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Essay / The Power of Greed in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Pearl by John Steinbeck
In the books Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Pearl by John Steinbeck, the main themes presented contributing to the plot were the greed. Greed is a theme that manifests itself through the actions of the characters in these two books and plays a role in the progression of the plot. Both books consist of adventure and mystery leading to a suspenseful reading experience. Greed brings consequences such as possessiveness, dangerous consequences, and guilt, all of which play a particularly important role in advancing the plot. These three topics contribute to the overall disappearance of characters from the books, making them extremely important factors to analyze. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Intense greed causes individuals to do things they would not ordinarily do, such as being possessive. The characters in the story lose sight of the bigger picture and this leads them to want more than what they already have. In The Pearl, Kino finds a rare gem and takes it to an appraiser to get as much money from it as possible, but the appraiser didn't even give Kino half of what he wanted. He did not settle for less and left the store without money and with the extraordinary pearl in his pocket. The Pearl made Kino very obsessed with Coyotito, his son, and referred to the boy as property: “His face shone with prophecy. “My son will read and open books, and my son will write and know how to write. And my son will make numbers, and these things will set us free because he will know — he will know and through him we will know... That is what the pearl will do." Kino's part to want more for his son, but it is greedy of him to want his child to be better than everyone else in his neighborhood, because they live in a poor community surrounded by rich towns. Non-rich people can. to be just as greedy as the treasure-hungry pirates In a conversation between Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesey at Treasure Island, the Squire makes some positive remarks about the fact that the famous pirate, Captain Flint, is only accomplishing. tasks involving money and wealth. Not only did Flint care about money, but so did all the other pirates. 'But the thing is, he had money.' history? What interests them, if not money? What would they risk their rascally carcasses for, if not money?'”. Money is an object and they continue to want more of it, whatever the cost; Bloodshed, dishonesty and disloyalty don't affect them, so why should they worry? One of the few characters who really isn't interested in money is Ben Gunn. “He owns all of Flint's treasure, but shares it with Squire Trelawney and his men, demanding only a small portion in return for his services. them". He witnessed Captain Flint's possessiveness and feared it would happen to him. In both novels, several characters lost their lives, either trying to protect what they had or trying to acquire more power In the case of the character Kino in The Pearl, his son is murdered because he kept the Pearl instead of selling it, leading several individuals to target the family and want to take the pearl. baby was innocent and still untouched by greed, but the mood changed in the story “and then Kino experienced uncertainty Something was wrong, a signal was trying to reach his. brains and tree frogs.the cicadas were now silent. And then Kino's brain broke free from its red focus and he recognized the sound – the high-pitched, wailing, rising hysterical cry from the little cave on the side of the stone mountain, the scream of death. Kino hadn't realized until that moment the problems he was causing his family, and he thought he could keep his family safe while still getting what he wanted. Not only is Coyotito dead, but so are several pirates. Several pirates lost their lives, but they didn't leave the battle, they lost their lives to keep a secret. Captain Flint was never merciful when it came to getting what he wanted, and he never risked revealing where his treasure was hidden. But "the idea of treasure also functions in another way in the book, playing on the double meaning of the word 'fortune,' which can mean both 'wealth' and 'destiny'" (). In saying this, he builds on a good point: the treasure could be perceived as what the pirates wanted it to be perceived as. In chapter thirteen a character named Benn Gunn is introduced and he goes on an adventure and he was part of Captain Flint's crew when the murder took place. When he met the main character, Jim Hawkins, Ben told him about what he saw on the island. He said: “I was on board Flint's ship when he buried the treasure; him and six others – six sturdy sailors… But, there he was, mind you, and all six of them dead – dead and buried. How he did this no man on board could understand. It was a battle, a murder and of the least means…”. It was the way of pirates and eventually Ben joined another crew, then told them where Flint's treasure was, and soon after found himself marooned on a separate island. This proves that even if an individual tries to avoid being greedy themselves, other greedy people nearby will impact their overall life. Greed can be an easy temptation to succumb to, but it's difficult to deal with the consequences. There is a clear moment in The Pearl where the Kino realizes what he has done and it causes the reader to feel remorse for this character. To be more specific in this book, the narrator wrote: "Now Kino lay at the mouth of the cave, his chin resting on his crossed arms, and he watched the blue shadow of the mountain move across the desert scrubland below until it reaches the Gulf. and the long twilight of the shadow was upon the earth.” Kino sits alone, thinking about what he has done and what happened to his once busy life, waking up to his wife and son. It will never be the same again because his friends turned on him, causing him to panic and inevitably killing his son in the process. Coyotito's death was an accident, so it's understandable that Kino feels regret and remorse for his son. Pirates, on the other hand, do not feel guilty, which is why the character in Treasure Island who best demonstrates this trait is Jim. He starts off as an innocent young boy, but eventually grows up to become a young man capable of taking care of himself. At the end of the novel, when he and what remained of the crew found the treasure, Jim has a moment where he thinks to himself: "...It was Flint's treasure that we had come to find until here, and which had already cost the lives of seventeen men from Hispaniola. How many people it cost in the muster, what blood and sorrow, what good ships scuttled on the deep, what brave men walked the plank blindfolded, what cannon fire, what shame, what lies and what cruelty, perhaps no man living could tell. He achieves what.