Literary Analysis Of The Jungle

The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, is an American novel based on Lithuanian immigrants, Jurgis Rudkus and his wife Ona, coming into the capitalistic city of Chicago to seek an American Dream. The novel is based upon commercial fiction, literary fiction, and lastly propaganda. Jurgis and his wife planned on living a happy life in Packingtown with a job to support their family, but it did not sound as easy as it seemed for the couple. During the beginning of the novel, Sinclair gives the reader a good reason to why coming into America was a great idea but things go downhill for Jurgis and his family. Losing his job and being spent in jail for numerous times declines his American Dream. Not only that but Jurgis has lost his loved ones Ona

The novel is not a simple thing to read but rather it is a drama about harmless immigrants who seek to achieve the American dream. The Jungle is anything but commercial fiction due to its complexity and his plot is not simple to understand as it may seem. Sinclair’s plot is too complex that it includes symbols consisting of hidden meanings because american society at the time was so obsessed with money and industrialization was popular. Of these symbols is the can of rotten meat. On the outside of this can it may be shiny but on the inside it is dirty and symbolizes the corruption of capitalism. When immigrants come to the US, they think capitalism is attractive but they do not realize the corrupt on the inside. Sinclair also explains Ona’s prostitution as a great example of capitalism. It was all--it was their plot--Miss Henderson's plot. She hated me. And he--he wanted me. He used to speak to me--out on the platform. “Then he began to--to make love to me. He offered me money… He knew your boss--he knew Marija's. He would hound us to death, he said--then he said if I would--if I--we would all of us be sure of work--always. Then one day he caught hold of me--he would not let go--he--he--” (pg. 88). This is a great reason to why commercial fiction is not the primary source in the novel but rather

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. To conclude, a reader’s visual on the book pre reading was of curiosity and a simple understanding but as he/she explores in depth of the reading, it surely is a dominant source of