Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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There are several themes that have been universal in literature since the time of Beowulf. Be it pride, envy, greed, love, poverty, or countless others they remain present not only in literature but in everyday life for everyday people. Some authors write to hide this, others write to reveal it. Upton Sinclair, an author from the early 1900’s, and writer of The Jungle, wrote for the purpose of analyzing and bringing to light the brutal truths of the meat packing industry and the harsh treatment of immigrants to the eye of the general public; through the use of dialogue and vivid imagery Sinclair forces people to recognize the unfortunate truths of the corrupt meat packing industry and the incredibly unfair treatment of immigrants. To understand…show more content…
The events that occurred in Upton Sinclair’s life were very pivotal to him. First of all the United States was undergoing a change from agriculture to a massive industrial power. Because of this people were leaving the countryside for the urban setting in hopes of finding work there in a factory. This led to extreme filth in the cities, poverty, and overpopulation they had never seen the likes of. Next was the formation of the Socialist Party of America, of which he became a member. American socialism is said to a variation of socialism that did not believe in achieving milestones by way of violence but rather peaceful protests, picketing, and strikes. Sinclair was a very big fan of socialism and he even used his writing to try and convince people of his socialist ideals (Moss and Wilson…show more content…
Immigrants would come to the United States in order to escape the wretched conditions they would otherwise have to face in their home country. In Sinclair’s The Jungle he uses Lithuanian immigrants that can speak no english and have lived in impoverished conditions and came to America in order to start a family anew in better conditions. Their new life begins in the harsh conditions of a boarding house. After they manage to get some income they decide to try and purchase a house for them to live in. It is at this point, “A crooked agent sells them a ramshackle house with a fresh coat of paint that he describes to his ignorant customers [the Lithuanian immigrants] as new (Munro,
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