Values Of The American Dream In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

In the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, many immigrants came to the United States to pursue the American Dream. The American Dream is a belief that anyone can have success and prosperity through hard work in a society where upward social mobility is possible. The values and ideals of the American dream consist of democracy, equality, fairness, justice, and liberty. In Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, he portrays through a Lithuanian immigrant family the hardships immigrants faced while seeking a better life in America. One member of the Lithuanian immigrant family is Jurgis Rudkus, who marries a young woman named Ona Lukoszait. After they get married, Jurgis and Ona move into a home in Chicago with some of Ona’s family members. As the family struggles to pay for the house, they undertake stressful jobs and become workers of cruel and selfish employers. Although employers exploit Jurgis, Jurgis continues to tell Ona that he “will work harder” (Sinclair, 22) to help them achieve the American Dream. Upton Sinclair portrays how capitalism attacks the values of the American Dream through the ugly effects of capitalism, such as exploitation, poor working conditions, dishonesty, manipulation, and corruption.

As immigrants came to the United States unfamiliar with America’s laws and regulations, they often became victims of exploitation. In The Jungle, Jurgis and his family are swindled as they purchase a home they believe to be all their own. Although “the house was not shown as it was in the picture” (Sinclair, 53) the family had seen, they decide to make a hasty purchase after being pressured by the real-estate agent who claims that houses are selling quickly. Unfortunately, Jurgis later discovers that the h...

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...ime as he finds corruption far more rewarding than his pursuit of the American Dream. In displaying Jurgis’s lost in the fundamental values of the American Dream, Sinclair shows how capitalism can create a moral man into a criminal. For example, Jurgis begins to participate in a Democratic machine in which he helps rig elections so that certain politicians and capitalists remain in power. Sinclair not only portrays the corruption of the political system, but of the justice system as well. For example, when Jurgis goes to trial for the attack on Phil Connor, a boss at Ona’s factory who raped her, Connor uses his power and influence to keep Jurgis in prison, resulting in a sham trial. Corruption is one of the major negative effects of capitalism

In conclusion, Upton Sinclair’s portrayal of capitalism in The Jungle, demonstrates how demanding a capitalistic society