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seriously, what the fuck?! Even if you say she's just working the "stone" angle, whites are the only folks with any sort of valuable gemstone association, the others go from plain to outright "dirty", and it has "save the pearls" right on the cover, if I saw right. This just baffles me how she couldn't see that, and I tend to skew towards "Captain Oblivious" edges of the spectrum myself.
She gives as an explanation that in this dystopian world, coal is very valuable and pearls are just baubles.
1. I am wondering, and I hope that someone who has read the book can answer this, whether she actually gives this explanation in the story itself?
Because I have the sneaking suspicion that she got that "explanation" form this very thread. Rex suggested that very thing way, way back (July 27th):
Compare with VF's explanation, two days ago (July 30th) :The writing quality points raised in this thread aside, I'm not sure I'm seeing maliciousness here. I'd have to read the book to make any kind of judgement over the "pearl" versus "coal" thing. In a post-apocalyptic world, coal might be more valuable than a pearl could ever hope to be. Coal would offer fire and an energy source. A pearl might be nothing more than decoration in the author's fictional world. It would depend on how she used it, imo.
I think somebody has been lurking here!Why are whites called Pearls, while blacks are called Coals? Imagine a gritty, post-apocalyptic world where all that matters is survival. What good will a pearl do you when luxury items have no use? Coal has energy, fire, and real value. It is durable and strong, not easily crushed like a pearl. Pearl is a pejorative term here. Coals are admired.
2. If coal is indeed so very valuable, why then do we have this paragraph:
”Ashina jumped up and grabbed Eden’s lab coat. “Are you calling me a liar?”
Eden flinched. One of them was touching her. White-hot light exploded in her head. Before she knew it, she blurted out an incendiary racial slur.
“Get your hands off of me, you damn Coal!””
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