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The Germ Of Hope In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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he muckraking novel, The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair does not only expose the secrets of the meat industry in Chicago in the early twentieth century, but tells of the hardships a family of Lithuanian immigrants had to go through when trying to create a better life in the United States. Even when the cold winter blew in and their lives in America were not off to the greatest start, “...the germ of hope was not to be kept from sprouting in their hearts” (Sinclair 69). Jurgis and his family go through many ups and downs as the novel continues, but their determination never diminishes as each person tries their hardest to find a good job and keep a high spirit. This “germ of hope” was found in the hearts and souls of thousands of immigrants in the United States at this time since …show more content…

Jurgis and the rest of his family kept high hopes although they suffered multiple deaths and losses of jobs throughout the novel. The theme of determination is heavily emphasized in The Jungle as Sinclair chronicles Jurgis’ journey of working in the stockyards of Chicago as he suffers many losses in both his work and family lives. Jurgis’ spirit does wane in parts of the novel, but he powers through with hope in himself and the nation in which he immigrated to. The wintertime delivered extremely difficult times for the family, but their belief in America could not be faltered because their determination and optimism brought out the best in each family member. Finding a purpose in life is another prominent theme in The Jungle since Jurgis, in particular, went in many different directions when trying to find his way. When Jurgis accidentally attends a Socialist party rally, the

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