How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #1
"Now when the apples are ripe the crop tramps come in and pick them. And from there they go on over the ridge and south, and pick the cotton. If we can start the fun in the apples, maybe it will just naturally spread over into the cotton." (25)
Mac explains to Jim the goals of their agitation in the apple orchards. Mac has to remind Jim several times that "the cause" is really the thing—not the specific workers in the Torgas Valley themselves or their particular problems. The workers are really merely vehicles to spread an ideology about labor. It's for the benefit, but at this point only in theory; the benefits can't actually come until way in the future.
Quote #2
"Now these few guys that own most of the Torgas Valley waited before most of the crop tramps were already there. They spent most of their money getting there, of course. They always do. And then the owners announced their price cut. Suppose the tramps are mad? What can they do? They've got to work picking apples to get out even." (25-26)
Manipulation is not just a tool in the pouch of the "red" agitators. The Growers' Association knows just how to back their laborers into a corner and to make them do things they don't want to do. By making the workers desperate, the Growers know that they can get their crops picked for less. It's a "like it or leave it" mentality, one that's reinforced by poor economic conditions all over the country and a surplus of desperate workers willing to break the strike.
Quote #3
"We got to take the long view. A strike that's settled too quickly won't teach the men how to organize, how to work together. A tough strike is good. We want the men to find out how strong they are when they work together." (26)
In so many ways, Mac and Jim are not in this fight for the workers in Torgas Valley. Sure, they want the men to win—but not in such a way that the larger cause is compromised. They want things to go their way so that Party ideology takes hold and spreads across the country, no matter what the cost. While Mac's long-range thinking might be admirable on one level, it's pretty chilling on another.