In Dubious Battle Theme Of Greed

John Steinbeck’s novel In Dubious Battle shows how greed, individualism, and collective action can promote the lives of many laborers for years to come. The novel is set in a California town dependent on the apple orchards; Steinbeck takes the reader through the hardships of the migrant farm workers as well as the union organizers. The orchard workers decide that they are tired of being mistreated by their employers, and decide, with a little motivation, that it is time for a change.

One of the most apparent themes in In Dubious Battle is greed. The owners of the orchard take advantage of the workers by paying them unfair low wages because they know that the migrant workers have no choice but to work for them. Since the men spend the majority

Getting the most profit possible is always one of the main focuses of any company. Even today there are many ways that companies cut costs that don’t benefit their employees. For example, many American companies outsource jobs to factories in other countries where the laws aren’t as strict and the labor is less expensive so they can make a greater profit. When it comes down to it, big business owners are always trying to make the most profit, which is why there are labor laws in place in America today. If it weren’t for break regulations and minimum wage laws employees could be easily taken advantage of. Still many big companies offer their employees strictly minimum wage, basically telling them they would pay them less if they could. There are also a lot of companies that don’t necessarily follow all of the rules, by either paying their employees under the table so they have no government regulation, or simply denying their employees the rights that they legally have. The way the land owners act toward the men shows that they are more concerned about making a profit than actually promoting their

There are many ways banks and other businesses get out of paying taxes or abiding by certain laws just because they have the power to pay people off or they have jobs dedicated to finding loop holes in laws for their benefit. It’s unfortunate that so many business owners are willing to take advantage of their employees, but it is one of the major downsides of capitalism. The unionizers were often referred to as “the party,” meaning communists, because they were trying to limit the power of the land owners over their men. In many ways In Dubious Battle portrays the struggle between communism and capitalism while showing how difficult it is to live strictly one way or the other. With this novel Steinbeck illustrates that finding the correct balance isn’t as easy as it may