Summary Of The Jungle By Upton Sinclair

In 1906, Upton Sinclair released a novel relating the frantic race of hopeless survival of European immigrants in America. The Jungle vents the often overlooked trials and baffling tribulations of Lithuanian newcomers. Upton Sinclair, a well known political activist for the Socialistic party writes this story as a glance into the events happening during his life-span. At the time of The Jungle's publication, Sinclair was twenty-eight years old, and he used the profits from his book to run for Congress. During this time of his life, many things were happening in America: the Industrial Age was at its peak, child labor was running rampant, Immigration through Ellis Island boomed, and the Communistic Witch-Hunt began. All of these time-markers

Jurgis, which translated means George, was a young farmer in the fields of Lithuania. It was his superior strength that allowed him to survive in the Railroad Gang, one of the places he worked so he could buy a voyage to America. After the family arrived in Chicago, Jurgis found work in a meat packing plant, where he wittnessed the horrors of food processing. Ona, or Hannah, was only fourteen years old when she navigated with her stepmother, Jurgis, and Marija to America in search of a better life. A short time after arriving, she and Jurgis were married, and had a little boy, Antanas. "So in the summertime they had all set out for America. At the last moment there joined them Marija Berczynskas, who was a cousin of Ona's." (pg. 24) Marija, or Mary, was Ona's older cousin, responsible for the planning of Ona's wedding and reception. Marija, who was a strong and tough woman, worked several jobs to help pay for the family's expenses. Marija's first job required cans to be painted, for two dollars an hour. But after only ten days working there, her factory closed, so she moved on to cutting meat. While working, she met a man named Tamoszius Kuszleika, a musician, and the couple was engaged to be married. Unfortunately, while working, she cut her hand and became infected with gangrene. The doctor had to amputate it. Feeling incomplete as a person, Marija

Yes, in its strengths, because it captivates the reader, and draws out the emotions of pity and compassion. In this book, there is helplessness, hopelessness, the frantic rush for survival, unjustness and xenophobia (prejudice). Xenophobia is an unreasonable fear and hatred of foreigners and foreign things. When Conner, a worker in Ona's unit, attacked her, he was not reprimanded by the police, and nothing was done to help her. However, when Jurgis came and pounded Conner into a pulp, the judge working the case sentenced Jurgis time in prison, and a gargantuan fine neither he nor his family could pay. The judge, a victim of xenophobia, ignored the facts brought to his attention, and ruled in Connor's favor. Helplessness was felt in the first several months in America. Jurgis and his group did not speak English, only Lithuanian. "But only ten days after she had joined, Maija's canning factory closed down, and ... they could not understand why the union had not prevented it, and the very first time she attended a meeting Maija got up and made a speech about it. It [the meeting] was ... in English, but that made no difference to Maija; she said what was in her ... she was boiling over with ... injustice. Then she sat down ... and the meeting proceeded to elect a secretary." (pg. 94) Because they were treated with injustice, they worked in unhealthy conditions, and were not paid half of what they should have been, many family