Haytham Alqasmi 2.16.18 The Jungle Essay Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” is a novel about an immigrant family that tries to achieve the American Dream. This family goes through many hardships and America is not what they imagined. The protagonist and “leader” of the family, Jurgis Rudkus, Ultimately cannot cope with the horrible things he’s endured, and pursues a new lifestyle. While the Novel’s introductory passage prepares the reader to believe the Immigrants achieving the American dream will be the main theme, later details suggest that Sinclair’s personal desire for money is his most important concern while writing this book as shown by his use of excessive disturbing imagery in the meatpacking industry, and it 's overdone amount of gory,
Thus, the book Jungle by Upton Sinclair reveals the social injustice that persisted in the US in the early 20th century. However, the book raises many issues, which are still relevant today, such as the workplace safety, employees ' rights, labor relations, government policies in relation to labor relations, sexual harassment, social security and injustice and many other important issues. Upton Sinclair shows the desperate position of the working class in the US and clearly indicates the shift to socialism as the only solution to the problem of social injustice. In this regard, his solution is debatable but the point is that problems raised by Sinclair in his book were and, to a certain extent, are relevant and affect many people. The economic disparity and the unfair redistribution of the national wealth is the major problem that causes other issues and widens gaps between the rich and the poor
It usually reminds us today how nowadays companies will take advantage of products they don’t need. The filthy meatpacking industries of Chicago was something that wasn’t taken carefully but rather lightly. The workers in charge of cleaning the meat were described by Sinclair lazy and careless people whose only desire is money. Jurgis lived a bad life as a result retaliating to criminals in theft. Lastly, Sinclair’s plot was of a complex meaning and certainly not an easy understanding as of commercial fiction.
The most significant event of the twentieth-century emergencies the societies classes diversity and struggle. The novel, The Jungle penned by Upton Sinclair attempts to display the lower class economic and social challenges by exemplifying the difficulties of a Lithuanian immigrant family.The predicament situation of Jurgis and his family reveals the dark side of the capitalism, therefore, additionally, it revealed the bourgeoisie class dominance and exploitation of the proletariat class. Throughout the novel, Jurgis and his family encounter varied difficulties from being unable to find a proper job to several deaths followed one after another due to their harsh living conditions which result in the family separation nevertheless the children’s
Though both authors wrote based on their own personal experiences. Upton Sinclair went undercover as a worker in these factories and wrote of what he saw, while Jacob Riis went to tenements, wrote or took pictures of what he saw. These two authors were trying to create change. They knew that the workers and the poor living in these tenements couldn’t go anything. So who else to help besides the public?
However, the book provides a first hand look into the mind of a person questioning racism despite society’s idea of it, as well as an educational opportunity for students to briefly learn about the struggles of living in that time period. Furthermore, it surfaces a feared discussion on racism and therefore it should be read in classrooms across America. To begin, the inclusion of questioning racism in Twain’s novel serves as a record of the changes in society following the Civil War. The argumentative article, “Why Huck Finn Belongs in the Classroom,” by Jocelyn Chadwick highly praised this action. Jocelyn Chadwick stated that Twain used his writing to show that he understood that racism was wrong.
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is an American novel classic. This book provides a lens into the life of 20th century immigrants working in poor conditions throughout industrialization. Sinclair set out to expose the harsh conditions that these poor immigrants had to live in. By doing so, he wanted to show that not only was the meatpacking industry vile, but also wanted to show that capitalism doesn’t work. Sinclair thought that communism benefits everyone.
Genre: This book is in the genre of political and historical fiction, as it portrays the horrors of the meat-packing industry with a few fictional characters. Historical Context: Upton Sinclair was a muckraker, which meant he was a journalist who exposed the harsh societal norms
Literature is where one could go to explore the highest and lowest points of human society, find the absolute truth, and support it using personal experiences and knowledge. Such is the case with writer Upton Sinclair, who grew up experiencing both sides of wealth and class divisions. By reflecting on his experiences with class division, Upton Sinclair’s exposé not only sheds light on the fight for workers rights but also incorporates a Socialist philosophy. Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 20, 1878. From birth Sinclair was exposed to dichotomies that would have an effect on his young mind and his thinking in later life (“Upton”).
Written as an indirect attack at the labor industry, the real driving force behind the popularity of the novel was that many readers could not fathom the truth behind the meat industry. Which means, rather than seeing change in labor rights, many people instead fixated on his vivid descriptions of meat packing in the text. Sinclair embodied such descriptions of rotten meat, toxic chemicals, dirt, sawdust and even rat droppings, that consumers across the nation could not believe was actually being sold in stores and butcher shops. The story initially begins with a Lithuanian couple who have moved to Chicago in search for a better life. Following the wedding of the two, the main character in the novel, Jurgis, pursues a job at the stockyards of Chicago.