In Dubious Battle Literary Analysis

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John Steinbeck’s 1936 novel In Dubious Battle depicts life in the Great Depression through the themes of power, struggle, and historical change, specifically as related to labor movements. Through these themes, the novel effectively portrays the struggles of workers during this era. The book realistically portrays what life was like during the Great Depression through the lens of the main character, Jim Nolan. Jim’s life had not been easy; he grew up in a violent household, lost both of his parents, and later lost his job and went to jail for vagrancy before he decided to join the Party. His father had unsuccessfully fought against unfair labor practices and died in a labor riot. Many of Jim’s problems were related to his father’s violent approach to labor reform, and he had seen how little progress had been made to help workers gain more labor rights. Jim joins the Party to feel that he has a purpose in life, recognizing that the structure of society and labor at the time made it difficult for members of the working class to advance, either in wealth or status. …show more content…

Their purpose is to help the workers organize, as Mac tells him “we don’t want only temporary pay raises […] we want the men to find out how strong they are when they work together” (Steinbeck 26). The Party’s goal to help men cause labor reform provides much insight to the roots of historical labor movements. Although businessowners, local law enforcement, or in some cases, federal troops often ended strikes, men were still willing to risk their wellbeing to fight for better working

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