(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Jungle


             The deplorable conditions of industrialization transform Jurgis from an ambitious immigrant in search of work into a wild animal. Jurgis's transformation does not occur overnight, nor does it happen as a result of any one event. Jurgis's change into a savage creature takes place over many years and many hardships. Hardships of industrialization such as low, almost insignificant wages, harsh working and living conditions, poor sanitation, and no worker's compensation or benefits dehumanized many workers just like Jurgis and left them feeling as nothing more than animals. It is through industry's dehumanizing treatment of the poor working class that Jurgis and many others change from common workers to animal-like creatures. Upton Sinclair uses animal imagery in The Jungle to illustrate the dehumanization of Jurgis charting his plight from a respectable immigrant to a savage animalistic creature.
             When Jurgis is working at the stockyards, his self-esteem is fairly high because he had not been fully exposed to the despicable conditions of Packingtown. When Jurgis and his family immigrate to America from Lithuania, they are all optimistic, ambitious, and eager to begin their new life. While looking at Packingtown, Jurgis exclaims, ""Tomorrow I shall go there and get a job!"" (29). He is excited to go to the city, so he can get a job and begin his new life in the "land of opportunity." Little does Jurgis know the extent to which he will suffer because of the dehumanizing conditions that industrial capitalism will impose on him. When Jurgis gets a job working at the stockyard, he is appalled at the brutality with which the hogs are butchered. With his amazement comes sympathy, and he says, "I"m glad I"m not a hog!" (36). By these words, Jurgis sets himself apart from the animals. He notices how poorly the hogs are treated, and he sympathizes with them. At the same time, he is thankful that he is not an animal for fear of being treated like the hogs.


Essays Related to The Jungle


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question