Throughout the novel The Jungle, Sinclair presents multiple opposites that seem to be at constant battle with each other. The opposite between the lives of suffering and impoverishment that immigrants had to face in their home countries vs. the extravagant ideal of a promising new place known as the American dream. The opposite between socialism, which as Sinclair believed would provide justice for the working class vs. Capitalism which he believed to be an exploitation of the working class and economic equality. The opposite between the stockyard owners and the people in power vs the working men and women who were dominated by it. By presenting these opposites, Sinclair makes us think about the sacrifices made by those who wished to switch the side they were on. People like Jurgis and his family who left their home land to chase the American dream. Who were lured in by the promises of capitalism and then shaken back into reality by the introduction of socialism into their lives. Lower class individuals, attempting to fight the system through unions and strikes in an attempt to achieve justice.
The immigrant experience Vs. The American dream: How much are you willing to risk for the shot at a better life?
Throughout the novel Jurgis and his family are constantly giving up things in order to live out the American dream. They start by giving up the place they once called home, then before they realize it, they are forced to give up things like their dignity, their freedom, and eventually each other. While the novel seems to romanticize the American dream at the beginning of the novel by making it out to be something you can achieve with hard work (hence Jurgis’s line “I will work harder,” which he constantly repeats throughout, the end of the novel poses the question of whether or not their sacrifices were worth what they got. Starting with the death of Antanas in the beginning of the novel, the family encounters death time and time again. So often if fact that they become nearly numb to the pain. Jurgis for example, gives himself no time to mourn for the loss of his baby or to dwell upon the death of his wife. Instead, he is forced to repress their memories and move on in order to survive.
“Now and then, of course, he could not help but think of little Antanas, whom he should never see again, whose little voice he should never hear; and then he would have to battle with himself. Sometimes at night he would waken dreaming of Ona, and stretch out his arms to her, and wet the ground with his tears. But in the morning he would get up and shake himself, and stride away again to battle with the world” (Sinclair, Chapter 22).
Similarly, we see the same reaction from Marija upon recounting the death of Stanislova. She tells Jurgis about his death in a way where she’s able to recount the facts of the incident while detaching herself from the emotional aspects of it. She states, “he was working in an oil factory—at least he was hired by the men to get their beer. He used to carry cans on a long pole; and he’d drink a little out of each can, and one day he drank too much, and fell asleep in a corner, and got locked up in the place all night. When they found him the rats had killed him and eaten him nearly all up. Jurgis sat, frozen with horror. Marija went on lacing up her shoes. There was a long silence” (Sinclair, Chapter 27).
The “goodness” of Socialism Vs. The “greed” of Capitalism: Based on the novel do you think Sinclair presents a convincing argument for Socialism? What do you think about his portrayal of socialism as the solution to the working man’s problems? Do you think Sinclair would agree or disagree with the way capitalism functions in the U.S today and what aspects of it (if any) do you think he would change if he could?
Sinclair presents socialism as the one thing that will finally bring justice to the working class characters in this story. While some of the working-class people feared it, Jurgis finds comfort and hope in the idea of it, which motivates him to keep pushing forward instead of giving up.
“When Jurgis had made himself familiar with the Socialist literature, as he would very quickly, he would get glimpses of the Beef Trust from all sorts of aspects, and he would find it everywhere the same; it was the incarnation of blind and insensate Greed. It was a monster devouring with a thousand mouths, trampling with a thousand hoofs; it was the Great Butcher—it was the spirit of Capitalism made flesh” (Sinclair, Chapter 24).
Upon the introduction of socialism into his life, Jurgis also began to see the American dream and capitalism in a new light. No longer was capitalism something that could provide opportunities for him by giving him the chance of earning higher wages than in his home country, but it was now a threat— something working against him that he would have to fight against.
The Jungle— A closer look at the title’s meaning and what it represents in terms of power: What other connections can you make between the title of the novel and the plot of the story? What are some other reasons why Sinclair might have chosen this title for his work and do you think it’s a good one, why or why not?
In The Jungle there are naturally many references to animals, both the consumption and the killing of animals like pigs, cows and sheep at the packing districts, but also the comparison of man and his treatment like an animal, which the title seems to allude to. In the broader sense, the jungle can be thought of as an ecosystem inhabited by animals of many sorts. Some of course, being more dominant than others, rule over the weaker ones and have the most control. As the rule of survival of the fittest dictates, if something were to malfunction in the ecosystem the strongest animals would survive and the weaker ones die out. This seems to capture the message of The jungle perfectly since it draws a parallel between the way Chicago’s packing districts are functioning at the time of the story, with those who prove to be weaker than the rest being quickly eliminated.
