The Pearl is a book that shows that wealth does not always mean prosperity, but that it can also mean pain and loss. In an effort to demonstrate the evil behind the love of money, John Steinbeck creates Kino, a man who chooses the possible riches of the world over the well-being of his family. Kino is a poor man who has nothing except his wife, Juana, and child, Coyotito. The family lives in poverty, yet it is a happy little family that does not seek to have anything more. On an ordinary day, Kino and Juana are struck by disaster when a scorpion stings Coyotito. Juana's first thought after doing what she can for her son is to take Coyotito to the doctor. But the doctor is a cruel man who does not accept patients, infants or adults, who cannot pay. Devastated, Kino and Juana go pearl hunting and are lucky enough to find a huge, magnificent pearl that could be the key to a better life. What at first seems like a blessing soon turns into misfortune, as the love of money destroys what was once a happy family. The roots of evil can be seen for the first time in the city, when news of Kino's pearl spreads. The city's envy and malice are demonstrated when the narrator states that "Kino's pearl entered the dreams... of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so that he curiously became the enemy of every man" (23). The pearl opens many new doors for Kino and Juana, doors that the rest of the city desires. So there isn't a single happy person for Kino and Juana; instead the country reproaches their wealth and out of pure jealousy, which arises from love and the lust for money, the inhabitants of the country commit many undignified acts. Out of blind love for money, a group of people is capable of destroying...... middle of paper......evil, which can cause serious problems. Characters choose what actions to take and what decisions to make, so some might argue that people are the root of all evil. Even if the characters are aware of what they are doing, it is still the love of money that pushes them to commit evil actions, as the narrator shows when he states: "that human beings are never satisfied, that you give them a thing and they want something more” (25). Loving money in many cases means being driven to break the rules and consequently the result of the love of money is evil can really be described as the root of all evil, because in this short book it was capable of destroying a person's life. Money can mean prosperity in some cases, but this is not always the case. Works cited Steinbeck, John La Perla York: Penguin, 1992. Print.