"I don't remember this here interstate." "Weren't nothin' but a dirt road once." "I t ain't been here about a year." "J ust long enough for everybody to drive off on it." "There ai n't practical ly nobody left i n Eastrod or Melsy." "They al I done took out for the city." "Let me off here." "I'm obl i ged." "...before he casts you down i nto the burni ng pit of hel I..." "I i ke stones i nto a lake of fi re." "Li ke stones." "You're al I I i ke stones." "But J esus died to redeem ya." "Can you understand that J esus was so soul hungry that, for each soul " "Are you fixi n' to work the farm, Haze?" "U h, no." "No, I ai n't." "What you gonna do?" "I'm gonna do some thi ngs " "I'm gonna do some things I ain't never done before." "Hardly anyone left around here anymore." "Everybody done left or... died." " Can you cash this army check for me?" " Sure." "Was you wounded, Haze?" "Yes, I was." "How come you wasn't weari n' no Purple Heart?" "Wel I, I got one, but " "I didn't want people to know where I was wounded." "Oh." "Wel I, there's no place quite I i ke home, is there?" "Are lyou going home?" "I ' m goi n' to the city" " T aul ki nham." "I don't know nobody i n T aul ki nham." "I'm gonna do some thi ngs there." "I know George Sparks i n T aul ki nham." "I'm gonna do some thi ngs I ai n't never done before." "Oh." "Well, time does fly, don't it?" "I haven't seen my sister's children in about five years now." "I don't know ifI'd know 'em ifl saw 'em." "There's Roly andjimmlyjaly andjohn Weslely." "Oh, they cal I me " Mama dol I "... and thely call mly husband "Papa doll. "" "I reckon you thi nk you been redeem ed." "Why" " Why, yes." "Li fe i s an i nspi rati on, don't you thi nk?" "Sixty Buckley Road." " You ai n't no friend of hers, are you?" " I never saw her before." "She don't usuallly have no preacher for companly." "I ai n't a preacher." "I onlly seen her name on - in a toilet." "Wel I, you I ook I i ke a preacher." "Your hat I ooks I i ke a preacher's hat." "I t ai n't." "I t's" " I t's just a hat." "Wel I, it ai n't only the hat." "I t's the look on your face somewheres." "Look a-here, I ai n't no preacher." "Now I understand it ai n't anybody perfect on this green earth - not preachers, not nobodly." "And you can tel I fol ks better how terri ble si n is... if you know from your own experience." "Listen, get this." "There ain't but one thing that I wantlyou to understand... and that's that I don't bel ieve i n anythi ng." " Nothi n' at al I?" " Nothin '." "Well, that's the problem with lyou preachers." "You've al I got too dam n good to bel i eve i n anythi ng." "You hunti n' somethi n'?" " Somethi n' on your m i nd?" " The usual busi ness." "Make yourself at home." "U h, the thi ng that I mean to have you know is - is that I ain't no goddamn preacher." "That's okay, son." "Mama don't m i nd if you ai n't no preacher... long as you got four dol lars." "Okay, fol ks, gather round." "Look at this m i racle peeler here, fol ks." "I'm gonna give away a half a dozen - a half a dozen peeled potatoes... to the fi rst one that buys one of these here m i racle machi nes." "Who's gonna be fi rst now?" "Okay, fol ks, who's gonna be num ber one?" "What about you back there?" "You can't afford to pass up a bargai n I i ke this." " What's your name, boy?" " Name?" "Enoch Emory." "Oh-ho." "A boly with a prettly name like that oughta have one ofthese machines." "Okaly, folks, let's go." "Who'll be the firs t one here?" "Who'll be the firs t one to get one of these?" " J es us ca I I s." " H el p a bl i nd preacher." " Help a blind" " Thank lyou,jesus." " H e's ta I ki n' to you." "H e's ta I ki n' to you." "H el p a bl i nd preacher and hi s daughter spread the word ofJ esus here." " Who'll be first now?" " Give up a dollar." "I'm gonna start preaching ' here." "What the hel I do you thi nk you' re doi n'?" "I got thi s crowd together." " Who the hell do lyou thinklyou are?" " I ' m gonna start preachi n' if you don't give up a dol lar here." " What the hel I do you thi nk you're doi n'?" "I got these people together." " J esus cal Is." "Hel p a bl i nd, unem ployed preacher." "I need it worse than you al I do." "Help a blind, unemplolyed preacher here." "These goddam n com m unist forei gners!" "I got this crowd together!" "Paly no attention to him, folks." "Who'll be number one?" "Who' I I be the fi rst one to buy one of these?" " I seen you." " Fol ks, step up here." "No use saving 'lyour monely when lyour soul ain't saved." "$ 1. 50. $ 1. 50." "Com e on." "Give up a dol I ar for J esus." "A dol I ar for J esus." "Is it too much to ask for a dollar forjesus?" "G ive m e one of those." "I got a dol I ar." "J ust add 50 cents to that dol lar and you got yourself a deal, okay?" "Okay, fol ks, who's gonna be the fi rst one?" "Anly more quarters?" "Anly more dollars?" " Don't crowd in, folks." " Help a blind preacher." " Okay, fol ks, who' I I be fi rst?" " Com e on, Pa pa." " Help a blind preacher here." "Free potatoes to the firs t one bulyin ' one of these here miracles." "Who's gonna be the firs t one to buiy one of these here machi" " Thank lyou, sir." "There goes the fi rst sa I e, fol ks." "N ext sa I e." "Who' I I be the next one to buy one of these here m i racl es?" "See?" "Al I they wanna do i s knock you down." "I ai n't never been i n such a unfriendly place before." "There's too many people on the streets." " How long you been here?" " Two days." "I been here two months." "I work at the zoo." " I didn't catch your name good." " Hazel Motes." "Hazel Motes." "You look I i ke you m i ght be fol leri n' them hicks." "Stop!" "Don't you see that " "Now, what do you thi nk that thi ng is up there for?" "Maybe you thought that red was for white fol ks and green ones was for ni ggers, huh?" " That's what I thought." " You tel I al I your friends about these I ights." "Red is for stop." "Green is for go." "Men and women, white fol ks and niggers - al I go on the same light." "Now, you tel I al I your friends about that now, you hear?" "So that when they come to town, they'I I know." "I 'I I look after hi m." "He ai n't been here but two days." " I'm obl lged." " Wasn't nothi n'." "I reckon I 'I I go along and keep you com pany for a whi le." "Sure wouldn't wanna get messed up with no hicks... particularly the J esus kind." "I know." "I done a lot of that myself." "I was 12 years old, and I could si ng some hymns good I learned off this nigger." "So this here welfare woman traded me from my daddy... took me off to Boonvi I le to I ive with her." "She had a brick house, but it was J esus al I day long." "Reckon she was 40 years old, and she was ugly." "Her hai r was so thi n, it looked I i ke ham gravy trickl i n' down her skul I." "I got out though." "Wanna know how?" "I scared the hel I out of that woman." "That's how." "I studied and I studied on it." "I even prayed." "I said, "J esus, show me a way to get outta here. "" "Durned if he didn't." "I got up one morni n' just before dayl ight." "I went i nto her room without my pants on... and pul led up the sheet and give her a heart attack." "Yourjawjust crawls, don't it?" "Don'tlyou never laugh?" "I t's that boy, Papa." "I can smel I the si n on his breath." " What'd you fol ler me for?" " I never fol lered you." " She said you was fol leri n' me." " I ai n't fol lered you nowheres." "I fol lered her." "I don't want that thi ng." "T ake it." "I don't want it." "You take it and you shut up before I hit you." "I won't have it." "You take it I i ke I told you!" "He never fol lered you." "I got it, but it ai n't m i ne." "I fol lered her to say I wasn't beholdi n' to none of her fast eye..." "I i ke she give me back there." "What do you mean?" "I never looked at you with no fast eye." "I onlly watchedlyou tearing' up that tract." "Papa, he tore it up i n I ittle pieces." " He tore it up and spri nkled it al I over the ground I i ke salt!" " Shut up!" "He fol lered me." "Nobody could fol ler you." "I can hear the urge ofJ esus i n his voice." "J esus." "Nowlyou listen to me, boly." "Jesus is a fact!" " You can't run away from J esus." " No." "You I isten." "I come a long way si nce I bel ieve i n anythi ng." "I come halfway around the world." "You ai n't come so far that you could keep from fol leri n' me, though, have you, boy?" "Some preacher's left his mark on you." "Did you fol low me for me to take it off or to give you another one?" "I hear 'em scrapi n' thei r feet i nside." "Get out the tracts." "They're fixi n' to come out." " What we gonna do?" "What's i nside that there bui Idi ng?" " Program letting' out." "Here, take this, boy, and go up to the other side and give out." "I 'I I stay here with the one that fol lered me." "Now you go to the top of them stai rs and repent, boy, and renounce your si ns... and distri bute these tracts to the people." "I'm as clean as you are." "Fornication, blasphemy." "What else?" "I f I was i n si n, I was i n it before I ever com m itted any." "There ai n't no change come i n me." "I don't bel ieve i n si n!" "Nothi n' matters but that J esus don't exist!" "Go distri bute them tracts to the people." "I 'I I take 'em up there and throw 'em i n the bushes." "You be watchi n'." "See can you see." "J esus cal Is you." "J esus cal Is you." "Hey!" "Lookee down yonder." "Do you see that bl i nd man down there?" "He's givi n' out tracts and beggi ng." "J esus!" "You ought to see hi m." "And he's got this here ugly chi Id." "Now you better get on the other side, lady." "There's a fool down there givi n' out tracts." "Don't pay no attention to that fanatic up there." "Don't I know what exists and what don't?" "Ai n't I got eyes i n my head?" "Am I a bl i nd man?" "Let me tel I you somethi n'." "Maybe you thi nk that you ai n't clean because you don't bel ieve." "Every one oflyou are clean, and I'll telllyou whly." "I f you thi nk it's because ofJ esus Christ crucified, you' re wrong." "I ai n't sayi ng he wasn't crucified, but I say it wasn't for you." "I'm gonna start a new church - the Church ofTruth Withoutjesus Christ Crucified." "And it won't cost you nothi n' to joi n my church." " Blind preacher here, folks." " I t a i n't started yet, but i t's gonna be." "I don't need J esus." "What do I need J esus for?" "I got Leora Watts." "Hawks." "Asa Hawks's the name when you go to fol leri n' me agai n." "Si n is a trick on niggers." "Si n ai n't on my books." "Hey." "Now we got shut of them, why don't we go someplace and have us some fun?" "Heard about there's this house we can go and have us some fun." "I could pay you back next week." "I got busi ness of my own." "I seen just about al I ofyou I want." "I been here two months, and I don't know nobody." "People ai n't friendly here." "I thi nk I seen you someplace before." " You ai n't from Stockwel I, are you?" " No." "Looked I i ke you had a ki nd of fam i I iar face." "Good-bye." "I'm goi n' thisaway too." "My daddy made me come." "I ai n't but 18 years old, and he made me come here." "And I don't know nobody, and nobody here wi I I have nothi n' to do with me." "They al n't friendly." "Look a-here." "You want a woman, you don't have to go fol leri n' nothi n' ugly..." "I i ke that kid you give a peeler to." "Look, get away from me." "People here ai n't friendly." "You ai n't from here, but you ai n't friendly neither." "And you don't know nobody neither." "I knew when I fi rst seen you that you didn't have nobody or nothi n' but J esus." "I seen you." "Yeah, I knew it." "That's ri ght." "Standi n' around acti n' I i ke you got wiser blood than anybody else." "But you ai n't, 'cause I'm the one that has it." "Not you." "Me." "What are you tal ki n' about?" "About I know thi ngs I ai n't never learned - how I can see signs." "I t's somethi n' that just happens, and I got to do some thi ngs someti mes." "I got to do some things sometimes I don't even wanna do." "And sometimes inside me, I can feel it." "I can feel it pulling' and tugging' at me and pushing'... and I can feel my blood beating', and I got to do this thing right now." "It's" " It's wise blood." "It ain't everybody has it." "See, it's a gift." "I t's a gift like, uh, the gift of the prophets." "Now, I ain't sayin' I'm a prophet." "No, it ain't like that, but it's like that." "You're crazy, boy." "You get away from me, and you stay away." "I'm goi n' where I'm goi n'." "I got a woman." "I got a woman, see?" "And that's where I'm goi n' - to visit her." "She told me where thely live." "That girllyou give a peeler to - she said to visit 'em and to bringlyou there." "Ray." "This waly out." "This waly out." "Eightly-five cents." "Don't buly nothin ' for the ladly." "Exclusive show." "Miss Eve herself in person." "Onlly 15 at a time." "Onlly 15 at a time." "So "sinsational, " it'll cos t lyou 85 cents to see it." "Exclusive show." "Miss Eve herself in person." "Onlly 15 at a time." "So sinsational, it'll cos t lyou 85 cents to see it." "So sinsational." "...repent to the Lord and burn lyour elyes clean." "You'll see lyourselves for what lyou was - filth." "A generation ofblasphemers and whoremongers, every one oflyou." "There ain't one oflyou is a clean man or woman or child." "I tell lyou there ain't no finer act than God's judgment." "Repent before he cas ts lyou down into the burning pit ofhell... like s tones into a lake of fire." "You don't j ust wa I k i n here I i ke that." "I ' I I s how you what we've got to s how." " Let m e see Sl ade." " What you wa nt to see h i m for?" "I wa nt to see hi m about thi s here car." " I ' m hi m." " Wel I, how m uch it cost?" "How m uch do you fi gure?" "Give us an esti mate." " What do you want?" " I want this here car." " I m i ght take $300 for it." " I wouldn't pay no more than 200 for it." "That car, you can't buy I i ke that every day." "I t's got new ti res on it." "They was new when it was bui It." "They bui It good cars several years ago." "They don't bui Id good cars no more." " You wanna get underneath it and look at it?" " No." "T old you you wouldn't bust them ti res." "What'I I you give me for it?" "I'll take two and a half." "That wouldn't be worth what it'd cost to cart it off." "I won't argue with you about that." "This car wasn't bui It by a bunch of niggers." "I fyou don't want this one, there's plenty more you can look at just the same price." "What do you want for it?" "I'll take two and a quarter, and you can pay me when you leave." " Two and a quarter and some gas." " T ank's ful I." "I wanted this car mostly to be a house for me." "I ai n't got no place to be." "You got to switch it on with them two wi res right there." "You gotta let the hand brake down." "He would die 10 million times... have his arms and his legs stretched out on the cross and nailed" "10 million times forjus t one soul." "Even for that boy there, he wou I d d i e 10 m i I I i on ti m es." "He will chase him over the waters ofsin." "Iflyou doubt thatjesus walks over the waters ofsin " "This boly has been chas tened, and he will be redeemed." "Jesus will never leave him ever." "Jesus will have lyou in the end." "What a re you doi n' pa rked i n the m i dd I e of the road, son?" "T a ke you r ha nd off my s hou I der." "I ' m read i n' that s i g n." "There ain't a person or whoremonger who wasn't somethin ' worse first." "That ai n't the si n nor the blasphemy." "The si n cam e before 'em." "J esus i s a tri ck on ni ggers." "Wel I, wi I I you get this goddam n outhouse out of the m iddle of the road?" "I don't have to run away from anythi ng, 'cause I don't bel ieve i n anythi ng." " What di rection's the zoo i n?" " Back the other way." "That where you escaped from?" "You're so uglly, I can't stand it." "Shoot!" "Shoot, i f I had a face I i ke that, I'd si t on i t and never get up." "H i, Haze." "How are you?" "Guard said I'd fi nd you here." "Said you I i ked to tal k to the monkeys." "Wel I, just look at 'i m." "He acts I i ke he thi nks he's as good as me or you." "J ust I i ke some niggers I've seen." "Shoot!" "I had a face I i ke that, I'd put a paper bag on it." "Look." "I'm looki n' for that bl i nd preacher named Hawks." "Now, do you know where they I ive?" " Hawks?" " Hawks." "Yeah, hi m and his gi rl." "Right." "Now, did she tel I you where they I ive?" "Hazel, I isten here." "I got to show you somethi n'." "Oh, look, I got to see that man." "This thing, Hazel, I got to show it to you." "Now." "Here." "This afternoon." "What thi ng?" "I don't want to see any thi ng ofyours." " I want that-that address." " Come on." "" Muv-se-vum. "" "Wal k easy." "I don't wanna wake the old guard." "He ai n't very friendly with me." "You see that there notice?" "I t says he was once as tal I as you or me." "Some A-rabs done it to hi m i n six months." "Took all the blood out ofhim." "Then thely done it to him." "Must've sewed up his mouth to keep hi m from yel I i n' whi le they was doi n' it." "You can count his elyelashes." " I s thi s what you wanted to show me?" " Yeah." "Wel I, I seen it." "Now, where do they I ive?" "Do you know where they I ive?" "Yeah." "Yeah, sure." "I know where they I ive." "All right, where is it?" "Which one ofthem houses is it?" "Wel I, she - she said it was on Pl um T ree Drive." "Wait." "I" " I know where it's at." "I remem ber the num ber she give to me." "You're lyi n'." "You don't know where they I ive." " You're lyi n' to me." " No, I couldn't lie." "I t's one of these here houses." "I swear to you." "Wait." "I think that's it." "I'm trying to help lyou find it, Hazel, but " "I can't use none of your hel p!" "You I led to m e." "You ai n't got any better i dea where they I ive than I do." " N o, i t ai n't true." "She told me " " You I led to me!" "You been runni n' up and down this city... just to show me some ki nd of dried-up dead man... and a cage of monkeys and a - and a hoot owl." "And now you can't fi nd 'em because you don't know where they I ive." "U h, if a room's free, I'd I i ke to rent it." "Room's for rent, al I ri ght." "What do you do?" "I'm a preacher." " What church?" " Church oft ruth Without Christ." "Protestant... or-or somethi n' foreign?" "Oh, no, ma'am." "I t's Protestant." "You can look at the room." "I t's $20 a week, i n advance." "Man named Hawks I ives here, don't he?" "Downstai rs i n the front room - hi m and his chi Id." "I t used to be a fi re escape there, but I don't know what happened to it." "Wel I, I 'I I take the room." "I t's that boy, Papa - that one that keeps fol leri n' me." "Get away." "What do you want?" "I I ive here now." "I thought ifyour gi rl give me so m uch eye back there..." "I just m i ght return some of it." "What I give you the other day was of a look of i ndignation... for what I seen you do." "It was lyou give me the elye." "You should've seen hi m, Papa." "He looked me up and down." "I started mly own church." "I'm gonna be preachi n' it on the streets." "You can't leave me alone, can you, boy?" "I didn't ask you to come here, and I ai n't aski n' you to hang around." "What the hel I ki nd of-of a preacher are you not to see ifyou can save my soul?" "Goddam n J esus hog." "Wel I, look what you used to be." "Look whatlyou tried to do." "You got over it." "So wi I I he." "I don't want hi m around here." "He makes me nervous." "Listen here." "You hel p me to get hi m." "Then you go away and do what you please, and I can I ive with hi m." "He don't even know you exist." "Even if he don't, that's al I right." "That's how come I can get hi m easy." "I want hi m, and you oughta hel p." "Then you can go off I i ke you want to." "Al I right, but you better make it work ifyou want to eat after I'm gone." "I 'I I get hi m." "That m ight be just fi ne." "Might be the oi I on Aaron's beard." "Listen here." "I t would be the nuts." "I'm just crazy about him." "I never seen a boy I liked the looks of any better." "Don't run him off." "T el I hi m how you bl i nded yourself for J esus and show hi m that cl i ppi ng you got." "The cl i ppi ng." "Mly church is the Church Without Christ." "I am a m em ber and a preacher to that church... where the bl i nd don't see and the lame don't wal k... and what's dead stays that way." "What church you belong to?" "You, boy." "There." " I said, what church lyou belong to?" " Church of Christ." "Wel I, ask me about my church, and I 'I I tel I you... it's the church that the blood ofJ esus don't foul with redem ption." "Listen here." "I'm gonna take the truth with me wherever I go." "I'm gonna preach it to whoever will listen." "I'm gonna preach that there was no Fall... 'ca use there was noth i n' to fa I I from." "N o redem pti on 'ca use there was no Fal I... and no judgment because there wasn't the first two." "N othi n'm atters but that J esus Christ was a I iar!" " Hazel?" "Listen here, Hazel." "I found it." " What do you want?" "I found it - the house where they I ive." "You shouldn't have oughta hit me, Hazel." "It weren't nothin'I done thatlyou should've hit me." "I only thought it was a three." "But I found it, and I 'I I take you there ifyou want." "I know where they I ive." " I I ive there now, see?" " You know where they I ive?" "But ifyou didn't know and I told you, then you'd know now." "Oh, get outta here." "All he can do is hang around and make a fool out ofhimself." "He don't know whether he's comin ' or goin '." "He-He ain't nothin ' but a shiftless, crazly boly." "Ifjesus Chris t had redeemedlyou, what difference would it make to lyou?" "What d i fference wou I d i t m a ke to that crazy boy?" "There's no peace for the redeem ed." "If there was three crosses there... a nd J es us Chri st hung on the m i ddi e one... that wouldn't mean no more to you or me than the other two." "What you need is somethi n' to take the place ofJ esus... somethin' that would speak plain." "Now, the Church Without Christ don't have a J esus." "But it needs one." "It needs a newjesus - one that's al I man, without blood to waste... that don't look like anly other man, so lyou'll look at him." " Give m e such a J esus." " I got him!" "I m ean, I can get hi m." "H i m - you seen hi m yourself." "Him that I showed to lyou - the newjesus." "I ' I I get hi m." "I ' I I get hi m for you, H azel." "You look at me andlyou look at a peaceful man - peaceful because mly blood has set me free." " Who i s i t?" " It's me." "Com e i n." "What do you wa nt?" "I f J es us Ch ri st cu red bl i nd m en... how com e you don't get h i m to cure you?" "H e bl i nded Paul." "Where did you get them scars under your eyes?" "Get me that cl i ppi ng." "Here." "Read that." "That's how I got the scars." "He done it with lime." "And there was hundreds converted." "Anybody that bl i nded hi ssel f for justi fi cati on oughta be abl e to save you... or even som ebody of hi s bl ood." "N obody wi th a good car... needs to be justified." "The bastard got away with my cl i ppi ng." "Go get it." "Wel I, you got another cl i ppi ng, ai n't ya?" "The one that says, " Evangel ist's Nerve Fai Is. "" "Thief!" "." "Thief!" "." "I been here al I the ti me, and you never known it." "What do you want to hide i n my car for?" "I got busi ness before me." "I ai n't got ti me for any fool ishness." "Let's drive a bit." "My name is Sabbath - Sabbath Li ly Hawks." "My mother named me that just after I was born... because I was born on the Sabbath." "And then she turned over i n her bed and died, and I never seen her." " U h-huh." " H i m and her wasn't married." "And that makes me a bastard, but I can't hel p it." "I t was what he done to me and not what I done to myself." " Bastard?" " A real bastard." "Do you know what?" ""A bastard shal I not enter the ki ngdom of heaven. "" " How could you be a bastard when " " Do you read the papers?" "No." "Wel I, there's this woman i n it named Mary Brittle... that tel Is you what to do when you don't know." " You couldn't " " I wrote her a letter and asked what I was to do." " You couldn't be a bastard when " " I said, " Dear Mary, I am a bastard..." ""and a bastard shal I not enter the ki ngdom of heaven, as we al I know." "" But I have this personal ity that makes boys fol low me." "" Do you thi nk I should neck or not?" ""I shal I not enter the ki ngdom of heaven anyway... so I don't see what difference it makes. "" " Listen here." "I fyour daddy was " " Then she answered my letter i n the paper." "She said, " Dear Sabbath, I ight necki ng is acceptable..." ""but I thi nk your real problem is one of adjustment to the modern world." "" Perhaps you ought to reexam i ne your rel igious val ues..." ""to see if they meet your needs i n I ife." ""A rel igious experience can be a beautiful addition to I ivi ng..." ""ifyou put it i n the proper perspective and do not let it warp you." "Read some books on ethical culture. "" "You couldn't be a bastard when - You m ust be m ixed up." "Your daddy bl i nded hisself for J esus Christ " "Then I wrote another letter." "I says, " Dear Mary, what I real ly want to know..." ""is should I go the whole hog or not." "That's my real problem." "I've adjusted okay to the modern world. "" " But your daddy bl i nded hisself for J es " " He wasn't always as holy as he is now." "She never answered my second letter." "You mean i n his youth, your daddy didn't bel ieve, but he come to." " I s that what you mean, or ai n't it?" " That's right." "You quit feel i n' that - my leg with yours." "Can you turn down that di rt road?" "Ho-How did he come to bel ieve?" "What changed hi m to a preacher ofJ esus?" "Why don't we get out and sit under the trees where we can get better acquai nted?" "Was he always such an evi I-seem i n' man before he came to bel ieve... or just part-way evi I seem i n'?" "Al I-the-way evi I. Stop the car." "Let's get out here." "Let's sit down for a whi le." "I gotta be goi n' back to town." "I ai n't got ti me to set i n any woods." "I suppose, before he came to bel ieve, he didn't bel ieve at al I." "I can save you." "I've got a church i n my heart where J esus is ki ng." "I bel ieve i n the new ki nd ofJ esus - the one that can't waste his blood redeem i ng people with it... 'cause he's al I man and ai n't got any God i n hi m." "Mly church is the Church Without Christ." "Wel I, can a bastard be saved i n it?" "They al n't any such a thi ng as a bastard i n the Church Without Christ." "Everything is all one." "Bastard wouldn't be any different from anybody else." "That's good." "There was this child once that nobodly cared if it lived or died." "I ts ki n sent i t around from one to another of them... and fi nal ly to i ts grandm other, who was a very evi I wom an." "And she couldn't stand to have it around... 'cause the least good thing made her break out in these welts." "She'd get al I i tchi n' and swol e." "Even her eyes woul d i tch her and swel I up." "And there wasn't nothi ng she could do but run up and down the road... shaki n' her hands and cursi n'." "And it was twice as bad when this child was there... so she kept the child locked up in a chicken crate." "I t seen i ts granny i n hel I fi re... swol e and burni n'... and i t tol d her everythi ng i t seen." "And she got so swol e unti I fi nal ly she went to the wel I... and wrapped the wel I rope around her neck... and let down the bucket and broke her neck." "Would you guess me to be 17 years old?" "Wouldn't be any sense to the word "bastard" i n the Church Without Christ." "Ai n't my feet white though?" "Why don't you I ie down and rest yourself?" "Don't make any difference to me how m uch you I i ke me." "I see you." "I see you." "Get away from me!" "Come on, ifyou don't want to get left." "What'd you do to my car?" "What's wrong i n there?" "I t's a good car, ai n't it?" "Look, m ister." "That's a good car." "That car'll get me anywhere I want to go." "I told you this car'I I get me anywhere I want to go." "She may stop every once i n a whi le, but she won't stop permanent." " How m uch do I owe you?" " Not a thi ng." " What about the gas?" " Nothin'." " Not a thi ng." " Al I ri ght." "Thank you." "T old you this car'I I get me anywhere I want to go." "I t's a grand auto." "Goes as smooth as honey." "Wasn't bui It by a bunch of foreigners or niggers, nor one-armed men." "I t was bui It by people with thei r eyes open... who knew where they was at." "Some folks is-is-is alwalys disputing ' everything." "Some folks thinks that thely - that thely owe... everyth i ng that they got to J es us Ch ri st cruci fi ed." "Wel I, i n my economy, there a i n't nobody that owes nothi n' to nobody." "Are you gonna stay and I isten, or you - are you gonna wal k away I i ke everybody else?" "Well, go on and go." "But remem ber, the truth don't I urk around every street corner." "Fol ks." "Fol ks Come on." "Come on." "Come on, you fol ks." "Stay now." "Come back here." "Come on." "Come on back here." "Yes, ma'am. just come on." "Come on now." "Staly." "I was just fixin ' to telllyou all about me." "I wi sht I had my gui tar." "Somehow it's just easier for me... to say somethi ng sweet with m usic, rather than just - just plai n." "Listen to me, friends." "Before I met this prophet here..." "I didn't have a friend in this world." "Do any ofyou know what it means... not to have a friend i n the world?" "Ain't no worse than nobodly who wouldn't stick a knife in lyour back when lyou wasn't lookin '." "You sai d a m outhful when you sai d that, fri end." "Everybody, fri ends, I want to i ntrod uce mysel f to you." "My nam e i s Onni e J ay H oly... and I am a preacher." "I don't" " I don't m i nd you knowl ng that." "But I don't - I don't want you to bel ieve anythi ng." "And I wouldn't ask you to bel ieve anythi ng... that you did not feel right i n your own hearts." "Friends, everybodly that's born onto this earth... is full ofsweetness and love." "You know that when a chi I d gets bi gger... that sweetness just doesn't show so good, does i t?" "I m ean, troubles come to perplext hi m, fol ks." "I mean, the sweetness gets driven i nside." "Then he becomes miserable and lonesome and- and sick... and, lyou know, he starts to saly..." ""Now, where's mly sweetness gone?"" "I f som ebody's sweetness, fri ends, they m i g ht j ust des pa i r com pl etely." "H uh?" "I m ean, despai r." "N ow that - that's the way i t was with me, friends." "I know what of I speak here." "Before I met the prophet." "Before I found out he was out here to hel p me." "I mean, he's out here preachi ng the Church of Christ Without Christ." "Now I want you al I to I isten to hi m." "I want you to I isten to hi m and to me, and I want you to joi n our church." "The holy Church... ofJ esus Christ Without Christ." "That" " That man ain't true." " I never seen him before tonight." " I wasn't true, friends." "I wasn't true before I met this prophet here." "I want you to know that." "I wasn't true." "I didn't preach the truth." "But I'm gonna give you some reasons right now... why you can joi n this church, why it's best for you." "The fi rst thi ng is there's just nothi ng foreign about it." " No." "Nothi ng foreign about it." " No." "No, I isten." "Blasphemy ain't the way to the truth, whether you understand it or not." " Hear the prophet!" "Hear the prophet!" " This" " This man is a liar." " I never seen him before tonight." " I I led before I met this prophet." "I'm gonna give you some more reasons why you ought to joi n this church, friends." "Some more reasons are is this church is right up to date." "Now you hear me." "I t's up to date." "You belong to this church, nothin' or nobody is ever gonna be ahead ofyou, right?" "Nothin' or nobody will be ahead ofyou." "Nobody's gonna know somethi ng that you don't know." "No, si r!" "I mean, al I the cards right out on the table, friends." "That's a fact." "That's a natural fact." "Now, it's gonna cost each and every one ofyou here a dol lar." " What's a dollar?" "A dollar's a few dimes." " Here's my dol lar." " That's not too much to unlock the little rose ofsweetness inside lyou." " Li sten." " J ust one dol I ar." " I t don't cost you any m oney " " H ear the prophet!" " to know the truth." "You can't know it from money." "You see?" "A dol lar's not too m uch, friends." "You see?" "The prophet don't care nothi n' about money." "I t's not too m uch to know the truth, just one dol lar." "U h" " U h, fol ks, I'm gonna have to leave you now." "But we're gonna meet here agai n tomorrow night i n this very same spot." " Right i n this same place." "I gotta catch up with the prophet right now." "Where you goin'?" "There must be at least $ 10 out there." "What's the big hurry, friend?" "Now I isten." "You and me have got to get together on this thi ng." " You know what you put me i n m i nd of when I fi rst seen you?" "J esus Christ and Abraham Li ncol n." "You're " " Get out." " What are you sayi n', friend?" "Hey." "I've been on the radio for three years." "I'm a real preacher, friend." "You better I isten to me now." " Get out!" " Listen." "You want to get anywhere i n the rel i gion busi ness... you've got to keep it sweet." "Listen, friend!" "Listen." "You got some good ideas." "You got good ideas." "Al I they need is a I ittle promotion." "That J esus idea is a good one." " Al I we gotta do is promote it." " Look." "Look." "There ai n't any such a thi ng as any new J esus." "That wasn't nothi n' but a way of sayi n' somethi ng, Holy!" "My name ai n't Holy." "My name is Hoover Shoates." "And you better remem ber it, friend, because I'm about to run you out of busi ness." "I mean, I'm gonna be back here tomorrow night with a new prophet." "I can fi nd prophets for peanuts, friend." "I 'I I do my own preachi n', you understand me?" "You better watch it, 'cause what you need is a I ittle com petition." "You understand?" "Now, then, you can get out." "Now you can leave me alone." "Hi, Hazel." "I don't care iflyou hit me." "I ' m stayi ng with you." "I ' m not goi n'." "He ai n't bl i nd." "Your daddy ai n't bl i nd." "I thought anybody could have seen that." "He's just a crook." "I seen hi m." "J ust now." "Without his glasses." "And " "And he saw me too." "Listen." "The m i nute I set eyes on you..." "I said to myself... that's what I gotta have." "J ust give me some of hi m." "I said, " Look at those pecan eyes and go crazy, gi rl." ""That innocent look don't hide a thing." "" He's just pure filthy..." ""ri ght to the guts, I i ke me." ""The only difference is..." "" I I i ke bei ng that way... and he don't. "" "Yes, si r." "I I i ke bei ng that way, and I can teach you how to I i ke it." "Don't you want to learn how to I i ke it?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I want to." "T ake offyour hat, ki ng of the beasts." "Gonga!" "Come shake the giant paw!" "The royal paw of the monarch of the jungle." "Gonga!" "The m ighty Gonga!" "Before each showi ng, the great star himself... will shake lyour tinly hand." "Come see Gonga live." "A personal appearance bly the frightful beast before each presentation." "A free pass to the firs t 10 brave enough to shake his hand." "A t 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00 and 8: 00." " H azel Motes I ive here?" " H e does." "I s he a rou nd?" "U psta i rs." "Fi rst door." "My m a n i s s i ck today and sl eepi n'... 'cause he didn't sleep none last ni ght." "What do you want?" "I done brought hi m this here thi ng he needs." "He knows what it is." "I run a awful risk, but I did what I had to." "You just give it to him." "He'll know what to do with it." " I'll take care of it." " For him, not you, hear?" " You just tell him I got it, now it's his, and I'm glad to get shut of it." " What's in it?" "Something he gotta have." "Something that'll save those that sees it." "And he'll do something with it, 'cause it don't look like no other J esus." "You just give it to him." "Well, I declare." "You're right cute, ain't ya?" "Who's your mama and daddy?" "Oh!" "Well, let's go give him a jolt." "Call me mama now." "You've broken him, and he was mine!" "You didn't have to do that." "I m i ght have fixed hi m." "I knew when I fi rst seen you you were mean and evi I." "I knew you were mean enough to slam a baby agai nst the wal I." "I seen you wouldn't have no fun nor let anybody hel p you... because you didn't want nothi n' but J esus!" " Gonga is com i n' here now?" " Yeah." " The real Gonga?" " Yeah." "He's com i n'." " You gonna shake his hand?" " Yeah." " Can" " Can anybody shake his hand?" " Yeah." "You gotta get in line first." "Roari ng Gonga, the great star." "Shake the great Gonga's hand for a free pass." "A free pass to the fi rst 10 brave enough to shake his hand." "Easy now." "Back off." "Back off." "Back off." "Get back." "Get back." "Hang on." "Please back up." "You see him?" "You see him?" "H ave you ever seen " "Stay back chi ldren." "Stay back." " Staly in line now." " H ow ol d are you anyhow?" "Make it snapply." "Okaly." "There's lyour pass." "Make i t snappy." "Okay." "There's your pass." "Shake hi s hand and keep m ovi n'." "There's your pass." "Keep movi n'." "Come on." "Keep movin '." "Keep movin '." "Let's go." "There's lyour pass." "Come on." "Come on." "H ere you go." "There's your pass." "All right." "Come on." " My nam e's Enoch Em ory." " I can't hear you." "My" " My nam e's Enoch Em ory." "I work at the " "Okay." "Keep i t m ovi n'." "Keep it movi n'." "I'm comin'!" "There's a leak i n the gas tank I want you to pl ug up... and, uh, make the starter work smoother." "Okay, open the hood." "Start it up." "Where's " "Give it some gas!" "How long you figure it'I I take you to fix it up?" "Can't be done." "Oh, look, m ister." "This is a good car." "I knew, when I bought this car, it was a good car." "Now I got a place to be I can always get away i n." "Plan on goi ng someplace i n this here car?" "Yeah." "Another garage." " How m uch we gonna owe you?" " Seven dol lars." "Al I right, si r." "H m m." " He won't hurt you, as long as I hold hi m by the chai n." "Shake hands with the star of the show." "Shake hands with Gonga." " Come on." "Shake hands." " Staly in line." "Fourth goddam n ti me this idiot showed up." "Been fol lowi ng us around al I goddam n day." " Staly in line there." " Shake hands with Gonga." "H i, Gonga." "I'm only 18 years old, but I al ready work at the city zoo." "You idiot." "Go to hel I. Get lost." " J ust get out of here, wi I I ya?" " Shake the m ighty Gonga's hand." "Shake hands with the star hi mself." "Shake hands with Gonga." "He won't hurt you as long as I hold him by the chain." "Where you come from is gone." "Where you thought you were going to... weren't never there." "And where you are... ai n't no good unless you can get away from it." "Your conscience... is a trick." "I t don't exist." "And ifyou thi nk it does... then lyou had best get it out in the open - hunt it down... and ki I I it." " Friends, I want you to meet the new prophet, the true prophet here." "I want you to I isten to what he says." "Listen here!" "I want you to I isten to what he says, 'cause I thi nk... he's gonna make you as happy as he has made me." "The unredeemed are redeem i ng thei rselves... and the new J esus is at hand." "Watch for this m i racle." "Hel p yourself to salvation... i n the Holy Church of Christ..." "Without Christ." " Amen!" "Amen!" "The prophet." " Amen." "Amen." "Amen." " Those kids were m urder today." " No kiddi ng." " Brat kids." " Shut up, man." "I'm pooped." "There lyou go." "The prophet blesses ya!" "Yes." "Come back tomorrow night, folks." "Bringlyour friends." "You just earned yoursel f... three dol lars, fri end." "Let's make it four." "I want you back here tomorrow ni ght." "Come on, J osie." "Shake hands with Gonga." "Watch it." "Keep away." "Do you want to shake hands with Gonga?" "Now, whatlyou done that for?" "What you want?" "What you want?" "I ai n't done nothi n' to you." "How come you done that?" "Knocked mly car in a ditch!" "Quit just looki n' at me." "Say what you want." "How come you stand on that car... and say you don't bel ieve i n what you do bel ieve i n?" "What's it to you what I do?" "Wel I, how come you do it is what I asked." "Wel I, a man has to take care of hisself." "T ake off the hat..." "and the suit." "Now look here." "I ai n't tryi n' to mock you!" "He bought me this suit... and I thrown my other one away." "T ake it off!" "." "T ake it al I off!" "." "Two thi ngs that I just can't stand - a man that ai n't true and one that mocks what is." "You should never have tem pered with me ifyou didn't want what you got." "I gave my mother... a lot of trouble." "Never gave her no rest." "And I stole that there car." "And I never told the truth to my daddy." "I told them where his sti I I was... for five dol lars." "J esus." "J esus." "Hel p me." "Shake hands with Gonga." "I don't wanna hurtlyou." "I only wanted to shake hands." "I only wanted to shake hands." "What are you doi n'?" "I'm goi n' somewheres." "What do you mean you're goi ng somewheres?" "Where are you goi n'?" "I'm goin' to another city to preach the truth." "Hazel!" "Hazel Motes!" "Hazel." "Okay." "I want you to fil I the car with gas..." "I want you to check the oi I and the ti res and the water." "I ' m goi n' on a tri p." " Where you goi n'?" " T o another city." "I n this car?" "Look." "Nobody with a good car needs to worry about nothi n'." "You understand?" "Yep." "You got two leaks i n the radiator." "This here ti re wi I I last maybe 20 m i les ifyou go slow." "This car is just begi nni ng its I ife." "A I ightning bolt couldn't stop it." "Ain't no use putting water in." "I t won't hold it." "Well, put it in there just the same." "I wasn't speeding', was I?" "No." "You wasn't speeding'." "Well, I was drivin' on the right side of the road." "Yes." "You was on the right side of the road." "That's right." "What'd you stop me for then?" "I just don't like your face." "Well, I don't like yours either." " Where is your license?" " I don't need a license." "No." "I don't reckon you do need one." "Well, I ain't got one if I do." "Look." "Would you mind following me down the road just a little ways." "There's a view I want to show you there." "Prettiest viewlyou ever did see." "Fol low me." "I thi nk you'd better get out." "You'I I see the view better ifyou were outside." "What you gonna do with that, Mr. Motes?" "He's done it!" "H e's bl i nded hi ssel f!" "." "He blinded himself!" "." "H e bl i nded hi m sel f!" "." "H e gone and done i t." "H e bl i nded hi m sel f!" "." "Just t-take it easly." "That gi rl is gone, Mr. Motes, I ' m happy to say." "She left ri ght after you did what you did." "Said she hadn't counted on no honest-to-J esus bl i nd man... and she run off to catch up with her daddy." "Real trash, Mr. Motes." "I run a orderly house, and that gi rl was trash if I ever saw it." "Now... here we are." "Everythi ng is just the same as before." "T omorrow I 'I I bri ng your chai r back up." "I'm obl lged." "Not at al I, Mr. Motes." "I want you to be comfortable i n my house." "Oh, here." "Let me hel p you get out of these clothes." "Oh, no, no." "I can" " I can take off my own clothes." "U h, I don't need no more hel p." "Wel I, al I ri ght." "You just cal I me ifyou need me." "Welcome back, Mr. Motes." "Why don't you start preachi ng agai n, Mr. Motes?" "Bei ng bl i nd wouldn't be a hi ndrance." "People I i ke to see a bl i nd preacher." "Could get you one of them seei ng dogs." "You and hi m could get up quite a crowd." "People always pay to see a dog." "Certainlly ought to start it again." "Give lyou something to do." "You haven't done a thi ng for months but wal k." "Why don't you start preachi ng agai n?" "I can't preach." "Whly?" "I ai n't got ti me." "Mr. Motes." "That wire." "What's that wire aroundlyou for?" "What you do these th i n gs for?" " T o pay." " Paly?" "Paly for what?" "M r." "Motes, what do you wa I k on rocks for?" "I t don't m a ke a ny d i fference what for." " I-It's not natural." " I t's" " I t's natural." "Wel I, i t's not norm al." "I" "I t's I i ke one of them gory stories... that some people have quit doin '." "Like boiling in oil or being a saint or walling up cats." "Th-There's no reason to i t." "Peopl e have qui t doi n' it." "They" " They al n't qui t doi n' it... as I ong as I ' m doi n' it." "People have quit doi n' it." "What do you do it for?" "I ai n't cl-clean." "I know it." "You got blood on that shi rt... and in the bed." "That ain't the kind of clean." "There's only one kind of clean, Mr. Motes." "You can't see." "I wouldn't be surprised ifyou wasn't some kind of a... agent ofthe pope or... g- got some connection with somethin' funnly." "The way you I ive, Mr. Motes, is terri ble." "You-You m i ght as wel I be one of them monks." "You m i ght as wel I I ive i n a - i n a monkery." "It's not good forlyou, Mr. Motes." "I ai n't argui ng with you about this." "Hear that wi nd, Mr. Motes?" "I t's fortunate for you to have this... warm place to be and... somebody to take care ofyou." "Every bl i nd and sick man isn't so fortunate as to... have somebody that cares for hi m." "Let me tel I you, Mr. Motes... few men are as fortunate as you." "But I" " I can't keep cl i m bi n' up and down those stai rs." "It wears me out." "I've been thinkin ' ofwhat we could do about it." "I know you I i ke it here, and you don't want to leave this house... and you' re a sick man and need somebody to take care of you, beside bei ng bl i nd." "So I been thi nki n' how we could arrange it so... you could have a home and somebody to take care ofyou and..." "I wouldn't have to go up and down those stai rs." "I've been thinkin', and..." "I see only one thi ng for you and me to do." "Get married." "I" " I cannot allowlyou... to stay under no other ci rcumstances." "Mr. Motes?" "What are lyou d-dressing for?" "You don't want to go out i n this weather." "Nobodly should be without a place of their own, and..." "I ' m offeri ng you a hom e - a pl ace here wi th m e... a pl ace you can always stay, Mr. Motes... and never worry yoursel f about." "I got a pl ace for you i n my heart, Mr. Motes." "I don't want a thi ng but to hel p you... and if we don't hel p each other, there's nobody to hel p us." "Nobody." "The world's a em pty place, Mr. Motes." "You got nobody to take care ofyou but me." "Nobody care ifyou I ive or die but me." "No place to be but m i ne." "Or were you thi nki ng about fi ndi ng you another room i ng house?" "Maybe you were thi nki ng about goi ng to some other city." "No." "That ai n't where I'm goi n'." "There ai n't no other house." "There ai n't no other city." "There's nothi n', Mr. Motes." "And ti me goes forward." "I t don't go backward." "U nless you take what's offered you... you'I I - you'I I fi nd yourself out i n the cold pitch black, and... just how far you thi nk you'I I get?" "You needn't return to a place you don't val ue, Mr. Motes." "The door won't be open to ya." "I want the pol ice." "Get me the pol ice." "Hey." "What's that over there?" "Aren't we looking for one in a blue suit?" "Bl i nd and got a bl ue suit." "H is suit ai n't bl ue." "Yes, it is bl ue." "You thi nk he's dead?" "Ask hi m." "Hey, you." "No, he's not dead." "He's movin'." "Maybe he's just unconscious." "Uh, is it day or night?" "I t's day." "We've gotta take you back to pay your rent." "I'm" " I'm goi n' where I'm goi n'." "We got to take you back anyway." "Got to pay your rent fi rst - every bit of it." "Oh." " Is this lyour man?" " That's hi m." "We found him down bly the railroad tres tie." "I n here." "I tha n k you." "Wel I, M r." "Motes, I see you've com e hom e." "I knew you'd be back, a nd I've been wai ti n' for ya." "You can have i t any way you I i ke - upstai rs or down... just however you want it - and me to wait on you." "I fyou want to go on somewhere... we'I I both go." "Won't we, Mr. Motes?" "Mr. Motes?" "Mr. Motes?" "Mr. Motes?"