The life of an immigrant in the United States during the Gilded Age was a rough life. During this time period the U.S. went through a dramatic change in dealing with changing infrastructure and masses of people coming over from different countries for a chance at a better life. This time period was characterized by small wage jobs, poor working conditions and the struggle to survive. The Jungle embodies the themes of the Gilded Age with first hand experiences of an immigrant's hardships of life. The main characters of Sinclairs The Jungle, Jurgis and Ona, come over from Lithuania for a chance at a prosperous life in Chicago. The two are getting ready to get married and hold a celebration in the meatpacking district. A Lithuanian tradition, people who have not eaten are supposed to line the doorway and be fed by the wedding reception. One can imagine how many people would have been there. In the Gilded age, money and food were hard to come by. If a family was not making enough money that day, the family might not be able to eat but one meal all day. The meatpacking district was a dangerous place during the early 1900. There was little hope of finding a job and living conditions were generally dirty. It was not until the Progressive Era that reform came to working conditions and life People thought the market would work things out on its own. The government set no safety regulations and let the corruption skyrocket. Jugis and Ona learn the hard way about the stresses of being immigrants. “ Jurgis had come there, and thought he was going to make himself useful, and rise and become a skilled man; but he would soon find out his error, for nobody rose in the Packingtown by doing good work. If you met a man who was raising in Packingtown, you met a knave.” ( Chapter 5) A “knave” is someone who is dishonest. In Jurgis’s world, there is not a way to become successful without
The Gilded Age, known for the economic boom and a time of great industrialization, along with the promises of America brought immigrants from all over seeking life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness though the many great opportunities that America had to offer. However, the opportunities that America had to offer were compromised by corruptions during this era, which were seen in the cities during this time. Once entered into the cycle that so many immigrant workers were stuck in, it was difficult to gain independence and to truly have lived out the American Dream, which brought these immigrants to America in the first place.
...e worker had to wear uniform, work with better equipment, and follow steps of inspection. Although they got better condition, but they were still treated badly from owners, they would be kicked out if they were sick or diseased or not able to work. Roosevelt was a progressive president, his success in Meat Inspection Act reformed meat industry. With Roosevelt, business elements were always the decisive factor, and it could be better if he paid any attention on civil elements.
In the late nineteenth century known as the Gilded Age (or the Reconstruction period) and the early twentieth century known as the Progressive era, the nation went through great economic growth and social change. Beginning from the 1870s, there was rapid growth in innovations and big businesses. This could be because there was population growth and when there is population growth, there is a high demand of products and other necessities in order to strive in society. Many immigrants from Europe, mostly from the eastern and southern Europe, and Asia moved to American cities. Additionally, farmers from rural America desired to increase economically in society and since corporations ruled and political problems occurred, they decided to move into the cities. Afterwards, the 1900s started with the dominance of progressivism which many Americans tried to improve and solve the problems that were caused or had arisen because of the industrialization of the Gilded Age. It was basically the time when progressives fought for legislations like regulation of big businesses, end of the political corruption, and protection of the rights of the people: the poor, immigrants, workers, and consumers. Thus, between the periods 1870 to 1920, big businesses had arisen and taken control of the political and economic systems through corruption and innovations. In response, American citizens reacted negatively and formed labor unions and political systems to diminish the power that large corporations had in America.
During the late 1800's and early 1900's hundreds of thousands of European immigrants migrated to the United States of America. They had aspirations of success, prosperity and their own conception of the American Dream. The majority of the immigrants believed that their lives would completely change for the better and the new world would bring nothing but happiness. Advertisements that appeared in Europe offered a bright future and economic stability to these naive and hopeful people. Jobs with excellent wages and working conditions, prime safety, and other benefits seemed like a chance in a lifetime to these struggling foreigners. Little did these people know that what they would confront would be the complete antithesis of what they dreamed of.
Horatio Alger was an author in the late nineteenth century; he wrote books to little boys on the American Dream. Alger’s books seemed to hark back to an older time when the American Dream was quite different than it was in his time. He subscribed to thoughts of morality, individualism and the competence; but keeps the contemporary idea of fruitfulness. Alger wrote many books to encourage young boys to be moral and work hard.
Poor working conditions in mines in The Gilded Age was as normal to the people then as a 40 hour workweek is to us now. Looking back at all of the horrific and terrible accidents and such that happened then seems unimaginable to us, but to them, it was just another day at work. Children worked in the mines to support their families, often in company towns where inhaling soot all day and contracting black lung was really your only option for a job.
Soon after arriving in Chicago, they come across Durham’s, a meatpacking factory located in the slums of Chicago. Many of the family members have begun holding jobs at Durham’s, ranging from painting cans, to cleaning meat. Over time, however, Jurgis and his family begin to notice that cleanliness, as well as the workers’ overall health, is often, if not always, overlooked. This, as well as the acts of crooked business leaders, begins to corrupt the family and soon leads them into turmoil. The United States, possibly more than any other country, was not very welcoming during the early 1900s.
The book, The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, has portrayed how conditions and social norms of the early 1900’s helped shape society through social reform. Sexism, racism, and class, shaped the experiences and choices of the immigrants in The Jungle throughout the book. The huge difference between the classes was the most significant of the three. Sinclair used the story of one immigrant and his family to help show what was going on in society at that time, to raise awareness, and to promote socialism.
The Gilded Age is marked as the thirty-five years between the end of the Civil War and the end of the nineteenth century. During this period of time, the economy grew at an astonishing rate, producing enormous amounts of wealth. This was also a time where the majority of the population was struggling to get by, and was classified as poor workers, while the industrial and financial aristocracy lives in beautiful homes and lived their lives with opulent amusement. Life was very different between different groups such as the rich and the poor, and even the men and the women. I definitely would not fit into the urban society of the Gilded Age because everything had to do with the men being in power, racism, and men’s constant control over politics, which would make being a women in this period of time very difficult.
For that reason, a lot of immigrants would get scammed or robbed. For example, Jurgis and the family got defrauded when they tried to “buy” the house, but they didn’t know the policies and fees they had to face. The agent who sold the house to Jurgis and the family assumed that they knew all the payments and policies. With the family not knowing all the requirements they had to do for the house they got swindled. “make money by swindling poor people […] the family had paid fifteen hundred dollars […] they used the very flimsiest and cheapest material” (Sinclair 55). The people who build the house knew that the people “buying” the house would not be able to pay all the expenses that were required. Unfortunately, these poor people would spend all their money and would not get anything in
The book center on immigration heavily due to the fact that many people during the industrial revolution period came to America for better working opportunities, of course America needed them because they provided a cheap source of labor. The Jungle, focuses primarily on the poorer European migrating into the United States, in which changed the demographics of America cities by crowding them even more. Throughout The Jungle we see that Jurgis and his family lived in an overcrowded areas, with run down buildings and no access to clean water or proper sewage systems (“Sinclair”). Upton Sinclair shows us how the billionaire company owners mis use these migrant workers throughout the book. The book explains the gruesome inside of the factories and how at times people would get stuck in the machines and it would kill them; leaving the remains in the meat they were making,. Sinclair also explains that during the winter months (the worst months according to Jurgis) many workers would get frost bite due to lack of clothing, and how Jurgis got an infection on his foot that put him out of work for months due to the hazards conditions within the factory
In the world of economic competition that we live in today, many thrive and many are left to dig through trashcans. It has been a constant struggle throughout the modern history of society. One widely prescribed example of this struggle is Upton Sinclair's groundbreaking novel, The Jungle. The Jungle takes the reader along on a journey with a group of recent Lithuanian immigrants to America. As well as a physical journey, this is a journey into a new world for them. They have come to America, where in the early twentieth century it was said that any man willing to work an honest day would make a living and could support his family. It is an ideal that all Americans are familiar with- one of the foundations that got American society where it is today. However, while telling this story, Upton Sinclair engages the reader in a symbolic and metaphorical war against capitalism. Sinclair's contempt for capitalist society is present throughout the novel, from cover to cover, personified in the eagerness of Jurgis to work, the constant struggle for survival of the workers of Packingtown, the corruption of "the man" at all levels of society, and in many other ways.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is about a Lithuanian family living in Chicago in the 1900’s. They had faith in the American dream, hoping to start a new and successful life. Unfortunately they were deprived of they hopes and dreams. They were placed in the middle of a society where only the strongest and richest survived. The rich keep getting richer and the poor get even poorer. Jurgis and his family went to extreme lengths just in hopes of finding a job, they were forced to travel in heavy rain, strong winds, and thick snow, even when they were sick, in fear of losing their jobs. The Jungle pointed out many flaws in society such as filthy meat and sickening work conditions.
...people first came here they all bunch up in one area. Farmers moved to urban areas too. Fewer farmers mean the less production of food. More people worked in factories, which polluted the air. With the inventions of streetcars and trains also polluted the air. Other things that hurt wad segregation. It was like a wedge because it made people look down on other people if they weren’t like them. “. But those who are below are crush down.” Said Henry George. (www.peterpappas.com) These are just a couple negatives about the Gilded Age.
The Gilded Age in the United States took place is the late 19th century, from 1879 to 1899. The term for this period came into use during the 1920s and 30s. Consequential from writer Mark Twain 's 1873 The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, it ridiculed an era of serious social problems masked by a thin gold gilding. These were the years that America challenged the implications of modernization. Old America was fading and new America was emerging transitioning America to be dynamic, captivating, and energetic. Crimes during this period began to rise. The rise in criminal activity was tied to issues of political corruption, urbanization, mass immigration, and economic rivalry among many immigrant groups. Although murders and homicides began to decrease,