In my reading of, In Dubious Battle, I find the main character, Jim Nolan, very endearing. I guess the reason is because I feel like I share the same struggles as he does ( well at least in the beginning). He feels something itching inside him; a calling, so he links up with Nilson and joins the 'League'. I, like Jim, feel like there's a bigger purpose for me, like I need to ratify with the other good doers' and help the cause (I'm just to damn busy with school and work). It really illustrates Jim's feeling of a void when Jim and Mac go to drop off the letters and they come across where Jim had been arrested. He explains to Mac on why he is ready to fight; "In that cell were five men all raised in about the same condition... They hated the whole system of bosses, but that was a different thing. It wasn't the same anger. And there was something else, Mac. The hopelessness wasn't in them. They were quite, and they were working; but in the back of every mind there was conviction that sooner or later they would win their way out of the system they hated. I tell you, there was a kind of peacefulness about those men." I just find that to be soo powerful. Jim had been locked up by accident, but it was probably one of the most important things that could have happened to him because he wasn't liking the situation he was in, and because it help him open his eyes. Those other men were more awake then he was, and seeing that helped him realize that he too needed to fight for justice. The other monumental event that sticks out to me from the reading is Mac's involvement of the delivery. Crazy crazy crazy! To have the confidence to pretend that you know what you are doing.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Week 10: Reader Response
In my reading of, In Dubious Battle, I find the main character, Jim Nolan, very endearing. I guess the reason is because I feel like I share the same struggles as he does ( well at least in the beginning). He feels something itching inside him; a calling, so he links up with Nilson and joins the 'League'. I, like Jim, feel like there's a bigger purpose for me, like I need to ratify with the other good doers' and help the cause (I'm just to damn busy with school and work). It really illustrates Jim's feeling of a void when Jim and Mac go to drop off the letters and they come across where Jim had been arrested. He explains to Mac on why he is ready to fight; "In that cell were five men all raised in about the same condition... They hated the whole system of bosses, but that was a different thing. It wasn't the same anger. And there was something else, Mac. The hopelessness wasn't in them. They were quite, and they were working; but in the back of every mind there was conviction that sooner or later they would win their way out of the system they hated. I tell you, there was a kind of peacefulness about those men." I just find that to be soo powerful. Jim had been locked up by accident, but it was probably one of the most important things that could have happened to him because he wasn't liking the situation he was in, and because it help him open his eyes. Those other men were more awake then he was, and seeing that helped him realize that he too needed to fight for justice. The other monumental event that sticks out to me from the reading is Mac's involvement of the delivery. Crazy crazy crazy! To have the confidence to pretend that you know what you are doing.
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I agree. Jim definitely knew he had a higher purpose, and he set out to discover. When he was helping out with strike, he not only felt at peace but also felt that he was doing something worthwhile. I also agree with you on "Jim had been locked up by accident..." I think for Jim, it was a blessing in disguise. Moreover, I also find it mind-blowing that Mac was able to deliver the baby so smoothly. He acted so confident and calm that I was shocked when he said it was his first time delivering a baby!
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