The human greed for things and obsession to have a better life can destroy their lives, overall because they do not always turn out the way humans may expect them to. In The Pearl, John Steinbeck expresses the theme that human greed and obsession leads to the events, whether tragic or triumphant, that can determine a person's fate or the fate of others who are around him. Steinbeck demonstrates the theme of greed through Kino's obsession to make his son's future life better and to get more for the pearl puts his family's life in jeopardy.

Kino is an impoverished Mexican-Indian living in the La Paz community with his family and friends. Steinbeck illustrates Kino as a typical, mediocre man with concerns in everyday life. Kino has a wife, Juana, and a son, Coyotito. He also has many people who live in his community, some whom are rather...