I found the story to be interesting. Some parts were very suspenseful and others were a little slow. All that in I thought is was good and I definitely recommend it. It's a relatively short novel but its messages are very strong. The difficulties Kino faces are struggles that we all face. Steinbeck uses themes like greed, jealousy, the struggle to survive, caring for loved ones. Steinbeck uses the pearl to represent wealth and a good life for Kino and his family. As the novel progresses the pearl begins to illustrate all things that are evil to Kino. This is easy to relate to because it is an everyday problem. We all know how hard it is to share even when you have a lot of something.