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kmecholsky 's review for:
In Dubious Battle
by John Steinbeck
I thought this book would be too propagandistic at first, but once Steinbeck moved away from the city into the orchards and the midst of the strike, I, like the migrant workers, was swept up in the action. A few scenes do scream of talking heads, mouthpieces, and forced symbolism - no one's wrong when they call this the forerunner to Grapes of Wrath, rather than its equal- but it's still incredibly exciting and compelling journalism. And what it lacks in GoW's scope and artistry, it makes up for in intensity and impact. It's no mistake Steinbeck uses the word "hard-boiled" at least 5 times.
Steinbeck's real achievement, I think, is his ability to maintain an objective eye on the mess. The Communists are not idolized by Steinbeck, even as he doesn't stand to simply villainize all of the orchard owners. His sympathies still clearly lie with the workers, but the novel teases out the myriad problems in correcting the problems the workers face. No one is easily condemned or adored. In fact, the tension in the novel's conflicts largely grow out of the intense moral ambiguity of how the strike is organized and run.
This is a compelling document of 1930s America, in all its naked anger and hope.
Steinbeck's real achievement, I think, is his ability to maintain an objective eye on the mess. The Communists are not idolized by Steinbeck, even as he doesn't stand to simply villainize all of the orchard owners. His sympathies still clearly lie with the workers, but the novel teases out the myriad problems in correcting the problems the workers face. No one is easily condemned or adored. In fact, the tension in the novel's conflicts largely grow out of the intense moral ambiguity of how the strike is organized and run.
This is a compelling document of 1930s America, in all its naked anger and hope.