A Few Words About the Jungle

In the weeks and months following the publication of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, there were many discussions about this novel. Considered crude and blunt in his naturalistic method, Sinclair was said to over exaggerate the difficulties that Jurgis Rudkus and his extended family faced. Sinclair effectively made his point through the use of his characters, the setting and figurative language. An active advocate of Socialism, Sinclair wrote his novel to expose the horrible conditions in which the working class was forced to live. Constructing characters who were to be defeated was meant to soften the reader’s heart, propaganda for the message of Socialism.

Although there was no doubt that the Chicago stockyards or "Packingtown" held a lower standard of life than was considered the American Dream, it was implausible that one family would confront so many hardships. The author describes Chicago as a savage place, a jungle, which is a harsh but accurate depiction of Packingtown...