... maladies those who worked in the packinghouses suffered. From those who de-boned shanks (with their stubs of a thumb), to the workers who removed the hides from the carcasses of animals (their hands all but eaten away from the chemicals they worked in). The theme of hopelessness is prevalent. Realism might have gotten in the way of Sinclair's socialism undertone, but ... the political machine. He finds that he becomes one of the henchmen for the political powers in the packing yards. After he gets put in jail, he is forced to buy is way out, which costs him everything he has. After he i...

• Word Count: 1331
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate