A review by moseslh
In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
4.0
In Dubious Battle tells the tale of two Communist Party organizers who facilitate and lead a strike of migrant farmworkers against the local apple orchards that cut wages. It feels much more blunt/overt than [b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375670575s/18114322.jpg|2931549], which itself is hardly subtle, and perhaps for that reason its message was less powerful, but it was nonetheless quite thought-provoking and a worthwhile read.
The very premise of this book, with Communist agitators as its protagonists, was a dangerous one for Steinbeck to choose even in the 1930s, and I doubt he would have been able to publish this book a decade later. His portrayal of Communists is a fascinating and more nuanced than I would have expected. Steinbeck seems to have some sympathy for their cause, particularly in his opposition to the tyranny of the large landowners, but I came away from reading this with decidedly mixed feelings about the Party. The Party in the novel is entirely focused on the big picture and, as a result, its tactics are manipulative and its members rather callous, treating the workers as pawns in a larger struggle, although of course the same is true (to a more vicious extent) of the landowners as well. As a result, I felt rather uncomfortable with the main protagonists with the exception of the doctor, who shared both my leftist bent and my misgivings with the Party tactics during the strike.
Like all of Steinbeck's works, this is a rough book. When looked at side by side with Grapes, it's tremendously disappointing, lacking much of its emotional depth and complexity, but that's a pretty high standard. Looked at independently, In Dubious Battle is still a very good novel, and I enjoyed reading it.
The very premise of this book, with Communist agitators as its protagonists, was a dangerous one for Steinbeck to choose even in the 1930s, and I doubt he would have been able to publish this book a decade later. His portrayal of Communists is a fascinating and more nuanced than I would have expected. Steinbeck seems to have some sympathy for their cause, particularly in his opposition to the tyranny of the large landowners, but I came away from reading this with decidedly mixed feelings about the Party. The Party in the novel is entirely focused on the big picture and, as a result, its tactics are manipulative and its members rather callous, treating the workers as pawns in a larger struggle, although of course the same is true (to a more vicious extent) of the landowners as well. As a result, I felt rather uncomfortable with the main protagonists with the exception of the doctor, who shared both my leftist bent and my misgivings with the Party tactics during the strike.
Like all of Steinbeck's works, this is a rough book. When looked at side by side with Grapes, it's tremendously disappointing, lacking much of its emotional depth and complexity, but that's a pretty high standard. Looked at independently, In Dubious Battle is still a very good novel, and I enjoyed reading it.