The Jungle by Upton Sinclair- Published by Cody Larkin

The Jungle is a novel written by author Upton Sinclair. It was written and published in 1906. Sinclair wrote this novel to ultimately expose the horrid details and research he had concluded about the meatpacking industry and to also shine a light on the struggles of the working class.

The novel focuses on a Lithuanian man named Jurgis Rudkis who moves to the United States to achieve the American Dream. Jurgis and his family settle down in Chicago, which at the time was the center of the meatpacking industry. Jurgis and his family were forced to work strenuous hours in unbearable conditions at the local slaughterhouse. The workers were harshly under paid and barely received enough money to put food on the table. The meatpacking families began to realize the stomach-wrenching secrets of the meatpacking industry, including the packing of diseased cattle and hogs for public consumption. The sausages were made of various items such as dirt, animal bones and even poison.

Jurgis flees Chicago after his wife and newborn son die during childbirth. He eventually returns to the city with no money or personal belongings. He finds himself in jail and meets a man named Jack Duane who introduces him to the reality of America. One day while begging on the streets, Jurgis stumbles into a socialist meeting and is utterly intrigued. Jurgis becomes transfixed by the idea of socialism and receives a job at a local socialist-run hotel. By the end of the novel, Jurgis is a completely new man who supports his family and believes that the socialist party will overthrow Chicago.

This novel is strongly related to today’s world of labor. The Jungle is often referenced when speaking of the cleanliness and labor of today’s fast food restaurants. Many authors have created pieces to expose the world to the dangers of fast food restaurants just as Upton Sinclair had done in the 1900’s. Novels such as Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and films such as Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock have swept the nation and exposed them to the reality of the fast food industry.

The novel is also thought to be the birthplace of the journalism tactic called muckraking. Muckraking was a tactic used by journalists in the Progressive Era to expose the corruption of the government and industries. Upton Sinclair is one of the most well known Muckrakers. Muckraking is still used in today’s world of journalism.