Symbolism In Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle'

While in the introduction Sinclair is described as a “realist,” it is difficult to ignore the fact that some things he describes wouldn’t have as much of an impact if it weren’t for his skill as a writer as well. For example, on page 65 he describes the changes in the scenery as Jurgis gets closer and closer to the stockyards and his writing has a way of making the imagery much more vivid. This is not to say that what he is writing about has no truth to it, but it wouldn’t be as effective a means to get his point across if he didn’t put his skill as a fiction writer into it as well. It’s interesting that he starts with a wedding but at the same time he intertwines aspects that will undoubtedly come up again. The anxiety about the expenses of the wedding and the reckless way the younger generation dismisses the fact that they should give money and give there share highlights the difference between the old and new generation of people. There is a shift in mood from the beginning of the wedding to the end of the wedding when it becomes apparent that they cannot afford it. This shift might occur again later in the novel because Jurgis is still optimistic about life in America and soon he will …show more content…
They aren’t that different. Tons of cattle are forced into these small places and are killed to yield a commodity, meat, which can be sold to consumers for a profit. Similarly, tons of foreigners are forced into living spaces much to small to house the number of people, picked by factory owners to be overworked to process a commodity that can be sold to consumers. Even after Jurgis, Ona, and their family have been exploited by officials in America they still hold on to the idealized version of the American Dream; as if by being optimistic and by Jurgis being stronger than the average worker their luck will