Summary Of The Jungle By Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle originally to draw the public's attention to abuse of children and immigrants in factories along with v the effected that big businesses had on the economy. Worth his purpose fulfilled he also drew attention to a much more controversial attention to a much more controversial concern, being the meat packing industry. Many who read the book when it was first published were mortified by the stories. Some questioned the authenticity of Sinclair's writings. Whether the book was real or fake, it attracted the attention of everyone, including the government. This ultimately lead to the meat inspection act and the pure food and drug act. This ironically favored big businesses.

The novel begins with two Lithuanian

Jurgis gets news from his cousin who struck rich in America and tell him how wonderful life is. Jurgis then gets a job offer and him and his whole family move to the new world to live a better life. The job offer was nothing more than a scam. Jurgis and Ona frightened now have to find a way in America. Jurgis assures Ona that everything will be okay and he searches for a job. He eventually finds one shoveling guts off the killing floor in a meat packing plant in Pakington, Chicago. Soon Jurgis and his family begin to see money hungry America for what it is. House hold expenses begin to take up Jurgis' entire pay check. Jurgis doesn’t understand why everything is so expensive and why the men in America are not just happy to be working. Sinclair then begins to describe the horrors of the meat packing industry and the awful health hazards that come along with it. With ill wages Jurgis and Ona are forced to postpone the wedding. To help cover expenses Elzbiata's chldren look for work. They eventually find jobs by lying about their age. Jurgis and Ona finally wed. Flashback

The injured immigrants in the factories slowly start to die off including some of jurgis' family members. Those who did not die physically begin to die emotionally. Jurgis begins to see the American dream as nothing but a façade. Jurgis and Ona's family all have to start working just to get by. The dream is lost and desperation has set in. Jurgis' family is living off scrapes.

Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore Maryland. He grew up both poor and wealthy this being possible because his parents were poor but grandparents were wealthy and he often stayed with them for extended periods of time. Sinclair soon left home completely and moved to New York after deciding not to have anything to do with his mother. There he pursued writing in college at the age of 14 (Lauren Coodley).

In 1904 Upton started writing about immigrants and the meat packing industry. This later lead to him being hired to write an expose for a socialist newspaper (Lauren Coodley). The expose later was written in book for and became The Jungle. The Jungle was very difficult to get published because of the controversial content but in 1906 in was published (Robert