Analysis Of The Jungle By Upton Sinclair

For a majority of the outside world, the United States of America was more than just a country. Many people from Europe, Asia and all over would do just about anything for the opportunity to move to America and pursue the well-known “American Dream”. Many foreigners immigrated to America with hope that the American Dream would allow them to work towards a successful career. However, in the early 1900’s this dream was far out of reach for most. Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel, The Jungle, depicts the harsh environment and conditions of the Chicago meat packing industry as well as the amount of working class poverty. Throughout the Novel, Sinclair closely follows the life of Jurgis Rudkis and Ona Lukoszaite, a newly married couple who have recently

The most well-known forms of muckraking came from journalist. In the early 1900’s there were no TV’s and a majority of the news was spread through newspapers written by journalist. Upton Sinclair is a big example of a journalist muckraker. One of his most famous novels, The Jungle, was one of the first looks society got of the harsh environments many immigrants lived in. The main goal of the muckrakers was to provide awareness to the public, believing that society could improve, and that is exactly what Sinclair did. By sharing a story of a Lithuanian family’s immigration to America, Sinclair brought awareness to society.

Sinclair’s, The Jungle accurately represents everything wrong with the era. The novel shows the extremely harsh working conditions that main character, Jurgis Rudkis, and his family experienced while living in Chicago. The book goes into great detail to describe the horrible disasters that destroyed their family. From Jurgis’ wife being raped and dying in child birth to his first born son drowning in a muddy street, the audience is left stunned and sickened after reading a book about the society they didn’t even know they lived

government needs to pay more attention to the well-being of immigrants and other citizens living in poverty. The infrastructure and living conditions in Packingtown, the small run down area of Chicago where The Jungle takes place, is horrific. The streets are a muddy sludge and many families have a hard time affording a house due to unrealistic prices. Many immigrant labor workers are often mistreated illegally and forced to do things against their will in order to keep their job. For example, the main character of the novel, Jurgis Rudkis, wife was raped by her boss and forced to perform sexual favors to the man in order to keep her job. This however was just an example in a book, but paints a picture of the corruption and little limits many company owners and bosses have. The people that live and experience these environments everyday are some of the hardest workers in America, but are treated horribly and deserve