Philip

English 9
3-13-17
The Pearl Essay

What You Own Is Not What You Need

“Oh Boy! Did you see the new toy that just came out? Oh! And the IPod too! I know they

are so amazing! You remember this time, right? I know I do. New toys and gadgets come out,

that is all you, and your friends wanted to talk about. Maybe for teens it was a gaming console.

Whatever the case, if you had one of these you would be the talk of everyone. You would be the

only thing anyone had on his or her minds. And that’s a good thing. Right? Not according to

John Steinbeck, author of The Pearl. In Author Steinbeck’s work, he pushes the important fact

that what you own or possess is not what defines you. He shows this with how happy the family

is in the beginning, how the most valuable thing they will ever own destroys their life, and how

getting rid of the pearl will help rid them of the curse it put them under.

“Kino heard the little splash of morning waves on the beach. It was very good-Kino

closed his eyes again to listen to his music… he would have called it the Song of the Family.” (2)

This excerpt from the book shows how calm everything is and how happy and content Kino is

with his life and everything going on. It gives a sense of longing for any reader to envy how his

life is now. Kino is very poor, but his love for his wife and child is what leaves him in a state of

joy. He does not have many worries on his mind. Well, Kino does not have to worry, until the

scorpion shows up.

 Kino’s son Coyotito was defenseless as a scorpion attacked him. He was stung and

became deeply ill. Kino being a poor Mexican-Indian was not able to pay the doctor to heal

Coyotito. Therefore, Kino and Juana, Kino’s wife, do the only thing they know that will bring

them the necessary wealth. They go diving for pearls. When they discover the most beautiful

pearl ever seen, their life changes dramatically. Everyone knows about their possession of the

pearl and that becomes a great burden on them. Some want to be their friends, but others are

ready to kill them to get the pearl. This puts all three in severe danger, but Kino goes savage in

order to protect his family and the pearl.

After the pearl buyers tried to cheat Kino out of money, he was forced to travel a great

distance to find a decent price to sell his pearl at. This proved to be his greatest test when he had

to turn to killing three men in order to protect his wife and child. It did not stop there however.

Just as Juana warned Kino, it blocked his ability to think properly. In the midst of the fight,

Kino’s son, Coyotito, was shot in the head by a rifle. The death of his child finally allowed Kino

to see the curse the great possession left on their family.

After Coyotito passed, Kino and Juana returned home. There, they would rid their lives

of the terrible pearl and the hatred, distrust, and lack of safety it left them in. “And Kino drew

back his arm and flung the pearl with all his might.” (117) Kino and Juana watched their dreams

and hopes sink to the ocean floor with the pearl, but at the same time a hope of the return of a

safe and normal life arose. As John Steinbeck showed in The Pearl, having everything you want

is not what is best. The new toy, an IPod, a phone, or even a great sum of money in the form of a

pearl can leave you and those you love in worse conditions than before. Some people may want
to be your best friend because of what you own. However, others may go to extreme measures to

also have what you have. Therefore, instead of focusing on things you can own, focus on the

things that matter, like the people around you and love you share with them. In the end, when we

die, we cannot take the things we own with us. So make the most of what you do have and be

content in the life you live.