Upton Sinclair's The Jungle Analysis

Upton Sinclair’s social commentary novel of the 1900s’ turbulent age, “The Jungle”, critically acclaims Marxism with the idea of fundamental flaws and the idea of destined break down of the capitalism through an Lithuanian hard working immigrant seeking for the ‘American dream’. The muckraking of abhorrent Capitalism,the idea of Marxism, was evidently illustrated through the family exploited to lies and chicanery, unfair treatment causing struggles between upper and lower class and the lead to the destruction and the deaths of untold millions.

     Upton Sinclair had always insisted that The Jungle was misread but did he ever think it could have been miswritten? The style of writing is not effective when addressing issues in a capitalistic society but proves to be very effective when exposing the secrets of the meatpacking industry. The novel is not remembered for being a classic work in literature but rather an important book in history in that it changed the way America looked at food in the early part of the century.

In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Sinclair introduces several issues that were going on in the Progressive Era and after. During the Progressive Era, Sinclair wanted to improve society somehow and to open the people's eyes about what was really going on, this is called muckraking. He wrote about problems that the working society went through year round and somehow described them nastier. The main character in the book is Jurgis Rudkus and he is from the Lithuanian countryside. It first starts off with the wedding of Jurgis Rudkus and Ona Lukoszaite, and it introduces tiny problems that the guests have with the wedding feast, especially in the meat. Furthermore, in Lithuanian weddings, the hosts would never let one

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is an unashamed example of the journalistic style known as muckraking. Sinclair researched the conditions being fought against during the Progressive Era and painted a picture in literary form for the ignorant readers. The consumerism that taped into the greed of industrialists is drawn out many times. This greed, in turn, drove down the American Standard of living in almost every aspect. With every corner of hope demolished, a path was laid out for all to follow, the Progressive solution to the world: Socialism.

Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, follows the life of Jurgis Rudkus, his Lithuanian family, and friends who all recently immigrated to Chicago in search of a better life. Jurgis, Ona, and the rest of their family find jobs in Packington, the meatpacking industry of Chicago. Quickly they discover the difficulties of surviving in the United States during the early 1900’s through financial troubles, unreliable work, illness, and swindling. Through his novel, Sinclair exploits the dangerous working conditions of the Chicago meatpacking industry, the health violations, and the struggles the workers face to make ends meet. Contrasted with today’s food industry and the fight for Food Justice, authors Raj Patel, Gottlieb, and Joshi address the similarities between Jurgis and meatpacking workers to the agriculture and industry workers of today. All face challenges such as the struggle to survive on low wages, hazards in the workplace, and the mental burdens these jobs impose on workers. Upton Sinclair exploits the corrupt environment of the meatpacking industry but issues such as worker wages, public health, and sanitation remain important issues today.

This book shows the horrific working conditions and unsanitary conditions in Chicago's meatpacking industry. Sinclair's descriptions of conditions and procedures in the meatpacking plant led to subsequent reforms in food safety regulation. From the killing beds to the fertilizer plant, the meatpacking plant is not a place one would like to work at, it is a place of blistering cold and burning heat, a place where a man might accidentally fall and end up in the canned food. Sinclair uses descriptions of food and diseased meat to reveal the disregard capitalist owners have for the safety of American citizens. He also portrays the grotesque physical harm done to workers, who lose fingers, cut themselves and get blood poisoning, have their skin eroded by low pH acid, and lose limbs. Sinclair uses the industrialized brutality of the animals to symbolize the ultimate pain and discomfort the workers are

During the turn of the 19th century, the second industrial revolution was taking place in America, which shifted society from agricultural to industrial. Innovations and new technology were the driving vehicle for burgeoning businesses in the city. With this shift, populations swelled in large cities such as New York, Chicago, and Pittsburg by job seeking immigrants from countries including Ireland, Germany, and Lithuania who were attracted to the United States wanting to be a part of a so called “American dream” and economic opportunity. These immigrants longed for a chance to start over again and wanted nothing more than an opportunity to make a better life for themselves, and the generations

Upton Sinclair was a famous novelist and social crusader from California, who pioneered the kind of journalism known as "muckraking." His best-known novel was "The Jungle" which was an expose of the appalling and unsanitary conditions in the meat-packing industry. "The Jungle" was influential in obtaining passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act.

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair uncovers the horrors of working in the meatpacking district of Chicago. Sinclair acquired the inspiration to write The Jungle when he was sent into the stockyards to unveil the truth about the workingmen’s lives in Chicago. Sinclair’s story caused an uproar and led to him being labeled as a muckraker, a term that referred to journalists that documented the harsh conditions of workers during industrialization. He intended his novel to bring light to the socialist party, but instead the readers were more concerned about the diseased and mistreated meat that the were eating. Because of the upset, Sinclair’s novel led to the formation of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Sinclair published five novels between 1904 and 1906, but none were as influential or as popular as The Jungle. A silent movie was made as a film adaptation of this story in 1914. I have not read any of the other novels published by Upton Sinclair.

The 20th century consisted of social and political reformers who wanted to address the rapid change in economy and culture due to Industrialization. Upton Sinclair was one of the most vigorous socialist activist. His literature was a strong influence in the Progressive Era. Sinclair is widely know for both his writings and political career. Although he published over 90 books, his success is due to The Jungle (1906), a true muckraking exposé.

Upton Sinclair, an American writer and reformer, was born on September 20, 1878, in Baltimore, Maryland. Both of Sinclair’s parents came from prominent families, but Sinclair grew up impoverished because of an alcoholic father. Throughout his childhood, Sinclair lived in conditions that varied from slums to country homes but sometimes his father would spend all the family’s money on alcohol forcing Sinclair and his mother to live with his mother’s wealthy sister in order to survive (Wiedman, 2009). This allowed Sinclair to see how each side, well-to-do and poor, lived. While attending City College of New York, at the ripe old age of fourteen, Sinclair became a “hack” writer for popular magazines which he wrote under the pen names (Richard Wasowski, 2001) “Ensign Clark Fitch, USN and Lieutenant Fredrick Garrison, USA” (Wiedman, 2009). Sinclair would go on to have published around ninety books throughout his literary career (Richard Wasowski, 2001). Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”, a 1906 novel in which he is most remembered for, sold 150,000 copies in the United States and was translated into seventeen languages (Karsner, 1968). Sinclair began his graduate program at Columbia University but in 1900, he left to write a poetic novel titled, “Springtime and Harvest”. In 1904 Fred D. Warren, editor of Appeal to Reason, a freelance, weekly socialist newspaper, hired Sinclair to write about the conditions of the Chicago stockyards (Richard Wasowski, 2001). For seven

There were no regulations that required safer conditions. He could not afford to replace his shoes at the rate the chemicals at his job ate through them. The businesses took no responsibility for injuries acquired in the workplace, and if he took time off to heal he would not have a job to come back to. Jurgis was injured at work, and then lost his job because he could not come to work; then, because he was injured it was harder for him to find a job. The stockyards were responsible for the disfiguration of many workers, but they were also the cause of many deaths for which they took no responsibility:

The Jungle was a social criticism novel written by Upton Sinclair in 1905 to 1906. The novel was very touching, it showed the hardship of living in America and false hope that it gave to the incoming immigrants. It was an eye opener to not only what immigrants endure trying to better life for their families, but it showed that everything came go from bad to worse quickly.

The Jungle, on top of rag by Upton Sinclair appearing clothed in 1906, is ready arranged in support of an itinerant empire who comes close to the United States initial Lithuania indoors the viewpoint of declaration a beat life. level rider the young is optimistic fashionable the beginning, they swiftly slip above victim headed pro each separate solitary logic of misfortune. They are not talented by the side of the sense on the road to gain knowledge of correct employment, competent physical condition care, before in addition seal in addition to they container trust. pro command a outcome they escaping unconditionally their wealth later border upfront homeless. ring-shaped almost of the typeset drift hooked by the side of criminal lifestyles

Sinclair is very cynical about the American dream in this novel. The novel revolves around a main character that is very strong, good moral, and is willing to work as hard as necessary to make sure his family survives. Sinclair repeatedly uses the phrase “I will work harder” in the face of adversity. However, in this book the amount of work you would be willing has nothing to do with the success in Packingtown. After his newborn son dies in the mud, Jurgis abandons his family and starts running scams for Mike Scully. You would think if anyone could complete his goal of accomplishing the American dream it would be Jurgis; however in the end that was not the case. Jurgis preys on those just as he was preyed on, with no remorse. It is safe to