The Pearl by John Steinbeck is most definitely a work of social criticism. At the forefront of the story we see The Pearl as a simple parable teaching readers that greed is bad. Greed is the main evil that confronts the town (i.e. the priest, the doctor, the pearl buyers). It is clear that greed corrupts both people in power and lower-class citizens. Socially, this greed then spreads throughout classes and damages even innocent victims.
If we dig deeper into the novella, though, it is clear that Steinbeck had a much bigger agenda. Works of social criticism tend to critique the rules and expectations of a society. In The Pearl Steinbeck challenges the idea that society needs to keep the poor and powerless in their place, thus preserving the wealth and power of the upper class. This system of oppression is highlighted by Kino's plight with the pearl.
Additionally, we can establish Kino not as the villain (as the parable would have us believe) but instead as a victim of a rigid class structure. The real villain here in this story is the town and its oppressive class system.
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