Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle": The Power Struggle Between Owners and In Dubious Battle it was the culmination of events such as the lowering of wages, unsafe equipment and unsanitary living conditions which finally motivated the workers to use their power to strike. Torgas valley was in the hands of the Growers Association, who by virtue of ownership of the orchards also held power. In our culture the suspicion that life can be unfair presents a cloud of injustice which gathers over the soul. Initially the workers allowed the growers to h ....