Three Prevalent Themes in "The Pearl"

I recently finished reading The Pearl, a 1947 novella by the American author John Steinbeck. The novella focuses on a poor man named Kino, his wife Juana, and their baby son, Coyotito. At the beginning of the novel, Coyotito is bit and poisoned by a scorpion while sleeping. Coyotito cannot receive medical attention because of the doctor’s racist views, and the family’s lack of money. In desperation, Kino looks for a pearl in the sea so he can afford to save his son. He stumbles upon a massive pearl, which the rest of the story revolves upon. Here are three prevalent themes throughout the novella:


Prejudice. Although greed is the prevalent theme, this also ties into the theme of prejudice, especially how it relates to the doctor in the novella. At the beginning of the novella, when first asking for medical help, the doctor refuses to help. When told by his servant about the Coyotito, the doctor responds “Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for ‘little Indians’? I am a doctor, not a veterinary.” The novella presents how the doctor, a man who possesses the power to save lives, nearly caused a death because of his prejudice. Later though, after learning Kino has become rich through a miracle, he is suddenly willing to save Coyotito from what would’ve been a lethal scorpion bite.


Greed can affect anyone. Greed is the central theme of The Pearl. After gaining the pearl, Kino transforms from a happy poor man, to an anxious rich one who is constantly obsessing about the pearl and what he can do with it. However, Steinbeck makes a clear point of portraying the idea that greed can afflict anyone. Though many might portray people affected by greed as terrible people, Steinbeck still portrays Kino as a family man who wants the wealth to better his family. When first imagining all the things he can do with this money, Kino first thinks of becoming legally married to Juana, buying her nice clothes, then goes on to imagine buying Coyotito a proper education and nice clothes. Though Kino has good intentions with the money that are not entirely self-motivated, it eventually devolves into an obsession over the pearl because of the value that it holds, which causes him to prioritize it over anyone and anything else.


Greed is very harmful. SPOILERS BELOW



At the end of the novella, after Coyotito is cured by the doctor, Kino becomes paranoid about the pearl. He continues to safeguard the pearl, despite Juana’s constant requests for him to dispose of the pearl. Eventually Kino’s family is pursued by a violent group of thieves. Eventually, one of the thieves fires a gun, striking Coyotito in the head, and killing him. This serves as a blunt reminder of what greed can do to a person. Kino’s original happiness from finding the pearl is because it could help his family, and save his son’s life. Instead, it does the very opposite: killing his son. The ending shows how destructive greed can be by ending with sad irony.