The Grapes of Wrath - Struggles Over Land and Livelihood
Agent:
The fact of the matter, Muley, after what them dusters done to the land, the tenant system don't work no more. You don't even break even, much less show a profit. Why, one man and a tractor can handle twelve or fourteen of these places. You just pay him a wage and take all the crop.
Muley:
Yeah, but uh, we couldn't do on any less than what our share is now. Why, the children ain't gettin enough to eat as it is, and they're so ragged. We'd be ashamed if everybody else's children wasn't the same way.
Agent:
I can't help that. All I know is, I got my orders. They told me to tell you to get off, and that's what I'm tellin ya.
Muley:
You mean get off of my own land?
Agent:
Now don't go to blamin me! It ain't my fault.
Muley's son:
Who's fault is it?
Agent:
You know who owns the land. The Shawnee Land and Cattle Company.
Muley:
And who's the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company
Agent:
It ain't nobody. It's a company.
Muley's son:
They got a President, ain't they? They got somebody who knows what a shotgun's for, ain't they?
Agent:
Oh son, it ain't his fault, because the bank tells him what to do.
Muley's son:
All right, where's the bank?
Agent:
Tulsa. What's the use of pickin on him? He ain't nothin but the manager. And he's half-crazy hisself tryin to keep up with his orders from the East.
Muley:
Then who do we shoot?
Agent:
Brother, I don't know. If I did, I'd tell ya. I just don't know who's to blame.
Muley:
I'm right here to tell you, mister, there ain't nobody gonna push me off my land! My grandpaw took up this land seventy years ago. My paw was born here. We was all born on it. An some of us was killed on it. An some of us died on it. That's what makes it arn. Bein born on it and workin on it and dyin', dyin on it. An not no piece of paper with writin on it.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.