Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Social Injustice at the hands of the agents
The pearl buyers have a system set up. They all help each other pay the lowest price possible for a pearl. One man is selected beforehand to offer the highest price for the pearl. Kino recognizes he is being tricked when he goest to sell the pearl to the agents. Some of the people think that Kino is crazy not to accept the offer, but Kino knows he is being cheated. The pearl buyers don't want anyone to figure out their scheme, so they refuse to offer a higher price even when Kino walks away from their offers. (Suzanne)
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When Kino finds the great pearl, everyone knew because the word was traveling fast. The pearl buyers found out about it the day before Kino came to sell the pearl. They decided to scam him and see how low they could go and then spilt the money after they sold it. They did this by deciding on the prices before hand and not talking to each other when Kino was around. Their plan backfired on themselves because Kino did not sell his pearl to him but went to the capital to sell it.
ReplyDeleteM. Stafford
Kino was tricked when he tried to sell the pearl. The buyers all worked on a team to buy the pearl for the least possible price possible. They knew it was a great pearl that was worth tons of money but instead they tried to cheat Kino. Their plan did not work because Kino didn't fall into the trap and instead they tried to steal the pearl from him.
ReplyDeleteTommy K.
Before Kino goes to the pearl buyers, they already know that Kino is coming to sell his Pearl of the World and they plan a scheme to offer the lowest price possible. After Kino arrives at the dealer's office and lets him inspect his pearl, the man offers only a thousand pesos. When Kino said it was worth fifty thousand pesos, the dealer calls in three other dealers. As planned, two denied to buy the pearl and one offered five hundred. Kino furiously realizes that he is cheated and storms out the door while the stout dealer changes his offer to fifteen hundred pesos. The dealers' plan failed miserably because Kino did not sell his pearl at all.
ReplyDeletePearl buyers of that time in my opinion can be related to a Pawn Shop of the modern day. Maybe today's Pawn Shops are not as big a scam as the Pearl Buyers in John Steinbeck's novella, but they are quite similar. The Pearl Buyers first off already knew that Kino was coming to sell The Pearl of the World. This gave them time to come up with a plan to take the pearl from Kino for the lowest possible price. When Kino walks in the man begins to make up flaws in the pearl that truly would not deduct its value. He offers one thousand pesos and the Song of Evil begins to stir in Kino's brain. Kino knows he has been cheated for he believed it was worth fifty-thousand pesos. To "prove" his price was reasonable, the agent calls in two other who (as planned)say it is valueless and a third offers five-hundred pesos. Kino now is shocked and declines the offer for his pearl and leaves disgusted at the men who tried to cheat him. The Pearl Buyers had all of this planned ahead of time and thought that Kino would not be smart enough to realize he was being cheated because he came from a low class of Native Americans. Kino however, understands completely and does the right thing by denying the offer.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. The wonders of skepticism. When the pearl buyers attempt to cheat Kino of his pearl, persuading with nagging doubts and repudiations that his prize is but something of a substandard novelty, he in his sharpness, and even his greed for the pearl, catches subtle hints and refuses their prices.
ReplyDeleteCriticism like this can both save and destroy us. Knowing the fear of being cheated makes us often cold (except in those heavy tourist places where no one cares...-__-), so that we may bargain with clearer senses in ensuing events. But there is always too much of a good thing, and being stubborn all the time, turned into stone with doubt, may hurt us. We may never find what we seek if we accept nothing to the point of sheer incredulity, but in the case of these buyers, it goes to show that not everyone's going to be sympathetic in life. In this case, with Kino denying the offer, the others judge him whether the decision was intelligent or not.
This is the set up of today's economy. Stores buy cheap and sell for a high price. The people trying to buy from Kino tryed to rip him off by giving him a low price. Kino was smart enough to spot it out and rejected the deal. The towns people thought he was stupid. But Kino knew he was right. The dealers plans had backfired.
ReplyDeleteThe pearl buyers had a very smart strategy to get a pearl for the lowest price. Instead of bidding for the pearl, and giving the sellers more options, they worked together to get the pearl for the lowest price. They would all agree to not go below a certain price for a pearl. When Kino came to them to sell his pearl, they tried to rip him off by telling him it was too big. They all agreed and did not offer above a certain price. Their plan backfired, though when Kino saw they were trying to cheat him and left.
ReplyDelete-Jack L.