STEINBECK, John, The Pearl Macmillan Readers, B1 (1700 headwords)

by Cristina Gutiérrez Aguilera 2º Bachillerato EFL

Kino, a poor Mexican pearl diver, enjoyed a simple life with his wife Juana and their baby, Coyotito. But one day, the baby was bitten by a scorpion and fell ill. The doctors refused to treat him because Kino didn't have money. Things improved when Kino discovered a huge, beautiful pearl. Suddenly everyone in his town was interested in his family and his pearl, even the doctors that didn't want to treat his son. But greed contaminated their once simple way of life and the pearl led Kino to corruption. He even slit a man's throat when he attempted to take the pearl from him. The price of the pearl was much higher than they had imagined...

The main point of this book is to show the colossal power of money, which can corrupt people, even those who have been victims of the excessive wealth of a certain individual. Kino, who from being an honest dignified poor man turned into a greedy sociopath capable of killing people to keep his new way of life.