The Jungle by Sinclair - Research Paper Example

THE JUNGLE by Sinclair The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is an instance of intrusive narration. It is about the story of how a group of immigrants arriving from Lithuania survived the hostilities of United States’ meatpacking industry. Most of the time, poverty, harsh reality, suffering and loss are portrayed (Kauffman). Throughout the novel, the author’s experience is described, giving little scope for his imaginary creation. It contains a didactic tone too, which becomes prominent only towards the end of the narrative when the protagonist Jurgis Rudkus finds solace in socialism. Though being classified as a naturalistic novel, it has been argued by many that the tone is one of interpretation and not of description (Taylor, 171- 172). In this paper, a great deal has been focused on physiological aspects. Sinclair’s perspectives, observation, outlook, presentation, etc are dealt with. Also, adequate amount of emphasis is given upon characterization in The Jungle. My psychological traits are described and compared with that of another major character of the story, the protagonist himself. Besides analyzing the similarities in character sketch of the protagonist, limitations of his character are also dealt upon. Jurgis, as a character is not almost perfect, but flawed in some aspects according to my point of view. At the same time, drawbacks of other characters are also sorted out. While doing so, we come to know about his inspirations, real facts about Lithuania, metaphors used, cultures and lifestyles of the inhabitants associated with meatpacking industry in Chicago, etc. the final impression is one of awe and pity towards the suffering characters in The Jungle. 1) PSYCHOLOGY OF SINCLAIR: creation of authors mind It is not easy to trace the psychological flow of thoughts Sinclair had while composing this story. The plot of the story is a mixture of various elements and gives an aura of realist- utopian narrative. Like the ‘Souls of Black Folk’, Do Bois Sinclair’s motive can be divided as Preaching, the Picture and the Frenzy (Wienen, 166) The central figure, the protagonist was highlighted in the first theme because Sinclair wanted to highlight the voice of rebel within the Lithuanian community. That is what Jurgis becomes towards the end of the narrative. He wanted his character to take his steps slowly towards supremacy and power. In the music theme, Sinclair explored the true spirit of Lithuanian culture and society. In the last theme, the negative passion and its appeal was spread among various social classes (Bloom, 77) Sinclair had three chief objectives in his mind. Firstly, he wanted to bring out the pathetic conditions of the Lithuanians immigrants in US. Secondly, he wanted to hold the capitalist system responsible. Thirdly, Sinclair was an ardent follower of socialism. It was his belief that only socialism could bring the required change. The “body and soul” of the protagonist is saved when he has completely surrendered himself amidst a Socialist rally. Despair, anguish, exploitation and disillusionment of the contemporary world have been projected through the unfortunate life led by Jurgis. He loses his wife, his son, his father remains an invalid, and Ona’s cousin becomes a drug addict and prostitute, and finally seeks peace in a socialist meeting. What Sinclair emphasizes is the capability of the “egalitarian and democratic spirit” to end chaos and bring about reformation (Wienen, 165- 166). Approach towards ethnicity: Sinclair was aware of the cultural distinctiveness of the Lithuanians, as he was aware of the “intrinsic value” of one’s self. On several occasions he had merged this with the cultural identity by equaling the self with others who share a common heritage and identity. More so, ethnicity is projected as collective cultural identity. What Sinclair endeavors is to put the roots of identity into firm grounds. This is the reason why Sinclair fabricated several ethnic bonds within the story. Thus, we can find contrasts between the “cultures” when the Lithuanians first arrive at United States and later on when they are crushed by poverty and the system (Billen, 1). Creation of naturalistic classic The Jungle is a naturalistic classic. In his view, suffering is one of the inherent components of nature. He was in support of “basic mechanistic and deterministic philosophy”. The author has successfully created picturesque description of events in the story. From the very onset of the story we find that gloomy and grim conditions of the Lithuanians residing at Packingtown of Chicago. The descriptions, scenes, images, situations and characters are described as they are in the meat packing industry of downtown Chicago (Bloom, 77). Use of flashbacks: On several occasions, the device of flashback has been used. The feast that was described in the first chapter surfaces again in the seventh chapter, while the chapter in between takes the readers to the history and heritage of the Lithuanians. It also describes the drab settings of the packing establishments of the meatpacking industry in Chicago. After the seventh chapter, the story is back to the present tomes with the next four chapters depicting the trial scenes of Jurgis and plight of family. Another set of flashback occurs from seventeen till chapter twenty- four. The second one comes just after seduction of Ona, and when her husband comes to know about it. The story repeats the tale of poverty, helplessness and suffering. A third phrase of flashback occurs in chapter sixteen and seventeen. In this chapters the aspects of prostitution and poverty is raised once again focusing on the past times (Bloom, 78- 79). Metaphor: Title One can find a metaphor in the title of the story. Te story itself is a metaphor depicting jungle as “wilderness of civilization” (Rosendale, 67). The name of the story’s protagonist Jurgis produces similar sound effect as ‘Jungle’. In other words, the two words sound almost similar. However, the slight difference makes us believe that the similarity might be a chance coincidence. However, this was deliberately done by Sinclair. His usage clearly aims that he has tried to camouflage certain English names. The words ‘Jurgis’ ad ‘Jungle’ has letters that coincide in sequence- “Ju.g.. – Ju.g..” Therefore, the name of the protagonist suggests the ‘jungle’ inside his own self and other characters as well (Subacius, 85). Things Revealed about Author’s mind: Story is not imaginary: The piece of work is not a product of Sinclair’s imagination. Rather, the author himself claimed that he had not fabricated even the minutest thing. Everything described was facts. All he did was fabricated the material into one complete whole. The narrative, too gives its readers the impression of “real- life historical considerations”. The dialogues in Lithuanian language also bear the impression of originality of facts. Sinclair himself had first- hand experience of these situations (Subacius, 83). Inspiration: Sinclair has derived the central idea of this story from two chief sources. First is, he happened to be present at a Lithuanian wedding and had the opportunity to observe people and customs. This gave him an insight into the practical life that Lithuanians were living around that time in United States. It also gave him an insight of Lithuanian traditions and ethnicity. This feature is prominent from the his description of different events in the story. For instance in the first chapter he describes Acziavimas, the ritual of the wedding feast where very man present in the hall gets a chance to dance with the bride. The second, but more important source was a story he heard from Ernest Pool. This story was told on behalf of a Lithuanian, Antanas Kaztauskis. Through this story, Sinclair delved deeper into the history and present situations of thousands of Lithuanians. Also, he had derived certain materials from Pool’s “inter alia” to shape up his characters in The Jungle (Subacius, 83- 84). Lithuania: Facts His attending a Lithuanian wedding and the tale of Antanas Kazauskis were his chief sources of inspiration. He chose Lithuanians over others for his stiry solely because he was too much influenced by the wedding feast he attended. The sensuous nature of the author is unveiled from his description of people and relation and hardships. It is very much clear that the author is deeply touched by oppressions and sufferings of their lives (Poverty in the United States, 419- 420). The story is inspired by a wedding feast and a tale. The details bear some resemblance but what runs parallel is the pain, anguish, despair poverty nd sufferings that these people undergo (Subacius, 83- 84). Use of Language: Use of Lithuanian language clearly shows Sinclair’s love for this ethic group from Northern Europe. His knowledge of the Lithuanian language only added up to his interest. Other than Lithuanian, Sinclair was an expert of four other languages too. In The Jungle, ample amount of phrases and words from Lithuanian culture has been used. Characters were also named after Lithuanian tradition. The language itself was the background color which Sinclair used to paint his narrative. what makes it all the more crucial is the fact that it supports the sense of unfamiliarity and does not let the reader forget for once that Jurgis, Ona, Teta, Jonas, Marija- all are immigrants (Subacius, 83- 84). However, no linguistic traces can be discovered as far as the The Jungle is concerned. Himself a lover of Lithuanian language, he made great efforts to conduct field research around 1904. But somehow, he failed to make any great impact and his learning was limited up to his experience of Lithuania in Chicago, though a later edition of book released in 1906 contained revised Lithuanian dialect. Original people and location: Sinclair strived for perfection. He also It is noteworthy that these people existed beyond their names, that is, they were real identities. Apparently the “name donors” are “Andrius L. Graiciunas, physician, Joseph Kuszlejko, saloon keeper, Charles Yasatis, molder, Anton Bierzynski, and Frank Szedwill”. Sinclair happened to know them while he was at Chicago. However, while using these Lithuanian names and surnames, Sinclair interchanged their personalities. That is to say, he chose the names but for persons belong to different situations and professions. For instance, he chose “Grajezunas for a salon keeper, Kuszlejka for a violin player, Biarczynskas for a labor, Szadwilas for a store- owner, and Jasaitis for another labor at the wedding” (Subacius, 85- 86). Certain locations in the story exist in real life. The particular referred to chapters two and nine of The Jungle is actually a Tom Carey’s dump in Chicago, visited by the author himself. Also, Panei Aniele Juknos’s boarding house resembled the neighborhood located at the “intersection of South Wood and 46th Street” (Subacius, 86). Muckraking in The Jungle: In this novel, Sinclair has exposed the scandalous environment of the present times. Immense scandals and corruptions prevailed in all sections of society. For exposing them, Sinclair chose Packingtown of Chicago as the central of everything. Above everything was the disgusting failings of the whole system further worsened the condition. (Deinzer, 3 -5). The harsh and hostile conditions of the meatpacking industry are described in great details. Workers were frequently hurt from deadly diseases like tuberculosis, blood poisoning etc. Absentmindedness or mere accident often resulted in chopping off of fingers and limbs. Sinclair successfully adopted muckraking to expose adversities of industrial revolution (Berkin, et. al. 585). Medias res: The author believes in ‘carpe diem’ which stands for seizing the day. At the same time the narrative also displays the quality of ‘medias res’, for it begins in the middle of events. All of a sudden the readers are introduced to a grand Lithuanian wedding feast on “four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon in November 1990” (Oatman, 34). Elaborate fest of vaselija, the food and drinks served to the guests, musicians passionately playing the music and the dance all round the evening, makes the clock stop ticking. Readers would be attracted to the dream sequence with all the people dancing and reveling around us. Also, every tiny details of the feast, from the details of food and drinks offered to the personal lives of some of the guests who attended made the beginning of the narrative very vivid and lively. Morality: From time to time the author has held up the goodness and moral values in his story. However, it is being described in very few people. it their good intentions are so string that we cannot ignore them. One of them was old poni Aniele, a widow who has to provide for her three children. She gave some donations to the newlywed couple out of the indebted feeling of once taking some loans from Aunt Teta Elzbieta for paying up the due loans of her home. This shows that the complex culture of meatpacking industry of Chicago has failed to penetrate within the values the Lithuanians brought with themselves (Corfe, 43). Drawbacks: Culture and rituals were described in a fantastic manner in the opening chapter of the story. But somehow in the later chapter, it seems that the author’s information fell short. It would have been better if the readers got to see some more of Lithuanian life. Sinclair could have inserted some more information or details about Lithuania (Subacius, 83). Sinclair’s prime concern was radicalism. And while presentation of dertain subjects he has shown much of effectiveness. However, he could have invested into the narrative some more mature insight. Though it down not bring the achievement of Sinclair, but beyond any doubt, the effort would have bettered the narrative (Lippman, 34- 35). 2) ANALYSIS of my psychology About Myself: I am a person with traditional values. I live in a nuclear family and share very good bonds with my family. I am a student and dream of supporting my family someday. I am a hard working person, very much like the character of Jurgis Rudkus in Sinclair’s The Jungle. At the end of the day, family is the most important thing for me. I highly respect all my family members, and cannot see them in distress at any cost, at any point of time in any situation. Even if any time my family faces any sort of emotional or financial crisis, I would try my level best to solve it. I am quite an optimistic person and have faith in myself. I believe that when someone of a family faces some difficulty, it is the duty of the others to get him or her out of it. I try to do the same in my life too. When I lost my grandpa, one thing I ken was that that I have to support my family. I was grieved too, but my prime concern was my family. I had to be strong for them. I am a common man who lacks the leadership qualities. If I am to change the whole essence of a system, I would rather choose to get into the system first. I dislike reacting on impulsive and also believe that man should think before he acts because once anything is said or done there is no going back. For this reason, I observe the things patiently first and then chalk out the necessary course of actions. When at one’s workplace one should always try to separate one’s personal life with professional life. However, I am not afraid to protest if anything wrong is done with me or my interests. I think that completes me as a person. My Relation with the Character of Jurgis Rudkus: Like me Jurgis Rudkus of Sinclair’s The Jungle also wants to support his family. He dreams of earning more so that he could provide for his wife and children. His other concern is his sick father, and like an able son he wants to support him too. Though the other characters in the story- Ona, Stanislovas, Antanas, Jonas, Marija, Teta Elzbieta, Vilimas, Nikolajus started working to meet the family needs, Jurgis never appreciated it for he himself wanted to be the sole bread earner of the family. The same is with me; I too want to support my family single- handedly. Jurgis dreamt of prosperity. That’s why he took measures to take up a house for down- payments. He wished to get his children educated and learn the refined ways – the opportunity which he never got. Jurgis is a man who holds traditional value of love. He loves his wife deeply, respects her and is very much possessive about her. For this reason he could not bear the fact that Ona was repeatedly raped by her boss and taken to the brothel on several occasions. Had I been in his shoes I would also have reacted the same way. For me the value of love and commitment is much high and I genuinely care for the person I love. Jurgis loved Ona from the bottom of his heart. Before getting married they lived together for some time. During this time an unbreakable bond was formed which further deepened with their marriage. Though I am not married, but I have high regards for the institution of marriage. And I also believe that one must be totally faithful to his or her spouse. In this regard, Jurgis was truly a man. Throughout his life, he had loved only one person- that is his wife Ona and was faithful to her till her last breadth. Though Jurgis tuned to the prostitutes, he cannot be entirely blamed for it--. After Ona’s death he was a broken man with no hope. It is indeed a terrible shock when someone loses his or her beloved. Different people react in different way. Getting drunk, fussing around and going to the prostitute quarters was Jurgis’ way of escaping from the terrible truth, which was incredibly too much for him to bear. I am an introvert kind of person. I might have withdrawn into myself if I have suffered such a loss. Hence his reaction, though not acceptable by the social norms is quite justifiable from my point of view. At the same time, Jurgis was a good father too. In spite of losing his beloved wife, he resumed to work once gain only for the sake of his only son, Antanas, which is remarkable. Like me, like all of us Jurgis is a common man who wishes for a better life after coming to a new land. It is very common for all of us to be filled with joy, hopes and aspirations when we arrive to some place completely unknown to us. Still, he had the courage to step into the American system of capitalism. He had the right kind of attitude in the beginning. For me wearing the right attitude is very important. Else, one might not get expected results. He belonged from a Lithuanian peasant family and had the courage to embrace the new system. In my opinion it was really praiseworthy. 3) CHARACTER: Numerous characters have been described in this narrative, the chief ones being Jurgis, Ona, Marija, Tamoszius, Anthony Rudkus, Anatanas, Jack Duane and Freddie Jones. Their roles fit perfectly to the inborn traits. All of them highlight oppression and culture of consumption (Mizruchi, 180). Aspects those are wrong with characterization of Jurgis: According to Schaffner one major flaw of Jurgis’ character is that he gave up very easily. Just after his wife’s death he took to drinking and neglected the responsibility of the rest of his family, including his toddler son Anatanas. He could have been a much more responsible father. After Ona’s death he simply seemed to forget that the whole family still looks upon him as he was the highest earning member of the family (Schaffner 498). It is only after Teta Elzbieta reminded him of his duties that he took up Jurgis was infuriated against the capitalist oligopoly that was prevalent in Chicago’s meatpacking industry during the 1980’s. But his means of rebelling was incorrect in the beginning (Barrett, 14- 15). Robbery and sluggishness cannot be the solution to a problem. Pairing up with criminals like Jack Duane is a crime dome against the society itself, which is not acceptable under any circumstance. Jurgis, in the course of the narrative, seemed to have deviated from the purpose with which he was created. His creator, Sinclair created him with an objective that by portraying the fall of his “worker- hero”, he would support socialism. But, somehow Jurgis took a different course and the narrative became a criticism of meat industry and how they were ‘supplying meat’ to the civilized world (Boehm, 63- 64). What is wrong with them? The whole story is a well constructed one. Everything, every event and situation just seem to fall in place. For this, the characters in the novel appear too flat. Being a city novel, The Jungle was expected to be multi- dimensional one. But it fails to achieve such heights and along with it also fails the multi- dimensional development of the characters within the novel. Another limitation of the characters is that that the author has preferred development and synchronization of plot over character. In other words, the characters were dependent on the plot and their development depended entirely on the advancement of the story. They become nothing but “puppets” in the hands of Sinclair. Also, the perspective can be labeled as a narrow one as because all the principle characters, like the author himself share only one view of the city of Chicago (Boehmer, 16). Conclusion The Jungle by Sinclair is one of the most renowned naturalistic classics of preset times. So much fact is present throughout the story that it often becomes difficult to trace the stream of consciousness running through the author’s mind. All the characters in the story are believable and living- as if we could see and hear them talking. Above all they share the pain,, suffering and exploitation of Lithuanians residing in United States (Ayers, et. al. 447). However, the characters transcend their ethnic identity and become one of us. We genuinely sympathize with Jurgis and Ona, get angry with Jonas for running away and later forgive him also and feel the helplessness of Teta Elzabieta and her children. A sense of loss broods all over the narrative. And it ends with a positive note from the emerging socialism (Whitt, 31- 33) The most important thing that we realize is this, that the narrative, the characters and the situations are not just pieces of fictions. They are slices from our real lives. The way I found my psychology similar to the protagonist’s psychology, I am quite sure that other too will be able to relate themselves with other characters of the story. While reading the story we can simply feel the vibes of these characters within ourselves. On the whole, The Jungle makes us reflect on the past as well as on our present. Works Cited Ayers, et. al. American Passages. U.S.: Cengage Learning, 2011 Barrett, James R, Work and Community in the Jungle: Chicago's Packing-House Workers, 1894-1922. U.S.: University of Illinois Press, 1990 Berkin, et, al. Making America: A History of the United States, U.S. : Cengage Learning, 2012 Billen, Matthias, The Depiction and Function of Ethnicity in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2011 Bloom, Harold. The Jungle - Upton Sinclair. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009 Boehm, Lissa Krissoff, Popular Culture and the Enduring Myth of Chicago, 1871-1968. U.S.: Taylor & Francis, 2004 Boehme, Nora Emanuelle. Is "The Jungle" by Upton Sinnclair really a city novel? Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2006 Corfe, Robert, Foundations of New Socialism: A Vision for the Third Millennium. Boston: Arena books, 2001 Deinzer. Eva, The Representation of Immigrant Life in Upton Sinclair's the Jungle, Germay: GRIN Verlag, 2009 Miruchi, Susan Laura. The rise of multicultural America: economy and print culture, 1865-1915. U.S.: Univ of North Carolina Press, 2008 Oatman, Eric F. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. U.S.: Barron's Educational Series, 1984 Poverty in the United States: A - K., Volume 1, ABC-CLIO. 2004. Rosendale, Steven. The Greening Of Literary Scholarship: Literature, Theory, and He Environment. US: University of Iowa Press, 2005 Schaffner, Herbert A., Work in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Policy, and Society. California: ABC-CLIO, 2003 Subacius, Giedrus. Upton Sinclair, The Lithuanian Jungle: Upon the Centenary of The Jungle (1905 and 1906) by Upton Sinclair. Netherlands: Rodopi, 2006 Taylor, Christopher. “Inescapably Propaganda”: Re-Classifying Upton Sinclair outside the Naturalist Tradition. Studies in American Naturalism 38(46), April 14, 2013 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=11e0aadd-2b46-45a0-a12c-7b6175733880%40sessionmgr15&vid=4&hid=20 Kaufman, Irving R. The Creative Process and Libel, The New York Times, 1987, April 15, 2013, from http://search.proquest.com/news/docview/426464665/fulltext/13D7171E7779D43C7E/4?accountid=10709 Whitt, Jan. Settling the Borderline: Other Voices in Literary Journalism. U.S.: University Press of America, 2008 Wienen, Mark Van. American Socialist Triptych: The Literary-Political Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Upton Sinclair, and W. E. B. Du Bois. U.S.: University of Michigan Press, 2011 Lippman, Walter Public Persons. N.d. 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