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The Jungle: An Essay
Ruben
Oct. 2, 2008



In this essay, I will attempt to parallel some atrocious events in Upton Sinclair’s novel with many of the generally recognized pitfalls of the American Industrial Revolution.


The dream of the American immigrant was simple: America, the great land of capitalism, with its plentiful opportunities, would provide them with a good job and a home to raise their family in. The work would be easy, and life would be better than it had ever been in their native land. However, the American dream proved for many immigrants, including Jurgis Rudkus in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, to be nothing more than packed cities, tedious, low-paying jobs, and death. To Upton Sinclair, the cause of all society's ills was capitalism and the remedy was socialism. Details presented by Sinclair through both the mind of the characters and the facts of the novel present Sinclair's anti-capitalist message. The first example of these details is when Jurgis is in jail; he ponders "why could they find no better way to punish him than to leave three weak women and six helpless children to starve and freeze"" (155). Jurgis' experiences in prison show him the cruelty of the world; he is given a roof over his head and something to eat every night while his family starves because of his mistakes. The American justice system is built on the cruelty of capitalism, allowing children to perish simply because they are not strong enough workers to survive social Darwinism. Sinclair furthers his argument against capitalism saying that the people were dependent "upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave drivers" for all that they needed in life (103). The people under the American system have no power in their own lives and cannot break free of the social standings they have been placed in unless the prosperous let them and that will never...