The Jungle

            The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was very detailed in its description of impoverished life in the early twentieth century, which was a topic that had not been dealt with in such a manner before. Upon its release, readers were disgusted with the analysis of the meatpacking industry. Although it had not been Sinclair's plan, The Jungle created many food laws, which made even the most inexpensive foods more palatable. In the end, the emotional impact was lost; even though it revealed the cruelty of being poor at this time, it also told a poignant story of a hopeful family who lost everything consequent to their move to the United States. The events the family suffered through were far grimmer than the condition of the food Jurgis" employer produced. The most important part of The Jungle was the fact that people were suffering and nobody noticed, and their struggle still went unnoticed when people concentrated on other, more remediable, parts of the book. Jurgis" entire family worked very hard to achieve the impossible "American Dream", yet lived in unfavorable conditions from the time they reached the shores. Soon, the oppression of their new lives would cause them to go against the morals and ways they had stood by and known for so long. Upton Sinclair once said, "I aimed at the hearts of the American public and I hit them in the stomach." While he may have offered many disturbing examples of putrescence in the meatpacking industry, he also told a very emotional story. In the end, the book was more heart wrenching than stomach wrenching. The fact that the reader isn't uncertain about the food they are eating today may have a part in that, however. Now that we do not have to worry about the condition of our food, we can appreciate the book as a piece of literature set in a time when many laws didn't exist, rather than a social/political commentary.
             Jurgis Rudkus and Ona Lukoszaite had come from families of agricultural background, where they lived well.