One of the most controversial books of the 20th century was Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”. The story follows Jurgis Rudkis, a lithuanian immigrant to a rough but hopeful America, and his family as they endure never ending and merciless trails from a dishonest people and a corrupt system as they try to survive this difficult time.
Jurgis encounters many dishonest people in Chicago many of whom are just trying to survive in their poor conditions. They have to rationalize their wrong doings by their need to survive or even to provide for their own families so that they may survive. Though this shameful trait is missing from Jurgis and his family when we first meet them as they come to America it doesn’t take long for the rough conditions in Chicago, and all of America at the time, forces them to develop this trait of dishonesty just to join the struggle to survive. Soon after they arrive in Chicago the family realizes America is not what they thought and soon realize its hardships as specifically Jurgis struggles to find, and keep a job, to provide for his family. Money becomes an increasing issue and Jurgis slowly becomes more corrupt just to survive though he had only good intentions but the “jungle” of Chicago and its inhabitants forces him to lose his sense of morals. The “jungles” of Chicago are constant driving force of the story and is part of the title of the book. …show more content…
In this case the jungle means a wild, unpredictable, and lawless place where only the strong/those willing to lose their morals in this case, survive and those that don’t die as it is in the novel. The title isn’t the only metaphor, the book is filled with them from the animal going into the slaughterhouse to the rancid smell of fertilizer, even natural things are used as metaphors. The animals before going into the slaughterhouse are very calm hopeful and made to seem optimistic and as they enter the house they keep this attitude at first until they realize what lay in store but by the time they realize this it is too late and they are destined to a terrible fate; This is a metaphor for the hopeful immigrants coming to America to start a new and better lives but once they enter America they are met with a more disastrous fate. Eventually after losing work in the packing plant Jurgis works at a fertilizer mil feeling ill and eventually the smell of fertilizer is stuck on him, this is symbolic for the condition of the city and many of its inhabitants as well as Jurgis and their distasteful/sickening conditions and amount this it is a metaphor for how low Jurgis has come. As mentioned these aren’t the only metaphors there are much more such as the cold of winter being a metaphor for death or the blood red sunset an omen for bad times and encounters ahead in this twisted society. There is often a mention of the order of society throughout the novel. Aligning with the author’s views on American society at the time, the order is rather unfair and bleak, his belief was that capitalism was corrupt and unfair with the rich only benefiting from the poor and not helping the poor move up in society leaving the rich to only get richer and the poor to stay just that, poor, so this is how it is in the book. Unfortunately for our protagonist, Jurgis is in the poor category. Throughout the novel the author is very clear when writing about Jurgis to create a divide between him and those above him as he works and even in social life, but Jurgis isn’t the only one left to this life of poverty and he even meets some others who are in various positions in the same lifetime of poverty. Jurgis encounters many people some of note, others not as notable, but they all build a picture of Chicago and how things are there. People such as Phil Connor, Grandmother Majauszkiene, Jack Duane, and Mike Scully, have lesser roles but represent how Chicago works. Phil Connor is Ona’s boss who rapes her and is let off without repercussions showing that those with power are able to treat the poor however badly they please and little if anything
Jurgis encounters many dishonest people in Chicago many of whom are just trying to survive in their poor conditions. They have to rationalize their wrong doings by their need to survive or even to provide for their own families so that they may survive. Though this shameful trait is missing from Jurgis and his family when we first meet them as they come to America it doesn’t take long for the rough conditions in Chicago, and all of America at the time, forces them to develop this trait of dishonesty just to join the struggle to survive. Soon after they arrive in Chicago the family realizes America is not what they thought and soon realize its hardships as specifically Jurgis struggles to find, and keep a job, to provide for his family. Money becomes an increasing issue and Jurgis slowly becomes more corrupt just to survive though he had only good intentions but the “jungle” of Chicago and its inhabitants forces him to lose his sense of morals. The “jungles” of Chicago are constant driving force of the story and is part of the title of the book. …show more content…
In this case the jungle means a wild, unpredictable, and lawless place where only the strong/those willing to lose their morals in this case, survive and those that don’t die as it is in the novel. The title isn’t the only metaphor, the book is filled with them from the animal going into the slaughterhouse to the rancid smell of fertilizer, even natural things are used as metaphors. The animals before going into the slaughterhouse are very calm hopeful and made to seem optimistic and as they enter the house they keep this attitude at first until they realize what lay in store but by the time they realize this it is too late and they are destined to a terrible fate; This is a metaphor for the hopeful immigrants coming to America to start a new and better lives but once they enter America they are met with a more disastrous fate. Eventually after losing work in the packing plant Jurgis works at a fertilizer mil feeling ill and eventually the smell of fertilizer is stuck on him, this is symbolic for the condition of the city and many of its inhabitants as well as Jurgis and their distasteful/sickening conditions and amount this it is a metaphor for how low Jurgis has come. As mentioned these aren’t the only metaphors there are much more such as the cold of winter being a metaphor for death or the blood red sunset an omen for bad times and encounters ahead in this twisted society. There is often a mention of the order of society throughout the novel. Aligning with the author’s views on American society at the time, the order is rather unfair and bleak, his belief was that capitalism was corrupt and unfair with the rich only benefiting from the poor and not helping the poor move up in society leaving the rich to only get richer and the poor to stay just that, poor, so this is how it is in the book. Unfortunately for our protagonist, Jurgis is in the poor category. Throughout the novel the author is very clear when writing about Jurgis to create a divide between him and those above him as he works and even in social life, but Jurgis isn’t the only one left to this life of poverty and he even meets some others who are in various positions in the same lifetime of poverty. Jurgis encounters many people some of note, others not as notable, but they all build a picture of Chicago and how things are there. People such as Phil Connor, Grandmother Majauszkiene, Jack Duane, and Mike Scully, have lesser roles but represent how Chicago works. Phil Connor is Ona’s boss who rapes her and is let off without repercussions showing that those with power are able to treat the poor however badly they please and little if anything