Upton Sinclairs novel the Jungle as an instrument to describe the rise of progressivism in America - Essay Example

? Introduction Upton Sinclair was, as his narration suggests, a supporter of Socialism. His book The Jungle was at the time (1906) one of the primary modes of insight into the lives of American immigrants and their quest to achieve the dream that made the land so famous. Sinclair sought out to highlight the commercialist capitalism that defined the many aspects of American society that rendered the conditions of the country almost unacceptable for immigrants. Given the profit driven nature of the business owners of the seemingly Progressive America at the turn of the 20th century, the work conditions were more often neglected and the plight of the laborers extended to their entire family structure. Summary The story is largely credited to be fictional but it is evident that it pertains largely to a select regime that saw similar setbacks in its time. Sinclair presented the story of a newly wed couple with the protagonist Jurgis Rudkus, who belongs to a somewhat poor background, marrying and moving to Chicago with his family in the hopes of making it big there. Of course, being of Lithuanian origin, this was bound to take a turn for the worst as Jurgis quickly discovered how power driven the rich bosses of America were. His admiration for their lust quickly turned into contempt as he realized that the primary buttress to their profits was the helplessness of foreigners who, like himself, were only too eager to work long grueling hours in order to provide for basic amenities. Eventually, this led to sickness, family disruptions, victimization, and the eventual death of his wife. As Jurgis gathers himself together, Sinclair makes stark jibes at Progressive Capitalism and how it has plagued the very roots of civilian Americans in so much as depriving them of their humane rights. As such, he suggests Socialism as the way forward. Analysis Sinclair was particularly displeased with the way laborers were treated during his time. More so, the profit oriented business elite were displayed as cynical tyrants who strove for power and money every chance they could. The first evidence of this was in the treatment of hogs. Sinclair exemplified this trait by depicting the workings of the meat-packing industry through the eyes of Jurgis, the poor immigrant meatpacker. Jurgis observed that every part of the hog was utilized for profit. He cringed at the sight of them squealing and drifted into philosophical ideologies relating to their helplessness; “… that there was nowhere a god of hogs… to whom these hogs squeals had a meaning” (Sinclair 33). Jurgis expressed his relief about not being a hog himself, which demonstrated his naivety with regards to the work ahead. It is no doubt that Sinclair wanted to signify that there was no humane connection between the meatpacking business vendors and the animals that were churned into profit. Seemingly, this was the same with regards to the workers they hired. To counter the plight of the workers, Sinclair suggested the use of unions, which was prevalent at the time. Jurgis found representation in the meetings he attended, which taught him not only English but the importance of fighting for your rights. It was, in essence, a religion; “Here, however, was a new religion – one that did touch him, that took hold of every fiber of him; and with all the zeal and fury of a convert he went out as a missionary” (Sinclair 85). The problem here was, the unions themselves were a misrepresentation of the ongoing efforts. It is true that they gave the workers a voice but what they did not manage was an end result since union members consisted of spies and leaders were often bought off. Moreover, the union members often fell victim to discrimination as a result of any unpleasantness with the managers, as seen by the telegram sent by Durham and Company warning all packing centers not to “employ any union leaders” (Sinclair 272). Sinclair describes the rigors of greed and gluttony that marked virtually every rich political business man of the time. He used the example of Mike Scully, who was a Democratic leader thriving upon niches in the real estate schemes to compound his wealth. Jurgis and his family also enlisted in the victims when they signed up for a house they were expected to pay an extravagant amount of money for in installments in order to acquire ownership. Eventually, Jurgis falls further into the hole when Scully hires him for odd political criminalities such as the rigging of an election and the destruction of a union strike. Sinclair prescribes a distinctly corrupt regime in the business elite through Scully, who is simply all evil and completely deprived of any humane tendencies, as a distinct result of Progressivism. Jurgis as a victim Jurgis’s character is especially relevant to the downward spiral Capitalism brings in relation to civilian rights. It drove him, an honest laborer, towards criminal tendencies simply as a need. Sinclair portrays him as a feeble Lithuanian immigrant, who works extremely long painfully exhausting hours in the slaughter house which eventually take their toll on him and his family. They had no other choice but to work there, as a line of unemployed workers were always waiting to take up their place in case they decided to give up or even as little as weakening their efforts. Jurgis leaves the slaughter house and eventually joins a harvesting factory but things were not any different there. The workers were arbitrarily dismissed if they opposed the administration. The minimal pay scale did not help either, and the hours only piled on as the wages decreased in the off season. This was evidenced when one fine day, his department was closed and he was out of a job again. During their fight for survival, Jurgis’ wife Ona succumbed to several ills of the society. She was raped by her boss, and eventually died of sickness due to her exorbitant working hours. She was portrayed as a sacrifice that Jurgis made to capitalism and he resorted to alcohol to curb his pain. Jurgis here is portrayed as a weak man simply because of the weight thrown on him by the greedy cynical tyrants that rule the working class. He is victimized by them in an exemplary capitalist way. However, not long after, Jurgis gathers himself up and starts working again in order to support his son. He sets an example in so much as pursuing employment to fulfill his responsibilities. The setbacks faced by him are countered head on and through his eyes, Sinclair harks back at the individualism inherent in each laborer even under extremely conditions. Even when he resorts to crime as a means of income afterwards, he is constantly engulfed in the shadow of victimization awarded by greedy inhumane Capitalists. Muckraking Journalism Muckraking refers to that form of journalism that engages in divulging the inner workings of high profile persons or businesses within a society. Sinclair attempted the very same with The Jungle, as he made his readers aware of the trying conditions the laborers were forced to adhere to as a result of corrupt businesses. These were evidenced in the meatpacking houses, where pregnant cows were slaughtered and even the flesh of the developing young processed for human consumption. Food inspectors were bribed to make this work (p. 57-59). The rigging of elections, the discrimination against union members, and the corruption of politicians were all unearthed. Socialism Sinclair’s eventual drive was towards an awareness of Socialism, a concept scorned upon at the time as the American elites shrouded under the flag of Progressivism. Progressivism referred to the an adherence to Capitalist ideologies, where businesses were largely run without government intervention and policies were made by the democratic elite. However, as Sinclair suggested, this created an especially negative niche for the working class which got subjected to ridicule and exploitation. For them, Socialism had much brighter prospects given how it suggests a theoretically perfect form of society that allows the government to intervene in matters of worker rights as well as minority rights since it advocates equality amongst all. Jurgis and his family would have been vastly better off as a result. Works Cited Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. 1906. Read More