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John Steinbeck is one of the greatest storytellers of the twentieth century. His wonderful novellas The Red Pony, Of Mice and Men, and The Pearl not only introduce readers to a fascinating, realistic cast of characters, and make the hills and seacoast of California and Mexico come to life, but also tell intriguing stories of the lives of real people. Steinbeck's characters are not the rich men and women of California's boom days, but are the homeless, the migrant workers, the poor fishermen, and the farmers. However, each of these people has a deceptively simple, but important story to tell, a story filled with love and pain. The stories tell us not only of the lives of the poor who seek to live off the land, but of the struggles of all people. Of Mice and Men, The Pearl and The Red Pony are a Steinbecken trilogy of naturalistic philosophy. Ever since Midas' lust for gold, it appears to be that man has acquired a greed and appetite for wealth. Juana, the priest, and the doctor all undergo a change because of money. They are all affected by their hunger for wealth and inturn are the base for their own destruction, and the destruction of society. Steinbeck's The Pearl is a study of man's self destruction through greed. Juana,