Study Guide

In Dubious Battle Characters

When we first meet Jim Nolan, there's not much left of him. He's just gone through the most...

Mac has the best possible description of any character in this book. Steinbeck calls him "a large...

Mac has worked with Doc Burton many times over the years, but still he knows very little about...

Our initial impression of London is, well, pretty sparse. When Mac asks the men around the...

From the moment we meet Joy, we know that something serious has happened to him. Mac explains to...

Steinbeck's first description of Dakin is designed to make us not like this guy. He has "veiled...

Steinbeck portrays Al Anderson as a comfortable, middle-class business owner with a cautiously...

Unlike his businessman son, Al, old Anderson is not prospering in his affairs. He's a small...

Steinbeck has a way of showing us more than one philosophy or point of view in this book. He also...

Maybe weirdest thing about Sam isn't his love of violence and his general dedication to mayhem....

Yeah, Steinbeck totally has some 6th-grade-level fun with this character, who uses his good looks...

London's daughter-in-law really doesn't play much of a role in this novel—we don't care how...

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