the pearl by john steinbeck quotes with page numbers

Quite apart from any reward they might get, from any word of praise, from any promotion, a pearl buyer was a pearl buyer, and the best and happiest pearl buyer was he who bought for the lowest prices. For every man in the world functions to the best of his ability, and no one does less than his best, no matter what he may think about it. And although these men would not profit beyond their salaries, there was excitement among the pearl buyers, for there was excitement in the hunt, and if it be a man's function to break down a price, then he must take joy and satisfaction in breaking it as far down as possible. Now there was only one pearl buyer with many hands, and the men who sat in their offices and waited for Kino knew what price they would offer, how high they would bid, and what method each one would use. This was extravagant and not to be countenanced. But this was a wasteful method, for often, in the excitement of bidding for a fine pearl, too great a price had been paid to the fisherman. 'Let's get the hell out of here,' said Hazel.It was supposed that the pearl buyers were individuals acting alone, bidding against one another for the pearls the fishermen brought in. If we did something as inexplicable and strange we'd probably be praying-so maybe they're praying.' 'The remarkable thing,' said Doc, 'isn't that they put their tails up in the air-the really incredibly remarkable thing is that we find it remarkable.

Hazel turned one of the stink bugs over with the toe of his wet tennis shoe and the shining black beetle strove madly with floundering legs to get upright again. Kino and Juana came slowly down to the beach. And on the beach the white and blue canoes that came from Nayarit were drawn up, canoes preserved for generations by a hard shell-like waterproof plaster whose making was a secret of the fishing people. And in all the books there isn't one mention of the fact that they put their tails up in the air or why.' The town lay on a broad estuary, its old yellow plastered buildings hugging the beach.

'I looked them up recently-they're very common animals and one of the commonest things they do is put their tails up in the air. 'Well, what they got their asses up in the air for?'ĭoc rolled up his wool socks and put them in the rubber boots and from his pocket he brought out dry socks and a pair of thin moccasins. 'Look at all them stink bugs,' Hazel remarked, grateful to the bugs for being there. And many of them stuck their tails up in the air. “On the black earth on which the ice plants bloomed, hundreds of black stink bugs crawled.

The pearl by john steinbeck quotes with page numbers