The Power of Money in 'The Pearl' by Steinbeck and 'A Simple Plan' by Smith.

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Year 11 English – Connected Texts                                        Emma Richards

‘Money is at the root of all evil’. Discuss how the corruption of an individual is explored in two texts you have studied this semester.


As stated in The New Testament, ‘For the love of money is the root of all evil’, both The Pearl written by John Steinbeck, and A Simple Plan, written by Scott Smith, incorporate this moral through the corruption of an individual. As both texts explore the theme of being misguided by material wealth, the main characters Kino and Hank Mitchell experience their destruction in similar ways. They are both content with their lives before they stumble upon riches, until the money allows them to desire more and eventually controls their thoughts and actions. This corruption and change in character has a vast effect on the surrounding characters, which allows the audience to understand that money is a destructive force which needs to be handled with severe caution.

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At the beginning of each novel, both Kino and Hank are simple, relaxed and easy going characters. They both have one main thing in common, a beautiful wife with whom they are very content with, Kino’s wife with a child and Hank’s wife expecting. Although they know that their quality of life is less than magnificent, they are both happy with the way that things are. As they are presented with a large amount of money however, their values and attitudes towards their lives change dramatically. Kino, who lives in a village where life is very basic, sees his life ...

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