From the Pearl's perspective of the late 19th century, Mexican society dissects everything from social status and race to achieving equality and the problems that come with it. Steinbeck's critique of Mexican society at the end of the 19th century is in fact an invitation to criticize our own reluctance to change society at the beginning of the 21st century. John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of how race can endanger a society; people of “higher” races take advantage of people of lower classes. If class division is based on superficial qualities, it can endanger society by leading to greed, murder and depression. For example, the KKK represents one of the most prevalent hate groups in society today; they bully races they do not deem suitable for their vision of the “perfect society”. Although society has come a long way, a close observation of the classism and racism in Steinbeck's novel and a careful consideration of our modern society reveals that humans still segregate themselves according to race and class, in the same way that about 150 years ago. Race can endanger a society by forcing people of “higher” races to take advantage of people of lower classes. Kino sees a doctor to help his son. The doctor even refuses to talk to him because he doesn't want to talk to a lower class man. He initially refuses to see his son, believing that he has no money to pay him. The doctor and other social figures in the novel represent the struggle that the lower classes face due to their race and cultural background. In 2012, the Ku Klux Klan staged a scare with the Westboro Baptist Church. The WBC's plan is to protest at the funerals of the children in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, where they say it was because of a mixed attitude toward homosexuality... ... middle of paper ...... eps toward real human progress .Works Cited “Dateline: Matteson, Illinois.” VHS. Frontline, 1992. Video. March 10, 2014.Green, Justin. “When Hate Collides: The KKK Meets the Westboro Baptist Church.” The daily beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, December 19, 2012. Web. March 10, 2014."Jane Elliott Class A Divided." YouTube. Frontline, September 26, 2013. Web. March 10, 2014..McDonald, Brian. “Chapter 5: Tell the Truth.” Invisible Ink: A Practical Guide to Creating Stories That Resonate. New York: Libertarian, 2010. N. pag. Print. Steinbeck, John. The Pearl. Np: np, nd The Pearl. Valencia High School, February 29. 2008. Internet. January-February. 2014. .