Fleeting Conflict In James's The Beast In The Jungle

The Jungle (1906), by Upton Sinclair, is a story mainly about the life and turmoil of a man who came to American in hopes that he will become a free, rich man with a beautiful wife, Ona, and happy family; this man is the young Jurgis Rudkus, a strong, energetic Lithuanian whose personality and life are all changed several times over the coarse of the story. Major— usually tragic— events that occur in the story serve as catalysts for Jurgis's dramatic, almost upsetting, transformations. There were four major turning points in Jurgis's life: after he loses his job and is forced to work at a fertilizer mill; when he loses his wife and children; when he is incorporated into the criminal and political underworlds; and when he picks his life

In “The Beast in the Jungle,” John Marcher’s belief that a calamity is waiting for him has consumed his life. He shared this secret with May Bartram and is reminded of her knowledge of this when he meets her many years later. Marcher’s obsession is the entire foundation for his relationship with Bartram.

The controversial issue of whether or not The Jungle should be included in schools because of horrific violence described has been answered. This novel by Upton Sinclair, is crucial to middle and high school english and social studies classes, and one has to strive to keep its presence known. Although the violence depicted is graphic, The Jungle should be included in high school and middle school curriculum because it provides information about historically accurate events that prompts vital discussions about the effects of violence, and encourages children to appreciate modern society.

The Jungle is a book that was used to show the corruption of the meat-packing industry. Upton Sinclaire did a very well job of exposing the industry as it brought many changes to civilization during this time. He uses Ethos to show that he has experienced the jobs first hand

According to David Thomson, Sinclair only needed seven weeks in order to research for The Jungle. While at the factories, “Sinclair saw the vicious link between ‘them’ and ‘us’”(Thomson). The relationship between factory and business owners and workers is demonstrated in the novel through his carefully crafted characters. Most historians believe he wrote it because he saw a wrong and wanted to fix the industry. However, Jon A. Yoder believes Sinclair wrote the novel as a propaganda piece toward socialism. This is because the end glorifies the Socialist Party. The novel starts with “It was four o’clock when the ceremony was over and the carriages began to arrive” (Sinclair). The novel is in the viewpoint of Jurgis, who was carefully depicted to prove his theme (Dembo). Jurgis symbolizes the search for socialism and the betrayal of the American Dream (Bloodworth). At the end of the novel, the protagonist becomes a socialist (Yoder). Jurgis’ socialist point of view makes the truth greater than the sufferings (Dembo). The Jungle succeeded in influencing society in many

Do you have what it takes to push through the hardest times of your life? Could you lose absolutely everything important to you and still keep moving forward? James and Jurgis did indeed, as you will find out. While reading this essay keep an opened mind about the time period and try to picture the events they went through. As we follow Upton Sinclair the writer of The Jungle and Cliff Hollingsworth, the writer of Cinderella Man, we will see how Jurgis Rudkus and James Braddock are similar and different over the period of their hardships.

They say, "A book is a device to ignite the imagination" and when I first saw your "Suggestions to Get You Started Reading" list, I knew The Jungle was going to be that spark. Reading The Jungle had been on my to-do list ever since I successfully completed the most vigorous course Schalick High School has to offer: AP US History. From what I learned, Sinclair was a muckraker who sought to reform society from social ills through his exposes. Consequently, The Jungle became a catalyst for cleaner, safer food production. Nonetheless, after completing Sinclair's novel, it was evident that Sinclair's purpose was not to criticize the condition of the meat in the slaughterhouses. Instead, The Jungle was written to condemn, what Sinclair thought to be, two social ills of

Upton Beall Sinclair Jr., was an American writer in the early and mid 1900’s. Having written over 100 novels none have stood the test of time and secured Sinclair's legacy other than “The Jungle.” Having exposed the terrible conditions of the meat industry, “the Jungle” managed to “secure [the] passage of the country's first Pure Food and Drug laws”(Arthur, n.d.). Although much emphasis is put on the novel, not many know about it’s author, Sinclair, and how his upbringing/education, personal life/politics, and final years shaped him.

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, became an instant classic in 1906, and has become possibly one of the most referenced books in history and political science classrooms all over the United States, according to Dustin LaBarge (LaBarge para.1). Sinclair’s novel has generated worldwide awareness of the repulsive meat-packing industry. I found the book intriguing, because of the detail that was added in to make sure nothing was left out. There were moments of the story that were too detailed in my opinion causing me to lose interest, but overall I found to have learned something I would probably have not known about.

Christopher Phelps, ed. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005), 363 pages with related documents.

The Jungle is both a judgment on and a profit of its own times. Those times most precise needs to be perspective in relation to what had happened in the last half of the nineteenth century. This ridiculous time period saw the making of great industries and great fortunes for the ones who were in control of the industries. So far

Upton Sinclair the author of The Jungle a self proclaimed socialist. Wanted to show what the meatpacking industry was like from an outside perspective. Novelist have free rein when writing a novel but in this case Sinclair did not have the proper evidence to back up his version of the meat packing industry. The version that Sinclair portrayed in The Jungle was of appalling working conditions. The way he described it was diseased and rotten. The community of these workers were as misrepresented as packers and packinghouse products. He portrays Jurgis as a helpless animal that is wounded, the target for unseen enemies.

Written by Upton Sinclair, The Jungle explores the sheer, harsh conditions of the living and working environment in the Chicago stockyards. The title is significant because it represents the realities of the labor force and depicts a wild, brutal environment that benefited the wealthy, while leaving the inferior working class fighting to survive. In Particular, the The Jungle denotes the life of Jurgis and his family in Packingtown and their hardships they face in the Chicago stockyards. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle has a significant title because through corruption and capitalism, the weak and poor suffer, while the strong and wealthy flourish.

"... In some inland post feel the savagery, the utter savagery, had closed round him--all that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men. There's no initiation either into such mysteries. He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible, which is detestable. And it has a fascination, too, which goes to work upon him.

The monkeys of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book are a very unique group of characters. They are viewed by the other animals of the jungle, or the Jungle People as they call themselves, as outcasts and outlaws. The most prominent chapter they occur in, “Kaa’s Hunting”, shows their lawless, shiftless, and uncivilized way of life. This image in itself does not give off any racist undertone. However, Disney’s adaption of The Jungle Book carries this view of the monkeys, while also giving them strong attributes that are commonly associated with African-Americans.