Which social issue does the novel most clearly advocate addressing through collective worker organization?

Which social issue does the novel most clearly advocate addressing through collective worker organization?

• A. Capitalism as an economic system
• B. The importance of religious commitment
• C. The need for a unionized workforce
• D. The viability of the American Dream

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that workers gain real power when they act together to demand fair conditions. In the story, migrant farm workers face exploitation, evictions, meager wages, and harsh treatment from landowners and banks. The characters learn that individual complaints rarely bring change, but when workers organize—sharing information, supporting one another, and standing united in demand for better pay and safer conditions—they can push back against those in control. That emphasis on collective action through a unionized workforce is the clearest message about addressing the social issue of labor exploitation. The other possibilities miss the point of what the novel clearly endorses. It critiques capitalism’s abuses, yes, but it frames the solution not as a theoretical critique but as workers banding together to negotiate and protect their rights. Religious commitment is shown as a moral influence, not the practical lever for social change the book emphasizes. The viability of the American Dream is tested by hardship, with the preferred takeaway focusing on solidarity and organization rather than a successful realization of the dream.

The main idea here is that workers gain real power when they act together to demand fair conditions. In the story, migrant farm workers face exploitation, evictions, meager wages, and harsh treatment from landowners and banks. The characters learn that individual complaints rarely bring change, but when workers organize—sharing information, supporting one another, and standing united in demand for better pay and safer conditions—they can push back against those in control. That emphasis on collective action through a unionized workforce is the clearest message about addressing the social issue of labor exploitation.

The other possibilities miss the point of what the novel clearly endorses. It critiques capitalism’s abuses, yes, but it frames the solution not as a theoretical critique but as workers banding together to negotiate and protect their rights. Religious commitment is shown as a moral influence, not the practical lever for social change the book emphasizes. The viability of the American Dream is tested by hardship, with the preferred takeaway focusing on solidarity and organization rather than a successful realization of the dream.