Socialism Exposed In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

No matter how structured a society is, political and social issues are bound to rise. Only a small group of people can be in control, resulting in the population being split into different classes. These different classes are in a constant battle because the upper class tries to take advantage of the lower class. This battle is also evident in works of literature such as The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. In The Jungle, Sinclair uses literary devices such as setting, symbolism, and imagery to bring out the main issue of exploiting the working class, thus reflecting the theme of socialism.

The Jungle focuses on the social issue of exploiting the working class. The book is set in a industrial stockyard called Packingtown in Chicago. Along with being …show more content…
The insides of factories is disgusting, filthy, and dangerous. Every part of the animal becomes processed in those machines, no matter how diseased and contaminated it is (Sinclair). The workers are forced to work in inhuman conditions, with no compensation if they get hurt on the job. The symbolism of the sluaghterhouse also reflects the main issue. The slaughterhouse is a catalyst if all the immigrants’s problems. It is an extended metaphor for all the suffering workers. The animals that are transported into the slaughterhouse come trustingly and innocently; the livestock believe they will be fed and taken care of but in reality, they are being led to their deaths. This system worked so smoothly and quickly, leaving no sympathy for the animals or the employees. Every part of the animal is used up and if a worker can not work anymore he is easily discarded and replaced, without slowing the pace of the factories. The immigrants are just like the doomed livestock, they come into America with false ideas and hopes, only to realize they are trapped and tied to the great packing machines, doomed to a painful end. The pigs are cut up and grinded into somewhat edible meat; the immigrants are worked tirelessly and cruelly, constantly in the brink of starving it losing their homes. Many people give up and run away or take their own lives, a handful are even killed by the machines and grinded along with the animals ( Sinclair). The Jungle is also a very descriptive piece of work, using vivid imagery to show the conflicts. Descriptions of the factories and lifestyles of these immigrants really represent the bourgeois taking advantage of the workers. The picture of Packingtown sets a depressing and hopeless mood. Harsh winters of Chicago make it impossible to work and causes many injuries and deaths. The interior of factories is