In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
"In Dubious Battle," a novel by John Steinbeck published in 1936, explores themes of labor, struggle, and social justice through the lens of the Great Depression. The narrative follows Jim Nolan, a young man whose early experiences with poverty and violence shape his worldview, leading him to join the Communist Party. Jim collaborates with Mac, an experienced organizer, to incite a labor strike among fruit pickers facing drastic wage cuts from orchard owners. The story unfolds as they grapple with the complexities of organizing amidst threats from vigilantes, police, and economic desperation.
As tensions rise, the characters encounter moral dilemmas, strong camaraderie, and the harsh realities of labor struggles, including the dire consequences of state repression. The narrative also reveals the challenges of unity among workers and the impact of external forces attempting to undermine their efforts. Through its depiction of collective action and individual sacrifice, "In Dubious Battle" reflects on the enduring fight for workers' rights and the socio-political dynamics of the time. The novel serves as a poignant commentary on the human condition, the fight against oppression, and the strength found in solidarity.
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In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
First published: 1936
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of plot: 1930’s
Locale: California
Principal characters
Mac , a Communist labor organizerJim Nolan , his assistant and friendLondon , the leader of the fruit pickersDoc Burton , a friend of the strikersAl Townsend , sympathetic to the strikers
The Story:
Jim Nolan’s father is a working man brought to his death by the blows of police clubs and pistol butts. As a youngster, Jim witnesses both his father’s courage and his despair. Jim sees his mother lose even her religious faith as poverty and starvation overwhelm the family. Older, but still keenly remembering his youth, with the scars of brutality and starvation deeply embedded in his heart, Jim becomes a member of the Communist Party. He is assigned to work with Mac, an able, experienced organizer. Together, they become fruit pickers, at a time when the fruit growers cut wages lower than the workers think possible. A strike is brewing, and Mac and Jim determine to hurry it along and to direct its course.
Luck is with them. Shortly after their arrival at the camp of the workers, Mac, giving the impression that he is a doctor, helps London’s thirteen-year-old daughter-in-law Lisa give birth. Word of Mac’s accomplishment spreads throughout the area. After Mac and Jim becomes friendly with London, leader of the camp, and the other workers, they persuade the fruit pickers to organize and to strike for higher wages and for better living conditions. This is not easy to do. As usual, the orchard owners make effective use of communism as a bogey. Furthermore, the vigilantes are a constant menace, not to mention deputies, troops, and strikebreakers, all hirelings of the fruit growers. In addition, the authorities can always close down the camp by maintaining that it violates the sanitation laws and is a menace to public health. There is also the problem of money and food; the poor migrant workers desperately need work to supply their daily necessities.
Despite these difficulties, a strike at last is called. On the night that the strikers are to sneak out to meet the strikebreakers called in by the owners, Mac and Jim are ambushed by vigilantes. They succeed in escaping, but Jim is shot in the arm. Word of their plan for the next morning had leaked out, and they suspect that a stool pigeon is in their midst. Nevertheless, the next day they march out to meet the strikebreakers at the railroad station and to implore them not to fight against their fellow workers. Although the police assemble in force, they seem afraid of the strikers. During the encounter, Joy, an old and crippled comrade, is shot and killed. The strikers carry the body back to the camp, and over the body of their comrade, Mac delivers a fiery and eloquent speech, exhorting the strikers to carry on and to fight to the finish. This action proves to be the best of all possible spurs to bring the workers together, and the strikers are aroused to carry on the struggle even more fiercely.
Luck is with them in other ways. They persuade the father of Al Townsend, who owns a lunch cart and gives handouts to Communist Party members, to allow them to camp on his farm, after they promise him that his crop will be picked and that his property will be protected. Doc Burton, a philosopher and skeptic, takes charge of the sanitation, thus protecting the camp against the health inspectors. Dick, a handsome comrade, uses his charms on women in order to get money and food for the strikers. Meanwhile, the owners try everything to break up the strike. They attempt to intimidate the workers, to divide them, to bribe London, but all their efforts fail. Then another problem arises. The owners have an article published in which it is stated that the county is feeding the strikers. The report is not true, but those who sympathize with the strikers believe it and stop helping them altogether. Dick is getting far fewer results from his endeavors, and the situation becomes desperate.
Mac is often on the point of losing his head, of letting his anger get the better of him, so that the strategy of the strike is sometimes imperiled. By contrast, Jim grows more able, more hardened. He ignores the women of the camp who seek to lure him into their tents and does not allow his feelings for Lisa to become anything more than a casual, friendly relationship. Thus, he provides a sort of balance for his more emotional comrades. Conditions grow worse. The strikers have practically no money and no food. Dick finally manages to get a cow and some beans, but the food suffices for only a few days. Meanwhile, Doc Burton vanishes. Without his help, the sick and the wounded cannot be attended to, and the sanitation of the camp grows progressively worse. One night, someone manages to outwit the guards and set a barn afire. The barn and an adjacent kennel housing some favorite pointers are totally destroyed. The next day the owner calls in the sheriff to evict the strikers.
The strike seems lost. The spirits of the men are at a low ebb, and they give signs of yielding. On the following night, a boy comes and tells Jim and Mac that Doc Burton is lying wounded in a field. They rush out, only to realize, when they are fired upon, that they have fallen into a trap. Mac calls out a word of warning and falls to the ground. When he gets up, after the firing stops, he calls out to Jim. He gets no answer. Jim is dead. By that time, the shots have aroused the others, and they come forward. Over the body of his comrade and friend, Mac makes a strong and rousing speech, urging the workers to stick together, to fight on, and to win the strike.
Bibliography
Benson, Jackson J. The True Adventures of John Steinbeck, Writer. New York: Viking Press, 1984. Definitive biography considers In Dubious Battle in context with the author’s life and works.
Benson, Jackson J., and Anne Loftis. “John Steinbeck and Farm Labor Unionization: The Background of In Dubious Battle.” American Literature 52, no. 2 (May, 1980): 194-223. Situates Steinbeck’s novel within the social conditions from which it emerged. Just as intriguing as the similarities between fact and fiction are the instances in which Steinbeck altered facts, notably his omission of women from the labor movement and Mexicans from the migrant community.
French, Warren. John Steinbeck. 2d rev. ed. Boston: Twayne, 1975. Illustrates Steinbeck’s use of Arthurian legend.
George, Stephen K., and Barbara A. Heavilin, eds. John Steinbeck and His Contemporaries. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007. A collection of papers from a 2006 conference about Steinbeck and the writers who influenced or informed his work. Some of the essays discuss his European forebears, particularly Henry Fielding and Sir Thomas Malory, and his American forebears, such as Walt Whitman and Sarah Orne Jewett, while other essays compare his work to Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and other twentieth century American writers.
Hayashi, Tetsumaro, ed. John Steinbeck: The Years of Greatness, 1936-1939. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1993. Collection of essays on Steinbeck’s life and literary achievements during the late 1930’s. Several articles are pertinent to In Dubious Battle.
Meyer, Michael J., ed. The Betrayal of Brotherhood in the Work of John Steinbeck. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2000. Describes how Steinbeck adapted the biblical story of Cain and Abel in many of his works. One essay, “The Evil Other and the Migrant Movement: Cain Sign in In Dubious Battle,” examines this novel.
Pressman, Richard S. “Individualists or Collectivists? Steinbeck’s In Dubious Battle and Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not.” Steinbeck Quarterly 25, nos. 3/4 (Summer/Fall, 1992): 119-132. Discusses Steinbeck’s representation and occasional misrepresentation of American communism.
Simmonds, Roy S. A Biographical and Critical Introduction of John Steinbeck. Lewiston, N.Y.: E. Mellen Press, 2000. Charts Steinbeck’s evolution as a writer from 1929 through 1968, discussing the themes of his works and the concepts and philosophies that influenced his depictions of human nature and the psyche. Interweaves details about his writings with accounts of his personal life.