Lit Analysis Of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
Lit Analysis The Jungle Workers and citizens today have Upton Sinclair to thank for the improved working conditions and higher regulations in the food industry. In The Jungle, Upton Sinclair uses vivid imagery and figurative language to expose the extremely unpleasant working conditions of immigrants and the Capitalist ideology of early 1900’s Chicago . A large Lithuanian family comes to Chicago in hopes for better life and work. The main character Jurgis is eager to work after a new marriage with his wife, Ona. The family of twelve quickly realizes that things are not quite what they seem. They are struck with hunger, poverty, injury, and death on multiple occasions. As soon as the family is approaching Packington disturbing imagery
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is used to set the mood of what the immigrants will soon deal with. The closer the family reaches Chicago, Sinclair starts to set a mood of the atmosphere, “A full hour before the party reached the city they had begun to note the perplexing changed in the atmosphere. It grew darker all the time, and upon the earth the grass seemed to grow less green” (25). The darkening area image created a setting the reader would automatically feel dragged down. Sinclair writes of the grass no longer being green. Society often correlates green grass with health in nature and areas of living. Giving the reader a hint at the city in which they the family is entering will not have pleasant living conditions. Later in The Jungle, Sinclair continues to write of the plight of the immigrant worker in Packingtown with other imagery. After the loss of a child in the family, Kristoforas, the family is becoming desensitized to deaths. Jurgis has worked at the killing beds and, although awful, nothing compared to his new job. Jurgis lands a job at the fertilizer plant in which the last of the last immigrants go to work because the conditions are so poor. “There are all the stages of being out of work in Packingtown, and he faced in dread the prospect of reaching the lowest” (Sinclair 135). Sinclair goes on to explain the ways in which the fertilizer plant works, saying that one would have to hold their breath until they couldn’t stand it and would be forced to leave. The way Sinclair writes to invoke the feelings of the reader comparing it to “drowning” in the stench of the plant. Jurgis’ previous job at the killing beds would have disgusted any civil human in today's society. This new job was even more disgusting and Sinclair intended it to be so to create sympathy in the reader. Many say that Sinclair aimed for the heart of the reader but hit their stomach instead. Sinclair intended for the reader to put one’s self into an immigrant’s position and feel the harshness of the packing plants. Upton Sinclair skillfully weaves figurative language into The Jungle to highlight the faults of Capitalism.
Sinclair uses the title to create a simile of the workers in Packingtown and the jungle and wildlife itself. After many hardships Jurgis is at the lowest point in his life and goes to a political rally to get warm. It is there where he is introduced to Socialism. The speakers talk low of Capitalism. Sinclair writes of how Capitalism is like the jungle and only the strongest, or in the books case the richest, survive. Sinclair always wrote of how Socialism would prevent this non-ending cycle of Capitalism. “Life was a struggle for existence, and the strong overcame the weak, and in turn were overcome by the strongest… it was so that the gregarious animals had overcome the predaceous; it was so, in human history, that the people had mastered the kings” (Sinclair 304). Sinclair writes of the citizens at the time as animals to show that they are fighting against one another in a jungle-like setting. The author wrote of the people as animals to show that in a Capitalist society people meant nothing more than the animals they worked with. Sinclair gave a solution to all these problems society faced. Referring to the “kings”, the rich individuals in capitalism, comparing them to the kings of the jungle. Upton Sinclair writes that they can master the rich in a Socialist society making all equal. Giving this solution gives the reader a view into how life would be different
if a Socialist government was in place at the time. Upton Sinclair writes The Jungle to show how immigrants had to work in extremely distasteful conditions in a Capitalist society through using figurative language and imagery. Sinclair wrote with powerful words to invoke the attention of an audience unaware of the conditions of immigrants and packing industries. The agencies created after the publishing of The Jungle, made enormous impacts that affect every single citizen who consumes products. Sinclair caused an uproar that could only been done with his pristine writing skills and credible stories and sources. Upton Sinclair's novel truly moled how citizens live today.
is used to set the mood of what the immigrants will soon deal with. The closer the family reaches Chicago, Sinclair starts to set a mood of the atmosphere, “A full hour before the party reached the city they had begun to note the perplexing changed in the atmosphere. It grew darker all the time, and upon the earth the grass seemed to grow less green” (25). The darkening area image created a setting the reader would automatically feel dragged down. Sinclair writes of the grass no longer being green. Society often correlates green grass with health in nature and areas of living. Giving the reader a hint at the city in which they the family is entering will not have pleasant living conditions. Later in The Jungle, Sinclair continues to write of the plight of the immigrant worker in Packingtown with other imagery. After the loss of a child in the family, Kristoforas, the family is becoming desensitized to deaths. Jurgis has worked at the killing beds and, although awful, nothing compared to his new job. Jurgis lands a job at the fertilizer plant in which the last of the last immigrants go to work because the conditions are so poor. “There are all the stages of being out of work in Packingtown, and he faced in dread the prospect of reaching the lowest” (Sinclair 135). Sinclair goes on to explain the ways in which the fertilizer plant works, saying that one would have to hold their breath until they couldn’t stand it and would be forced to leave. The way Sinclair writes to invoke the feelings of the reader comparing it to “drowning” in the stench of the plant. Jurgis’ previous job at the killing beds would have disgusted any civil human in today's society. This new job was even more disgusting and Sinclair intended it to be so to create sympathy in the reader. Many say that Sinclair aimed for the heart of the reader but hit their stomach instead. Sinclair intended for the reader to put one’s self into an immigrant’s position and feel the harshness of the packing plants. Upton Sinclair skillfully weaves figurative language into The Jungle to highlight the faults of Capitalism.
Sinclair uses the title to create a simile of the workers in Packingtown and the jungle and wildlife itself. After many hardships Jurgis is at the lowest point in his life and goes to a political rally to get warm. It is there where he is introduced to Socialism. The speakers talk low of Capitalism. Sinclair writes of how Capitalism is like the jungle and only the strongest, or in the books case the richest, survive. Sinclair always wrote of how Socialism would prevent this non-ending cycle of Capitalism. “Life was a struggle for existence, and the strong overcame the weak, and in turn were overcome by the strongest… it was so that the gregarious animals had overcome the predaceous; it was so, in human history, that the people had mastered the kings” (Sinclair 304). Sinclair writes of the citizens at the time as animals to show that they are fighting against one another in a jungle-like setting. The author wrote of the people as animals to show that in a Capitalist society people meant nothing more than the animals they worked with. Sinclair gave a solution to all these problems society faced. Referring to the “kings”, the rich individuals in capitalism, comparing them to the kings of the jungle. Upton Sinclair writes that they can master the rich in a Socialist society making all equal. Giving this solution gives the reader a view into how life would be different
if a Socialist government was in place at the time. Upton Sinclair writes The Jungle to show how immigrants had to work in extremely distasteful conditions in a Capitalist society through using figurative language and imagery. Sinclair wrote with powerful words to invoke the attention of an audience unaware of the conditions of immigrants and packing industries. The agencies created after the publishing of The Jungle, made enormous impacts that affect every single citizen who consumes products. Sinclair caused an uproar that could only been done with his pristine writing skills and credible stories and sources. Upton Sinclair's novel truly moled how citizens live today.