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The Jungle

 

             Upton Sinclair's The Jungle did not serve its intended purpose of promoting the socialist movement. Sinclair wanted to inform the public of the corruption in their capitalist system, and the poor living and working conditions for the working class yet he lost the focus of the readers. There are many reasons why The Jungle was unsuccessful in sparking a socialist uprising.
             "The meat would be shoveled into carts, and the man who did the shoveling would not trouble to lift out a rat even when he saw one "there were things that went into the sausage in comparison with which a poisoned rat was a tidbit,"" (Sinclair, 135). In pointing out specific details of the meat packing process, Sinclair lost the focus of the readers. The public concerned itself more with the unsanitary meat than with the evils of capitalism. As Sinclair states, "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach." At this point, the removal of capitalism seems irrelevant to the readers, and socialism is not even in the picture. Sinclair's audience seems more likely to change the capitalistic system then adopt an entirely new system.
             Although the reader continues to feel remorse for the tragic occurrences in Jurgis' life, his character becomes less realistic as time progresses. The story of Jurgis' life is too farfetched to remain realistic, with almost every aspect of his life gradually worsens as time progresses. Almost all his family members and relatives eventually either die abnormal deaths, or end up living disrespectful lives, such as Marija (Ona's Cousin), who sold herself into prostitution. Almost every possible hope for Jurgis has diminished; only when Jurgis is corrupted does he find a fairly decent standard of living. Sinclair's audience has trouble relating to Jurgis' life because of its extremity. The Jungle would have a much greater influence if it were more realistic.


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