Cooperative Organization
As Jim enters the world of political engagement with the fruit pickers party, he comes to recognize the power of mobilization and organization. Under Doc's leadership, the oppressed migrant workers have found hope by making their unified voice heard in the community. Although having presence doesn't equate progress, they are now active members of their community as a result of the organization which Doc's leadership orchestrates. He appeals to all the workers nearby to become involved so as to make their mission meaningful in community. By participating in a group, individual workers are able to accomplish much more for a unified cause than they could have on their own. Employers must now deal with an organization whereas before they could possibly have intimidated a solitary worker. Through their cooperation, the workers find hope because they are able to commune with like-minded people who are similarly disenfranchised as well as being able to celebrate the accomplishments of the group as a whole.
Belonging
The migrant fruit pickers suffer from poor reputations because the locals do not think they "belong." This idea of belonging or not belonging is primarily rooted in emotion. It is a feeling that a person haves, depending on how safe, welcome, or capable they feel within a given community. In California, the migrant workers are treated as sub-human because they are outsiders. Their outsider status bars them from the normal protections and familiarities of community, so they form their own. Within the Party, workers like Jim find a sense of belonging because they are creating it for themselves. They recognize the problem is lack of acceptance and respectfully decide to accept each other. Through loyalty to the Party, the fruit pickers find meaning, welcome, safety, and acceptance because each new member is desperately needed to make the movement successful.
Oppression of the Poor
The conflict on this novel is class based. The landowners, vendors, and local authorities all oppose and even oppress the workers because they belong to a lower class. Without the support of their community or the protections of government regulation, the workers become even more poor. They are undesirable for their poverty, but this attitude of rejection and manipulation only makes the workers increasingly impoverished. The distinction between upper and lower class is sharp because the "privilege" of the landowners includes basic protections of safety, income, and reputation. In contrast, the migrants must shoulder these burdens on their own as well as fight the stigma and oppression of their class rivals.
