This story is about Kino finding a pearl and its effects. Kino and Juana are the main characters in the story and they want to change their poor living circumstances to a richer lifestyle when they found the pearl. They encounter many conflicts throughout the story. At the end of all this they lost the most precious son of their life. In The Pearl Steinbeck uses the pearl as a symbol of materialism, showing the theme of wealth leading to destruction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Kino got into his canoe and found a pearl in the ocean. After that he thought about what he could buy "His lips moved hesitantly on this - "A rifle," he said. "Maybe a rifle" (12). Kino is thinking about what to buy now that he has become rich thanks to the pearl This is just the beginning of Kino's desires and the beginning of the path to destruction. At the beginning of the story this does not affect the family in a negative way at all. Kino later begins to really think about what he wants wants to get out of the pearl things he wants” But Kino's brain burned, even in his sleep, and he dreamed that Coyotito could read, that one of his people could tell him the truth about things. And in his dream, Coyotito was reading a book the size of a house, with letters the size of dogs, and the words were galloping and playing on the book. And then darkness spread across the page, and with the darkness came the music of evil again, and Kino stirred in his sleep; and when he moved, Juana's eyes opened in the darkness. And then Kino awoke, with evil music pulsing through him, and lay in the darkness with ears alert.(70)". These thoughts were evil to have because he was walking into a trap. This ties into the theme because he has a lot of power with the pearl and it is leading him on a path of destruction. Later in the story Juana starts to think differently about the pearl and starts to open her eyes and says, "This thing is evil", she cries hard. This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us,” and his voice rose shrill. "Throw it away, Kino. Let us break it among the stones. Let us bury it and forget the place. Let us throw it back into the sea. It has brought evil. Kino, my husband, will destroy us."."(75).