... ,316) Jurgis had just recently become part of the Democratic machine of Chicago politics, and his job was to manipulate the political system in order to assure power for Mike Scully and other politicians and capitalist that ran the city. To the supremacy, the Socialist party represented a political threat that must be extinguished through buying votes and rigging the system. In ... ...

• Word Count: 1823
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... uses the hero Jurgis to explain in further depth the principles of both capitalism and socialism. As part of his plunge into underworld activities, Jurgis becomes a political stooge for Mike Scully and later turns into a "scab", or strikebreaker, at his best. Sinclair uses Jurgis' activities to expose the corrupt functioning of the capitalist system as a whole. Later, completely down and out ... ...

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