La Perla's perspective of late 19th century Mexican society examines everything from social status and race to the achievement of equality and the problems that come with that achievement. Steinbeck's criticism of late 19th century Mexican society is actually an invitation to criticize our reluctance to change society at the beginning of the 21st century. John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells how race can endanger a society; people of “superior” 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 common hate groups in today's society; they bully races they don't think fit into their vision of the "perfect society." Although society has come a long way, a careful observation of classism and racism in Steinbeck's novel and an in-depth consideration of our modern society reveal that humans continue to separate themselves from each other based on race and class in a similar way to as they did about 150 years ago. Race can endanger a society by causing people of “superior” races to take advantage of people of lower classes. Kino sees a doctor to help his son. The doctor refuses to even talk to him because he doesn't want to talk to a lower class man. First, he refuses to see his son based on the assumption that he has no money to pay for 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 stages a scare at the Westboro Baptist Church. The WBC's plan is to picket the funerals of the children involved in the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Connecticut, where they claim it was due to a softened attitude towards homosexuality... middle of paper.. . eps towards real human progress .Works Cited"Date: Matteson, Illinois." VHS. Frontline, 1992. Video. March 10, 2014.Green, Justin. “When Hate Collides: The KKK Meets Westboro Baptist Church.” The daily beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, December 19, 2012. Web. March 10, 2014.."Jane Elliott A Class Divided." YouTube. Frontline, September 26, 2013. Web. March 10, 2014..McDonald, Brian. "Chapter 5: Tell the Truth." Invisible Ink: A Practical Guide to Constructing Stories That Resonate. New York: Libertaria, 2010. N. pag. Print.Steinbeck, John. The Pearl. Np: np, nd The Pearl. Valencia High School, 29Feb. 2008. Network. January-February. 2014. .