The Jungle

Julina Corona
Mrs. Bosh
AP English 12
August 10, 2007
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair, a socialist, wrote The Jungle as an attempt to stop wage slavery and to reform working conditions in the stockyards of Chicago. However, instead of helping the working class, Sinclair’s book led to food regulations on the meat packing industries. Even Sinclair, himself agrees that his attempts to help the workers were of little success, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and hit it in the stomach.” The Jungle discomforted the public because it informed them of the filth in which there food is made and the way it was made. Soon after its publication and because of the public’s demands, President Theodore Roosevelt sent two investigators to the factories. However, this didn’t help the workers. Before writing the book, Sinclair traveled to Chicago and lodged a hotel room near the stockyards. He would walk in the filthy streets of Packingtown, converse with inhabitants of the area, and he would take pictures of them too. He got to know the city well and one day met some Lithuanians on there way to a wedding party. He was invited; there too began the setting of his story. The Jungle became a great hit even after it had been rejected five times by publishing companies. Its first release was published in serial form in 1906 by The Appeal to Reason. Later it was published by Doubleday, Page & Company as a novel. “The publication of The Jungle made Sinclair an international celebrity overnight and earned him thirty thousand dollars within a few months”(XXVII, Sinclair Intro.).
The story is centered on the life of an unfortunate Lithuanian family that migrated to America in search of opportunity and freedom. The immigrants didn’t expect America to be so harsh and corrupt; even after an American police officer attempted to steal their belongings they thought the country would be better. However, in the new country their culture and priorities were demolished. As their bodies perished quickly from starvation and sicknesses, and for being overworked, their morals also demolished. From the day they got to America they worked from early morning until late at night. These people returned overwhelmed from a day’s hard work under horrible conditions. Jurgis, the main character, wanted to be strong for the family, but many times Jurgis would be caught crying desperately. To loose a job, for this family, was the same as to be condemned to death. The first time Jurgis lost his job the family nearly starved to death. Many unfortunate events occur to Jurgis. When it came to starving or becoming a beggar, a tramp, and corrupt, Jurgis chose to live. Even after all the difficult challenges Jurgis is forced to face, deep in his heart he still yearns for hope and a better life.
The evils of capitalism verses the goodness of socialism was the main theme of the story. However, the far and distant American Dream was also a theme. The majority of the book is full of unfortunate events all caused by the cruel ways of capitalism; even the characters’ personal problems were blamed to capitalism. “They were beaten; they had lost the game, they were swept aside. It was not less tragic because it was so sordid, because that it had to do with wages and grocery bills and rents. They had dreamed of freedom; of a chance to look about them and learn something; to be decent and clean, to see their child group up to be strong. And now it was all gone-it would never be" (Sinclair, 163)! This statement blames all the components of capitalism, “wages, grocery bills and rents” for their suffering. Sinclair writes that he believes this family would have gotten a chance to achieve the American Dream if it weren’t for the capitalist industries and factories (actually the whole country was referred to as being capitalist and Sinclair blamed it for the families misfortune as well). “They had dreamed of freedom; of a chance to look about them and learn something; to be decent and clean; to see their child grow up and be strong. And now it was all gone-it would never be” (Sinclair, 165)! Sinclair argues that if it weren’t for the existence of capitalism the American Dream would be possible for them to realize, therefore, again, blaming capitalism for their hardships. Capitalism is portrayed as something evil that has corrupted the world, as socialism is the good that’s left in society.
The book proves to be very pessimistic; however at the end of the book a discovery (socialism) brightens up the tone of the story. The word agony is used a lot throughout the book as it is the perfect word to describe what the characters felt. They had to face cold winters, rainy days and suffocating summers. During the summer, the heat made the killing beds, were Jurgis worked, feel like a furnace. At winter this place became a freezer. And every season would bring its hardships. When this family arrived at the stockyards little did they know that a world of suffering awaited them.
The Jungle was not only a book written to entertain the public, but a story that was created in attempt to help improve the working conditions of the working men. It appealled to the public for being