Corrupted power features in The Pearl as the nasty reality of
colonial domination and oppression. The Mexican natives of La
Paz live on the outskirts of a town of colonizing Europeans,
greedy men who keep the natives in poverty and ignorance. Many
of the sorrows of this tragic tale stem from attempts on the
part of the powerful to take advantage of the weak. Every
character in The Pearl abuses his or her power over someone
weaker. The trait is a universal human characteristic; we
therefore cannot condemn any one character for this reason.