John Steinbeck's`"In Dubios Battle": Summary
John Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle" is a relentlessly fast-paced
novel of social unrest and the story of a young man's struggle for identity,
In Dubious Battle is set in the California apple country, where a strike by
migrant workers against rapacious landowners spirals out of control.
Caught up in this upheaval is Jim Nolan, a once aimless man who finds
himself in the course of the strike, briefly becomes its leader, and is
ultimately crushed in its service.
Jim Nolan's father was a working man driven to his death by blow of
police clubs and pistol butts. As a youngster, Jim witnessed both his
father's courage and his despair. He saw his mother loose even her
religious faith as ...
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was with them. Shortly after their arrival at the camp of the
workers, Mac, by giving the impression that he was a doctor, delivered the
camp leader's grandchild. Word of his accomplishments spread throughout
the area. After Mac and Jim became friends with London, the leader of the
camp, and the other workers, they persuaded the fruit pickers to organize
and strike for higher wages, and better living conditions. This was not
easy to do. As usual the orchard owners had made effective use of
communism. Furthermore, the vigilantes were a constant menace, not to
mention deputies, troops, and strikebreakers, all hirelings of the fruit
growers. In addition, the authorities could always close down the camp by
maintaining that it violated the sanitation laws and was a menace to public
health. There was also the problem of money and food. The poor migrant
workers desperately needed work to supply their daily necessities.
But at last the strike was called, with a little help ...
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and skeptic,
took charge of the sanitation, thus protecting the camp against the health
inspectors. Dick, a handsome comrade, used his charm on women in order to
get money and food for the strikers.
Meanwhile, the owners tried everything to break up the strike.
They attempted to intimidate the workers, to divide them, and to bribe
London, but all of their efforts failed. Then another problem arose. The
owners had an article published in which it stated that the county was
feeding the strikers. The report was not true but those who sympathized
with the strikers believed it and stopped sending aid. Dick was getting
far fewer results from his endeavors, and the situation ...
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John Steinbeck's`"In Dubios Battle": Summary. (2008, October 25). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/John-Steinbecks-In-Dubios-Battle-Summary/92001
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"John Steinbeck's`"In Dubios Battle": Summary." Essayworld.com. October 25, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/John-Steinbecks-In-Dubios-Battle-Summary/92001.
"John Steinbeck's`"In Dubios Battle": Summary." Essayworld.com. October 25, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/John-Steinbecks-In-Dubios-Battle-Summary/92001.
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