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Odonians
The Anarresti refer to the moneyed, land-owning inhabitants of their twin planet Urras as “propertarians,” and often use the word to speak derogatively or accusatorily about someone who has displayed an egoistic or selfish thought, sentiment, or action.
Propertarian Quotes in The Dispossessed
The The Dispossessed quotes below are all either spoken by Propertarian or refer to Propertarian. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2 Quotes
The knobby baby stood up. His face was a glare of sunlight and anger. His diapers were about to fall off. “Mine!” He said in a high, ringing voice. “Mine sun!”
“It is not yours,” the one-eyed woman said with the mildness of utter certainty. “Nothing is yours. It is to use. It is to share. If you will not share it you cannot use it.” And she picked the knobby baby up with gentle hands and set him aside, out of the square of sunlight.
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In this early scene from Shevek’s infancy, Le Guin shows us an instant in which his raw desire to possess something—in this case the sun—is an innate human want that has been eradicated from the Anarresti through generations of communal living. From earliest childhood, Anarresti children are taught that they cannot use anything that they will not share, as the socialist and anarcho-syndicalist principles of Anarresti society are rigidly enforced in children to the point that they become second-nature to all Anarresti adults. Shevek’s desire in particular to possess something—here, the sun, in contrast to the desire he will develop Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati e
Chapter 3 Quotes
[Shevek] had no right to tease them. They knew no relation but possession. They were possessed.
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As Shevek gets to know the Urrasti scientists he’ll be working with, the men carry on conversations about the vast differences in their respective societies. When the conversation turns to women, the physicists Oiie and Pae can only talk about women in terms of “possession.” They are taken aback by the way women are seen on Anarres—as equals who are given the same jobs and same weight in society as their male counterparts. Shevek is mildly disgusted by the Urrasti attitude toward women, but reminds himself to have empathy for these men and to go easy on them—they know nothing Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atqu
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Propertarian Term Timeline in The Dispossessed
The timeline below shows where the term Propertarian appears in The Dispossessed. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...himself in a philosophical discussion with another man, Vokep, who asserts that “all women are propertarians,” and women can only relate to men through the lens of owning or being owned....
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Chapter 4
...of Urras. Each year, the PDC argues for the end of trade with the “warmaking propertarians” of Urras, but Anarresti know that if they broke their trade agreement the Urrasti would...
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...petroleum and mercury, and though he is alarmed by the idea of communicating with a propertarian, he is also excited.
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Chapter 6
...on how beautiful Urras looks, though she knows the planet itself is full of warmongering propertarians. She does not understand how Urras still seems so peaceful and happy from the outside....
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Chapter 7
...beauty when his own people have none. He realizes that he is “thinking like a propertarian,” and that beauty cannot be earned. Outside the window, Nio Esseia comes into view.
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Chapter 10
...to the nursery and focus on her work, and then accused her of being a propertarian when she refused. Takver left that posting soon after the tangle with her coworkers and...
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Chapter 11
...him. The idea of his society is also important, and he refuses to let the propertarians buy the truth from him. Shevek wants to give his idea as a gift—to Terra,...
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