Known as an extremely capitalist country in the beginning of the 1920’s, America was notorious for a society of good people being robbed out of worth, wealth, and opportunity. Thus people where forced to unionize, strike, and start the formation of a communist party. A sequence of economic catastrophes also known as The Great Depression hurt the recession and common man. Lasting a decade, The Great Depression was the deepest and strongest downturn in United States history. In John Steinbeck’s book, “In Dubious Battle”, the novel illustrates only struggles faced by the American working class during The Great Depression when being exposed to agricultural labor, capitalism, and failure of communism in the United States. It illuminates troubles …show more content…
For example, towards the beginning of the book it quotes “Who produces the goods?" Joy demanded. "Why - the workers," said Jim. A foxy look came on Joy's face, a very wise and secret look. "And who takes the profits?" "The people with invested capital." Joy shouted, "But they don't produce nothing. What right they got to the profits?" (17). This quote displays the class system of capitalism and how it was used and mistreated during this time on American’s in the working industry. Capitalism was based on a structure of different people starting from owners who profited large amounts of money to lower class laborers who barely made enough money to get by. It shows the frustration of lower class individuals who were being cheated out of money by their hard work, while owners and managers were making immense amount of earnings doing nothing. In addition to, in the book, one of the main character quotes "Anybody that wants a living wage is a radical” (63). A perfect example in the book of how big business owners saw lower class laborers and treated them with little respect. It puts this time period in America in perspective of who was a minority and who had the most power, how the thought of raising living wage for the underclass men was simply a joke to the big business owners. With much grievance during this time period it was obvious who was in control and how capitalism played a large role on the American working