Anyone who has studied history can easily see that women through the years have been treated with less respect than men. In Steinbeck's novel, The Pearl, he tells the story of Kino. This character finds a pearl and ultimately Kino changes and cares about the pearl more than his wife and family. In this book, the author shows several examples of how women are portrayed as less important and treated inferior to men.

Using violence against women seems to be an accepted action for men in this book. At first, Kino and his wife, Juana, cherished the pearl. They thought money from the pearl could pay for their son's doctor bills. Later, however, she realized Kino was obsessed with it and he was turning into a very selfish person. "The pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us." Juana tried to get rid of it by throwing...