants were uneducated and probably had never
heard of a superstition. The peasants only reliability, there only scapegoat was
God. God had always been their to aid them in there times of need. The first
reaction of Juana when seeing the scorpion is a good example of spirituality,
rather than attempt to kill the scorpion she began to pray to God for safety. In
La Paz the only form of God that the peasants knew was that of the Priest of the
church. To the peasants the Priest was so God-like that they were unable to see
any faults in his actions. However the reader is able to determine that the
Priest is abusing his position in society. In order to receive the sacraments
the person requesting the sacrament must donate a small amount of money to the
church.
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