Jim Nolan Timeline and Summary

•  Back
• More 

• Jim walks away from his boarding house and his old life and into the office of Harry Nilson, recruiter for the Communist Party.
• Nilson brings Jim out to meet Mac and other Party members at their flophouse. Jim immediately sets to work typing some letters—and just loves it.
• Soon, Jim and Mac are hopping a freight train to head to the Torgas Valley, where they will "encourage" the disgruntled workers to organize a strike.
• In the orchards, Jim meets old Dan, who doesn't want anything to do with striking.
• Jim accompanies Mac out to Dakin's camp, where Jim comes up with a brilliant reason for Dakin and his men to join the strike.
• The next day, Jim meets the angry Sam in the orchard. Sam tells him about the strike prep.
• Once again, Jim runs into Dan. The old man tells him he's too tired for striking.
• Dan argues with Jim and falls from his ladder, breaking his hip. This sets the men off.
• Jim and Mac are stopped by vigilantes on the road from town and are given a warning to get out of town. They speed off.
• Later on, Jim and Mac try to talk to the police that surround the camp and win their sympathy. But they are nearly lynched, saved only by Jim's ninja-like moves.
• Jim and Mac walk to the train depot with the workers. After Joy is killed, Mac tells Jim that they've got to use Joy as much as possible. Jim totally gets it.
• The next day, Jim goes out with the picketers into the orchard and gets shot in the shoulder.
• Jim goes to visit old Dan in the hospital tent and calm him down about Joy's funeral.
• Jim tries to talk with the men in the camp to feel them out. He winds up talking to a guy who is planted by the Growers to sow discord, and he runs him out.
• After Joy's funeral, Jim goes with Mac and some other men to collect livestock for food. Jim's dad was a butcher, so he directs the men at this job.
• Jim and Doc have a philosophical chat after Bolter is escorted out of the camp. Doc is unhappy, and Jim tries to explain why he finds this work fulfilling.
• Jim behaves in cold, inhumane ways—at least, according to Mac. Jim says he feels powerful. So powerful that he begins to boss Mac and London around. Jim is getting sick and tired of waiting for them to do something. He orders action to be taken.
• At the toilets, Jim has a conversation with a guy that confirms what he knows: the men are starting to turn on London and each other.
• Mac and Jim visit Al for the last time and catch a tongue-lashing from the old man. Jim really has no sympathy for either of them, since he's willing to die for the cause.
• Mac tries to convince Jim to run for the hills, since he's too valuable to lose. Jim doesn't care for this idea at all.
• After the workers are evicted from the camp, Mac tells London that they'll have to convince the men to fight. He taps Jim to help with that job.
• A young boy enters London's tent and tells them that Doc is in a nearby field, injured. Mac and Jim run blindly into the darkness to help.
• Jim is shot and killed. Mac carries his body back to the camp and uses the grisly corpse to rouse the men.