The title is a reference to a passage from John Milton's Paradise Lost:
Innumerable force of Spirits armed, That durst dislike his reign, and, me preferring, His utmost power with adverse power opposed In dubious battle on the plains of Heaven And shook his throne. What though the field be lost? All is not lost—the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome?[2]
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The Question and Answer section for In Dubious Battle is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
Mac McLeod is one of the upcoming forces in the Communist Party. He is an "antagonizer" or an "agitator," someone who devises plans to keep the peace and solidify the commitment of the Party members. Mac is a mentor to Jim Nolan.
Basically Jim comes to communism through starvation. Jim is really at his breaking point. Jim's own father was bludgeoned by a policeman's stick. Harry initiates Jim into the communist party to fight abuse by business. Steinbeck was...
