How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
What can it profit a man to gain the whole world and to come to his property with a gastric ulcer, a blown prostate, and bifocals? Mack and the boys avoid the trap, walk around the poison, step over the noose while a generation of trapped, poisoned and trussed-up men scream at them and call them no-goods, come-to-bad-ends, blots-on-the-town, thieves, rascals, bums (2.2)
Wow, way to make success seem like failure. Sure, this is just a fancy way of saying that money can't buy happiness—but it's also a way of pointing out that money can actually make you angry. There's no reason to hate on Mack and the boys if you're actually secure in your own life choices, right?
Quote #2
True, if you came in through the fire door you had to get down on your hands and knees, but once in there was head room in the middle and you couldn't want a dryer, warmer place to stay. They shagged a mattress through the fire door and settled down. Mr. Malloy was happy and contented there and for quite a long time so was Mrs. Malloy.
The Malloys' boiler reminds us a little of the Palace: neither place was built to be a home, and both needed some work to become warm, comfortable places to live. It almost seems like, in this book, a building (or a boiler) isn't a home until you've put some work into it. That's what makes you happy.
Quote #3
It was a place to relax, a place to be happy. On the way out they had thriven. In addition to the big red chicken there was a sack of carrots which had fallen from a vegetable truck, half a dozen onions which had not. [ . . . ] The wining jug was nearly half full. Such things as salt and pepper had been brought (13.7)
Folks don't need champagne and caviar to be happy in this book. For Mack and the boys, a stringy rooster, some stolen vegetables and some dubious alcohol are as good as a meal at Chez Snobby. Sounds pretty good to us, too.
Quote #4
Hazel kicked sand on the fire. "I bet Mack could of been president of the U.S. if he wanted," he said.
"What could he do with it if he had it?" Jones asked. "There wouldn't be no fun in that" (13.64)
Here's a little insight into what Mack wants, and it isn't money or power. It's fun. That's what makes him happy—and we're thinking that Steinbeck wishes a lot more people felt like that, too.
Quote #5
On such a morning and in such a light two soldiers and two girls strolled easily down the street. They had come out of La Ida and they were very tired and very happy (14.2)
Steinbeck portrays these couples as good, but the man who tries to kick them off the private beach would call them a bunch of drunken trespassers. Notice that this chapter comes right after the chapter where the Captain tries to kick Mack and the boys off his land. These guys are seriously trying to ruin everyone's fun.
Quote #6
While they were mildly irritated that Lee was taking them for an economic ride or perhaps hop, two dollars' worth of bacon and eggs was in their stomachs lying right on top of a fine slug of whiskey and right on top of the breakfast was another slug of whiskey. And they say in their own chairs in their own house and watched Darling learning to drink canned milk out of a sardine can (20.19)
Breakfast of champions. Mack and the boys don't bother getting angry at Lee Chong since they've had a good meal. Is it because they're not thinking ahead to the next time they'll need money, or is saving money just not as important as a tasty breakfast? (We'll just point out that you can't eat bacon when you're dead.)
Quote #7
Darling was and was destined to remain a very happy dog, for in the group of five men there were five distinct theories of dog training, theories which clashed so that Darling never got any training at all (20.19)
Steinbeck's 7th principle of happiness: avoid education. Doc's the only person who has had much formal education, and we're not thinking that he seems much happier for it. Of course, he does seems to get a lot of pleasure from his work—but is taking pleasure in something the same as being happy?
Quote #8
It had become [Henri's] custom, each time he was deserted, to buy a gallon of wine, to stretch out on the comfortably hard bunk and get drunk. Sometimes he cried a little all by himself but it was luxurious stuff and he usually had a wonderful feeling of well-being from it (22.7)
Whatever floats your boat, right? Or, in Henri's case, whatever doesn't float it. Anyway, the point is, Henri's happiness seems to consist of getting drunk and crying himself to sleep. And we are not going to stand in his way.
Quote #9
[Mack] went to his bed and pulled his blanket over his head and he didn't get up all day. His heart was as bruised as his mouth. He went over all the bad things he had done in his life and everything he had ever done seemed bad. He was very sad (23.1)
Wait, we thought Mack was supposed to be the happiest guy in the book. How come the little matter of Doc's party is eating him? He doesn't mind being cheated by Lee Chong or punched in the nose by Doc, but the thought of having messed up his party for Doc just floors him.
Quote #10
He was feeling a little mellow. It seemed a nice thing to him that they would give him a party. He played the Pavane to a Dead Princess and felt sentimental and a little sad. [ . . . ] When it was done he got another whiskey and he debated in his mind about the Brandenburg. That would snap him out of the sweet and sickly mood he was getting into. But what was wrong with the sweet and sickly mood? It was rather pleasant (29.42)
Doc is in a pretty weird mood during and after his party. He's happy, but also sentimental and sad, a funny mix of emotions. It's interesting that we learn about how Doc is feeling because he's trying to decide what music to listen to. Doc's mood and the music he listens to (either on the phonograph or in his head) are closely connected.