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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Chapter 3
Quotes
[Shevek] had no right to tease them. They knew no relation but possession. They were possessed.
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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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