"The Pearl" is a short book by John Steinbeck: A poor fisherman finds a huge and valuable pearl. Instead of being a blessing, the pearl brings out the bad side of human nature, ending in the death of the fisherman's son.

This work shows the moment at the very end of the book, when the grieving fisherman throws the pearl back into the sea.

A skull is faintly visible in the pearl, echoing the evil of the people it touched. The light at the top of the painting and the darkness at the bottom denote good and evil.

I chose this moment because it left a vivid image in my mind after I closed the book: I simply painted that image.