Jim Nolan's Transformation Essay

Throughout the course of the novel, In Dubious Battle By John Steinbeck, we see the progression of the character Jim Nolan. Nolan undergoes a significant change from what we learn about him and his previous life, to whom we get to know him as at the end of the novel. A man first viewed in a dilapidated state from an unfortunate and lonely life with seemingly no purpose transforms into a man passionate about his life and actions. This drastic change makes the novel incredibly intriguing by showing what passion and devotion can do for a cause. To gain a stronger understanding of Nolan’s transformation, one must look at three points in the novel that display the evolution of the despondent man we see him as in the first chapter to the influential and powerful man he transforms into at the end of the novel. We first meet Jim Nolan when he is checking out of his apartment and saying goodbye to everything in his old life. Jim is on a mission in search of a new life of meaning and action. After
Jim learns from Mac that they must work with what is given to them to keep the strike alive. Jim’s first encounter of this lesson occurs when Joy is shot after arriving at Torgas Valley. Mac, although sad from the loss of his friend, moves along and does not impede the strike because of the loss. Mac organizes a large funeral procession for Joy and gives a provocative speech that adds fuel to the strike by stirring up the men. Mac takes the situation that is given to him, and turns it into motivation for the strikers to feed off of. As inhumane as it is, Mac uses the death of Joy as a tool. The funeral was not for Joy, but for the success of the strike. This is Jim’s first experience of what it takes to be a successful party member. In order to keep the strike alive, they must puts the needs of the strike over everything else and Jim absorbs that from Mac and feels obliged to do