Your topic can be interpreted different ways, but my first thought is that if Kino had not been so desperate to improve his family’s situation with the pearl, things would have turned out better. To say that something does more harm than good means that Kino did not help his family with the pearl but rather caused them harm. The harm he caused is obvious. He killed a man, went on the run, and got Coyotito killed.
Kino’s wife Juana also begins to think that the pearl is evil and tells him to throw it away. She sees the influence the pearl has on those around them. It has not been a positive thing. People are either envious or try to get the pearl from them. Juana says the pearl will destroy them all.
"This thing is evil," she cried harshly. "This pearl is like a sin! It will destroy us," and her voice rose shrilly. "Throw it away, Kino. Let us break it between stones. Let us bury it and forget the place. Let us throw it back into the sea. It has brought evil. Kino, my husband, it will destroy us." (Ch. 3)
She is right. Sometimes it is not a good thing to want more than you have. Kino was happy with his life, and the pearl gave him delusions of grandeur. He wanted to provide for his family in ways he could not before, but he did not see the danger the pearl was causing.
For the opposing side, I would say that Kino and Juana’s struggle to help their baby did more good than harm. The baby did survive (until it was shot). Juana did not just throw up her hands and wait for her baby to die when the scorpion stung him. She acted, sucking the poison out.
But Juana had the baby in her arms now. She found the puncture with redness starting from it already. She put her lips down over the puncture and sucked hard and spat and sucked again while Coyotito screamed. (Ch. 1)
She saved his life. If she had not struggled, the baby would have died then of the scorpion poison. Sometimes a struggle is the right thing to do. If someone is in immediate danger, you should act.
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