The Role Of Capitalism In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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In Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, the evils of greedy and selfish individuals are concentrated to create a muckraking text in which the flaws and failures of american capitalism are revealed. Sinclair’s use of fictionalized, yet realistic events when regarding the lifestyles of the working class magnifies the moral and ethical corruptions of not capitalism entirely, but specifically the meat packing industry of Chicago (late 1800’s and early 1900’s). It is through the lenses of what is humane and what is not, what is right and what is wrong, that Sinclair’s desire for change can be relayed to the reader’s own heart and mind. These morally and ethically corrupted occurrences are what drive power, and meaning into The Jungle. Sinclair opens the novel by introducing the Lukoszaite/Rudkus family; a lower class, Lithuanian immigrant family living in Chicago. From the beginning, the family begins to work in Packingtown; the meat packing industry of Chicago where thousands upon thousands of …show more content…

Their world begins to truly crumble. As more and more conflict arises from within their lives, Sinclair's oppositions towards capitalism shine through and dig deeper and deeper. The corruption within the way businesses and employers treat the working class shows vibrantly when Jurgis–equipped with no money and exhausted from his constant pursuits to find work– begs a doctor to treat his sick wife. Despite ultimately receiving aide from the doctor, Ona dies in premature labour along with her child leaving Jurgis “gone away himself, stumbling through the shadows, and groping after the soul that had fled.” (217) The family’s situation in a world of intense competition and absent justice leaves them squandering for the resources that will keep them alive. This reflects the extreme damages of capitalism on thousands of lives, and as a result, magnifies Sinclair’s already strong argument for

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