greed

Greed is an underlying theme in this novella. Everyone directly involved with the pearl in the novel is changed to a certain extent. Kino hoped to transform his fortunes for his family. His wife is more practical but must follow her husband. Indeed, she tries to chuck the pearl into the ocean and gets beat by her husband. The diamond speculators are in collusion and try to cheat Kino. The doctor poisons Kino's child just to hang out at their house to find the diamond. The priest wants riches for his church. Finally as Kino journeys to the city with his family, he is ambushed by trackers. The result is their baby's head gets blown off. All of this comes back to the theme of greed, the illusion of wealth and the price one pays for good fortune. Kino and his family are changed for life as well as their relationships with the people in their village. Finally Kino throws the diamond away. The ending is classic Steinbeck.