"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
In John Steinbeck's novella, "The Pearl," the poor and unfortunate protagonist, Kino, comes across a beautiful, majestic pearl. To Kino, the pearl brings security and comfort to his family. Throughout the novel, Kino and his family learn valuable lessons from their experience, and the events that occur because of the pearl. John Steinbeck illustrates three essential morals in The Pearl, which include, the importance of family, how greed leads to devastation, and how money cannot buy happiness. In the beginning of the "The Pearl," the reader is introduced to Kino, his wife Juana, and their baby, Coyotito. Even though their family is poor, they have each other, which is what keeps them so strong and inevitable. Juana and Kino sacrifice many things for each other and their Coyotito, especially when he's bitten by a scorpion. Juana sucks the venom out of Coyotito's bite mark while Kino brings his family out to sea, and dives into the dangers of the ocean, hoping to find a pearl that will help him pay for his sons treatment. Kino and Juana want what's best for their son, and will do absolutely everything to keep him alive, just like any other parent would do. When they come across the pearl, Kino imagines all the great things the pearl will bring to him and his family, and how his son will be able to get an education, to later become a successful human being. When Kino kills an intruder who is hungry for his pearl, Juan Tomas, and Apolonia, Kino's brother and sister in-law, risk their lives to give Kino, and his family a safe shelter until they are ready to escape the town. Throughout the novel, the pearl threatens the bonds of their family, tearing them apart, but at the end the loyalty and love of family survives. .
Greed is a key factor that appears multiple times during the course of the entire novel. At first, the doctor turns Kino and his family away, calling them animals because they do not have the money to pay for Coyotito's treatment.