Quote a Quote

There is an excerpt from the book Tortilla Flat, by John Steinbeck, that I wish to discuss. The excerpt is:

The afternoon came down as imperceptibly as age comes to a happy man. A little gold entered into the sunlight. The bay became bluer and dimpled with shore-wind ripples. Those lonely fishermen who believe that the fish bite at high tide left their rocks, and their places were taken by others, who were convinced that the fish bite at low tide. (33)

This shows the reader a lot about the style of Steinbeck, and the voice of this novel. This excerpt is written very poetically, and the words seem to flow together. Steinbeck is usually not too direct in his writting, and this leads to the lazy atmosphere of many of his novels. Also, there is a strong emphasis on setting, which seems integral to many of Steinbeck's books. He almost always sets up a scene with the setting at the beginning.

The voice also has many elements of comedy in it, and in this case it is the reference to people that are convinced that fish bite at low tide, and the people that are convinced that fish bite at high tide. Steinbeck tends to view the people and world around him as silly, and he generally portrays events in a comical light. He later drives the point home further by mentioning the people that think the fish bite at night are taking over the shift for those that think that the fish bite in the morning. Thank your time.