How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #7
Mac said harshly, "We can't help it, Doc. He happens to be the one that's sacrificed for the men. Somebody has to break if the whole bunch is going to get out of the slaughter-house. We can't think about the hurts of one man. It's necessary, Doc." (158)
The concept of sacrificing one's goods or comfort for the cause just took a creepy turn. Mac tells Doc Burton that every cause has to offer a sacrificial lamb if it is going to succeed. The creepy thing? Mac doesn't really have a problem with this. Even though he has many revolutionary ideas about how to change labor in the U.S., Mac is perfectly willing to conform to this age-old saw about personal sacrifice.
Quote #8
"If I go out now it won't matter. The thing won't stop. I'm just a little part of it. It will grow and grow. This pain in the shoulder is kind of pleasant to me; and I bet before he died Joy was glad for a moment. Just in that moment I bet he was glad." (199)
Jim tries to explain what it feels like to be part of something bigger than he is. Because he's pretty much left his humanity behind, Jim feels fairly comfortable giving the cause every ounce of his blood. His belief is that his blood will fuel the cause until it catches on and takes hold. It doesn't matter if he lives to see it happen, as long as he has a small part in it. Jim's declaration is equal parts chilling and selfless.
Quote #9
"It isn't long ago I saw my mother die; seems years, but it wasn't long ago. She wouldn't speak to me, she just looked at me. She was hurt so bad she didn't even want a priest. I guess I got something burned out of me that night. I'm sorry for Anderson, but what the hell. If I can give up my whole life, he ought to be able to give up a barn." (260)
Jim explains why he lacks Mac's sympathy for Anderson, who has just lost his barn, crop, and dogs in a fire. Jim's hopeless and violent home life quashed any spark of human emotion there might have been in him. He often recalls the miserable death of his mother when asked about his motivations. Her life and her death were a capitulation to the misery that surrounded them. Jim plans to make a different kind of sacrifice to change the world.