In Dubious Battle

Ambiguity is defined as “the quality of being open to more than one interpretation.” In fiction, it leads readers to consider various conclusions and provokes them to go beyond the text itself. In Dubious Battle exemplifies this. John Steinbeck ensures that every character, every conflict, and every theme incorporates some form of ambiguity. Not only does this provoke the reader to think beyond the socio-economic problems directly expressed within the text, but it also sparks questions regarding

have commanding resources at their disposal. Despite this fact he is willing to risk lives in pursuit of what he deems a greater cause. This inherent selfishness breeds the greed and inhumanity that Steinbeck is so keen to expose in his novel, In Dubious Battle. Mac shows his true, selfish and greedy self when he takes advantage of situations as a chance for his own gain: to further his cause, manipulate the strikers’ emotions, steam up the crowd, and gain the public’s sympathy. Mac depicts his honest

today’s world, it seems everyone is fueled to work only towards the dream of wealth. Without the promise of payment, people will turn their back on their neighbor without a second thought and continue on the search for prosperity. In the novel In Dubious Battle, we meet Mac, a hard working party member doing everything in his power to help struggling laborers make the wage they were promised before setting out for the California apple orchards. Almost immediately after the strike begins, Mac comes to

John Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle" Summary 	This story opens with the main character named Jim Nolan leaving behind his former life and going to meet Harry Nilson, a leader of the "Party." Jim had a father killed in a riot, a mother who died, and a sister that was missing. He wants to join the "Party" because he wants to do something that will give his life meaning. He is accepted, and is introduced to other members of the party. The next day, Jim accompanies Mac

Diligence and dedication, two qualities that most people would consider quite admirable. In In Dubious Battle, Mac McLeod radiates both of these traits and although these traits are admirable as aforementioned, Mac’s motives and actions cause some of his better qualities to be overlooked. For Mac, most of what he does is to benefit his cause and what he is working towards, which is ultimately a massive strike by thousands of workers on an apple farm. However, there are points throughout the novel

people typically act eccentrically and make unjustified decisions. Officers confront Dakin, a leader of the strike in In Dubious Battle, during one of the movements. Dakin challenges the police, “‘He lets out a howl like a coyote and starts for ’em. They shoot him in the leg, but that don’t stop him . . . he just went nuts . . . Dakin bit a cop on the hand’” (In Dubious Battle, 145). The dreadful living conditions and state of life made Dakin, like many other men, go crazy. One misunderstanding led

their culture and values, but are mocked and in turn, encounter institutionalized racism. So despite the opportunities that this state promises, California is still paradoxical. To truly comprehend this notion, we can look at texts such as In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck and True West by Sam Shepard as examples, and artwork such as

In Dubious Battle is a book that is very similar to The Jungle. They sort of follow right after each other time zone wise, like the first and second part of a movie. You see many of the struggles that both the main character have went through and instantly notice their traumas. The start of the 1900s was a very rough time for anyone who wasn’t in riches. Jurgis and Jim weren’t amongst those people.Throughout this essay both lifestyles will be compared to one another. In Dubious battle is a book

Throughout the first nine chapters of In Dubious Battle, it is painfully obvious that not everything is as clear-cut as Mac would like individuals to believe. When readers are first introduced to the strike, it is presented in such a way where Mac and Jim would instigate a strike to help workers achieve the wages that were wrongfully taken away from them through pay cuts. While this seems like a valid thing to fight back against, Mac and Jim are members of what is assumed to be the Communist Party—and

In Dubious Battle The book immediately introduces the reader to a man named Jim, who leaves the life of a normal American and joins himself to a secret group that is attempting to organize laborers, to stand against influential land owners. Jim has observed his father, struggling against the powerful and witnessed his death in this struggle. He himself was thrown in jail for thirty days after being wrongly apprehended for listening to a party speaker in the street. Jim is disillusioned with society