Thiyagu 1

Abhinav Thiyagu
Mrs.Vogel
English 7
18 April 2019

Money Get You Happiness

“Money can't buy happiness, but it can make you awfully comfortable while you're
being miserable”. This quote written by Clare Boothe Luce portrays that Money can
only make you comfortable but not make you happy. From the book,The Pearl by John
Steinbeck, Kino believed that a pearl could buy things that would make his family
happy. He is taken over by greed and puts his whole family at risk. As a price, his
son, Coyotito died. One may say that money cannot buy happiness because it would
make you greedy and you would be in danger and put you family in danger.

Money cannot buy happiness also because one would get greedy if they were to get a
large sum of money and never be happy. In the article ‘Lottery winner arrested for
theft of over $60K’, the author states “Tammy R. Smith, 30,of 5959 Union Camp Road,
was arrested and charged with one count of theft over $60,000 and nine counts of
forgery over $1,000 Red Boiling Springs Police Chief Terry Truck...Smith is known
for winning $50,000 in the Tennessee lottery last year”. He had started doing these
crimes AFTER he got the $50,000 from the lottery. His greed for more stimulated him
to do crimes. If you wanted more, you could never be happy. Also the article,
‘Lottery winner gets prison term for bankruptcy lies’, Cohen lies that she didn’t
get a check for her lottery win and files a false bankruptcy statement.She was then
fined up to $250,000. These citizens never had a criminal record but after they won
the lottery, there greed steered them to do crimes.

Thiyagu 2

Money cannot buy happiness also because it makes you a target to many. Many people
would be after one's money and do anything to obtain that wealth. From The Pearl,
it says “Blood oozed down his scalp and there was a long deep cut on his cheek from
ear to chin, a deep, bleeding slash… “Who?”Juana asked. “I don’t know,” Kino said.
“I didn’t see”. Kino was attacked because someone was after his pearl and injured
him. Kino is also not willing to give up his pearl going back to him being greedy.
The pearl was meant to make the family happy but he is also taking the risk of
losing his family.

Some may argue that Kino also got things for his family. For example, he
said that his son, Coyotito, should got to school and learn to read books. However,
this is not a valid argument because Kino gained from the things he got for the
family. For example, when he he said Coyotito would go to school and from him, they
would learn. Some may also argue that Kino not being greedy and actually trying to
help his family. For example, he planned to cure his son with the pearl and his
family would be happy again. If this were the case, why did he beat his wife just
so she wouldn’t throw the pearl. Also, he kept on going on when they asked what he
was going to get when he was rich. He knew he shouldn’t have gotten the rifle but
said he’d get it anyways. To prove this,“And Juan Tomás, who squatted on Kino’s
right handed because he was his brother, asked, “What will you do now that you are
a rich man?”... “He spoke softly, “We will be married-in the church”... “All of
these things Kino saw in the lucent pearl and said, “We will have new clothes.”...
“His lips moved hesitantly over this- “A rifle,”he said. “Perhaps a rifle.”... “My
son will got school,”he said, and the neighbors were hushed”{Steinbeck 24-Steinbeck
25}.
Thiyagu 3

Money would not be able to buy someone happiness in no matter what scenario. There
greed would always make them want more and them being in danger would keep them
always worried about what is around the corner. Money is an essential in economy
but it is not needed to obtain happiness