Thoughout John Steinbeck's In Dubious Battle, Jim Nolan undergoes a major change in his character. at the beginning of the novel, Jim is introduced to us as a lost individual looking for a purpose. His father was beaten to death, his mother died while Jim was in jail, and his sister vanished without a trace. Jim's lack of family left him with nowhere to turn to. in addition to this, he is broke. It while Jim was in jail that he realized he wanted something more to do with his life. His father was a member of 'The Party' and while Jim was in jail, he talked to members of the party. However, it doesnt join because of the cause, he just wants to be a part of something.
it isnt until later where we see Jim adopt the red parties ideals.
now that i am short on time ill just answer it. jim nolan becomes like the growers in his ideas. he wants things to be fair and is willing to fight to get them that way.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Jim does become like the Growers, I agree. It is interesting to see that both sides of the "battle" have their reasons. The Growers know that profit is their life blood and the workers know that in order to improve their lives they need more profit. The real problem seems to be in determining a balance between the two. Since this was set in the Great Depression, I wonder how much profit the Grower's were making? My assumption is that, even in these difficult times, because the product was food, there was still much profit. If this was the case, then the real problem seems to be Greed and Power. The Grower's took advantage of their power and lost sight of the value of human life. Jim also seems to be altered negatively by his new found power. He too seems to have lost sight of the value of human life...
ReplyDelete