Analyzing Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair can be considered one of the most influential novels written at the beginning of the 20th century. Though largely known as the book that resulted in the creation of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act, The Jungle illustrated the harsh working conditions and ruthless competition that plagued the meat-packing plants in Chicago. Sinclair’s original intention for writing the book was to point out the flaws of capitalism, the greed that plagued society, and the poor imprisoned wage-slaves that struggled with starvation, disease, and the purpose behind their lives.
The novel is centered around the tragic yet surprisingly common life of an immigrant worker by the name of Jurgis Rudkus. He first
The enquiries I proposed above only present more distress and critical thinking than it does answers. Of course, I am disqualified from answering any of these questions. I’ve never faced a real challenge in my life. However, he main themes that I attempted to center my thoughts around were equality, opportunity, liberty, and happiness. The Jungle is a great book to look over when wanting to experience the other side of both the economic and political side of the spectrum. Its plot was lengthy though, and Sinclair’s writing style seemed more to focus on the hardships and mental anguish that Jurgis faced rather than eloquent words and descriptions that are usually expected. The general impression that was made after just finishing the book was that I just read a piece of socialist propaganda, which I did.
Overall though, when the socialist cries tore through the cold, wintery air of Chicago, what were they saying? Freedom doesn’t necessarily mean “free stuff”. Finding purpose by accomplishing goals is ultimately what leads to a feeling of success in life. Whether Jurgis believed this or not is up to your own interpretation of the passages in the book. It was a good