Class struggle in in dubious battle (1936) by John Steinbeck and Devil on the cross (1982) by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

IV Conclusion

This piece of research work allows us to imagine the disastrous situation prevailing in the US during the Depression Years and in Kenya during the years of «Uhuru». These two countries were so shaken by political , economic and social problems that writers such as Steinbeck, Ngugi ,Morrison, Gordimer to name but a few , even they do not belong to the same generation can not stand such exploitation unfolding before their very eyes without denouncing it. As depicted in both novels, the 20^th century was marked by a wide socio-economic gap between the haves and the have-nots, the well-provided and the dispossessed. This situation of vulnerability is brought about by the system that induces the social improvement of wealthy people to the detriment of the most important part of the society, the working class or farmers more precisely in Steinbeck's novel.

In Dubious Battle and Devil on the Cross deal prominently with the theme of social injustice, and that is the very reason why these works can be seen as novels of protest against social injustice. Characters in both novels suffer from injustice and the writers put the blame on the capitalistic system which is the signpost of domination and oppression.

Ngugi, known as a committed writer like Steinbeck, gives a true portrayal of Kenya lamentable state in Devil on the Cross. He believes that the colonizers, contrary to their so-called civilising missions which they so much proclaims in Africa have only to come, exploit and mislead people. After the independence, the new leaders set up a system that continues what the colonial rulers had been doing meaning ill-treatments and exploitation of the poor and workers. His strength as a novelist proceeds from the way in which he encrusts his political vision with material derived from his own Kenyan background.

As shown in the body of the work, the novels depict African and American realities as they appear, without any camouflage because their authors know the advancement and openness would stem only from such authentic and unveiled depiction of their peoples' defects, failures, weakness and misfortunes. Disillusionment is what galvanises the authors and has enabled them to deliver such works that call for real and general revolution for American and African politics and social life.

African leaders have replaced the white dominators in their excesses and live in an early paradise whereas the masses are crammed up in their slums, the hopes of independence have gone .Above all, people are politically persecuted and their various freedoms denied to them.

In addition to that, corruption, bribery gnaws the political, social, and moral health of Africa. Morals have become cheap and distorted and the sense of family has lost its meaning, consequently the people have grown immature, uncaring. Under such conditions in Africa, people will await a hypothetical development. Africa`s curse with its leaders should be eradicated by the people who love and care for its respectable stand among the nations of the world. Corruption and conflicts of interests should be stopped and Africa's interests as a whole be preserved for the whole community.

The theme of exploitation of the masses by the owners is one that occupies one of the most prominent positions in In Dubious Battle as illustrated the gap existing between two antagonistic classes. In In Dubious Battle, Steinbeck vents his anger on a capitalistic society that was capable of plunging the world into an economic Depression, but he does not exonerate the farmers who have driven from the Dust Bowl of the mid-western and south-western USA. He deplores their neglect of land that resulted in the Dust Bowl and that helped to exacerbate the Great Depression.

In both novels, the underprivileged class of workers is stripped of any means of production; they are the ones who are continuously condemned to suffer. They are deprived of their properties and no one dares to rebel fearing repression and violence.

The owners lure the workers to better use them and base their politics on how to better promise and never achieve and if some people rise to protest against that injustice they are considered as potential threat to the owners. So, disillusionment was born and represents the eradication of the blinders that have blurred the peoples' vision so long. But those disillusioned and persecuted writers have their own ways of expressing their anger towards the leaders and their rage towards the inane masses. Their vocation is to write against the exploitation and neo-colonialism that prevails in newly independent countries. Devil on the Cross was Ngugi wa Thiong'o's first novel written entirely in his native Gikuyu tongue. It contains many of the themes and concerns that are central to Ngugi's views on African literature and Kenyan politics. The novel is both a gripping read and a remarkable introduction to Kenya culture and politics. Ngugi's book represents commitment to the cause of the poor social classes. The land which is the bones of contention in Devil on the Cross is seized everywhere, poverty and destitution gain momentum every passing day, women are raped more often than not. The peasants and workers in In Dubious Battle are exploited in farms and factories. The population becomes frustrated and their disillusionment keeps going.

Disillusioned writers can lead whole people to progress and maturity by delivering works that point out the unwanted and unchallenging transformations that have occurred and split the heart of those disillusioned people so as to have a will to uphold change and ensure the continuity of the healthy and efficient legacy of the worthy African people. Well-directed children and informed women can move societies and turn hopes of advancement into reality.

In Dubious Battle stands not only the story of the fruit-pickers but also as the dramatization of the plight of the dispossessed everywhere. When writing their books, many idealists among whom Steinbeck suppose that moralising is not their purpose. They have a conception of Man which is rather scientific and impartial and the most significant trait is that they are rebels .Despite their efforts not to judge, prejudge or misjudge, they can not help reacting against social ills by revolting against the moral code of age. And this gradually leads them to devise a new set of moral values mostly based on nature.

Their literary productions are filled with ideas and sermons against hypocrisy, intolerance and especially against injustice. They advocate physical and moral strength, courage as opposed to wickedness. This is the reason why he draws a picture of Man and the assessment of the American society during the Great Depression.

Ngugi witnesses his country's deterioration and regression and, known for is visionary symbolism, the high moral integrity of his political vision and his afro-centrism, denounces the betrayal of Kenya's national ideals. Disappointed but enlightened, he adds bitterness and conviction to his denunciations of Africa's defects. In the same way , as a Kenya teacher, novelist, playwright, whose functions, as an important link between the pioneers of African writing and the younger generation of post colonial writers has suffered much for his writings. He has been put in prison and even exiled because his novels resonate so deeply and get the heart of the masses.

This general mood of desperateness leads people to form into groups to rebel and denounce their bad living conditions. In Devil on the Cross, workers are mobilized, led by committed leaders; they intend to break the silence and be heard all around the world through their united efforts and actions and efficient leadership.

Both Ngugi and Steinbeck are labelled as communist writers. Because Ngugi's disagreement with the watchdogs' cruel fate in Kenya, Ngugi with his Marxist concepts advocates a collective struggle that can only be the solution to the new leaders' domination. But the heroes in their books sometimes react in some individual and successful fights. Their reactions allow people to get back their rights and succeed in making some change in the country.

If the communist etiquette has been stuck on Steinbeck, it is because his passion for justice has led him to denounce the economic imperfections of his time particularly in his native Salinas Valley. So, the allegations seem untrue especially when he tackles social problems not in terms of class welfare, but rather pointing out that these problems can well be solved in the present by allowing each individual to satisfy his desires without restrictions.

The sober attacks on Steinbeck by many writers may seem ungrounded because his philosophy aims at improving the living conditions of all people. So, if Steinbeck's reputation has somewhat suffered from bitter criticism, it is because as a committed writer, he has disagreed with and sourly criticised the political and economic tenets of his time, which displays the reasons why he has been ranked among the rebels by analysing social problems in this way. He has the purpose of opening people's eyes on the fact that social injustice should not last for long since it can bring about social turmoil as it is experienced elsewhere.

Ngugi adopts a satirical style to denounce the Kenyan post colonial society, using symbols to convey meaning and irony to unmask the new leaders and portray their behaviour in contrast with worthy people. By doing so, he wants to reveal the difference between realities or truth and the appearances as far as justice and freedom are concerned.

To change the sad reality prevailing in Kenya, it is necessary for African masses to become politically conscious and self- sacrifice for the common cause is important to achieve self-accomplishment.

Steinbeck is not a mere pamphleteer and the revolution he advocates is not violent contrary to Ngugi who sees the other way round. He rather suggests that all men should change their attitudes and feelings towards one another in the quest for a better understanding. If the rich and the poor are to survive they should adapt themselves the new conditions and this suggests great efforts in order to cope with the inevitable progress of humanity.

Ngugi thinks that the only way to salvation for his people lies in their efforts. He urges in his novels the underprivileged class of workers to have recourse to violence to solve their problems. As his novel unfolds, we realise that the more the workers are aware of their strength by getting together, the more they are in a position to turn things upside down and be successful in their struggle.

These two writers do not see eye to eye as far as the struggling for self-fulfilment and self-achievement are considered. Ngugi believes in violence for the achievement of the masses' fulfilment whereas Steinbeck's philosophy is that improvement can not be reached as long as the individual remains isolated. Instead of violence, he urges man to dare self-sacrifice for the common good and he also advocates love and friendship for mankind to be reconciled with itself. Thus, the welfare of the community should be extended to all members poor and rich as well. He lets people know that he does not mean to harm systematically the well-provided class. His ultimate aim is to modify the attitude among the rich and the poor as well and this is the most important aspect of Steinbeck's works. In a world fragmented into social classes, Ngugi sees the writer must be the voice that calls the crucifixion of the most dreadful of all the devils that have haunted man's psyche.

It is important to remember that Steinbeck is not one with the people about whom he writes. He embraces them positively, not with a sense that he wants them to be but with a genuine respect of them as they are. In his best works, it is this disinterested objective, yet warm presentation that entices the readers.

If one thinks in terms of dichotomies, American novelists Henry James would be at one extreme in depicting human beings, Steinbeck at the other side. This explains in part Steinbeck frequent rejection by the critics. The professionals who wrote about his work had essentially been brought up in the Jamesian tradition. They had lived their lives either in the Eastern establishment or outside it, trying to break in. Still some critics argue that writers such as Steinbeck have not given an accurate image of the American society. It was precisely Bernard de Voto, a famous American literary critic who argues the picture that they have given of America was wrong and distorted. For him; this is a mere deformation of American realities and he has pointed out that American was to be viewed as an Eden, a dynamic and wealthy country. Because of his passion for justice, he has given of America another totally different to the former which aims at showing up the evil-doings there. Steinbeck's hatred of Communism and his love of America began to confuse the picture very early on. His patriotic support of America in World War II and the early Cold War years brought from the Left bitter charges of treason, which continued for the rest of his life. These grew especially nasty in the Vietnam era, during which Steinbeck used his fame to give public honor to American soldiers, to defend the essential decency of America's cause, and to warn against the strategic dangers of Communist expansion. Steinbeck biographer Jackson Benson argues that the Left's hatred for Steinbeck often manifested itself not merely as political denunciation, but as literary.

Steinbeck and Ngugi just want human dignity to be restored and a fairer redistribution of wealth to all. The assassination is, for Ngugi, a step towards the elimination of all those who live on the sweat of the poor people. This view illustrates his political radicalism. Wariinga kills the wealthy man because he boasts of his power to circumvent laws and get whatever he wants because he is a symbol of the oppressive forces at work in society.

The happy ends of their books show that Ngugi and Steinbeck and their characters are confident that sooner or later, a day will come when humanity will prevail over the malignity of the oppressive privileged few. Thus, it appears that Jim's death in In Dubious Battle and that of the Rich Old Man from Ngorika in Devil on the Cross are symbolical because they announce that the masses are victorious in their struggle. Then, we understand that the authors' fight is the liberation for all the oppressed working class.

The fictional representation of class struggle in In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck and Devil on the Cross by Ngugi wa Thiong'o is so powerful and enticing that we ask whether such other luring and interesting issues are explored in the other novels by Steinbeck and Ngugi.