Comments on "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair

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             Classifying the novel is no easy task to undertake, as the author's purpose and the reader's interpretations are very different. When the book was first published in 1906, the overwhelming majority took it for another muckraking novel against the meat packing plants and food preparation industry, and in fact, the novel did cause President Theodore Roosevelt to push the Pure Food and Drug Bill out of the House committee and into everyday practice. The packers tried to defend themselves and fight back, but were beat down with solid evidence. While this was good news for the nations, it was disappointing for Sinclair because his purpose for the novel was not recognized. He is often quoted in saying, "I aimed for the heart, but hit the stomach." Indeed, instead of grossing people out with the harsh realities of their food, he had hoped to unveil the horrible conditions of the workingmen in Packingtown and push the Socialist message. However, the public's response might have proved better in the long run as the novel depicts Socialism (probably unintentionally) as only a hope and a promise, not a reality. .
             The novel was written in a very different and non-traditional style, adding to its uniqueness and helping get its point across to the reader. The thing that sets it apart is the role of the characters. It seems more like the characters just happened into the story instead of making the story. Just about all knowledge of the characters is from the external point of view. The readers never really gets to know just what moral dilemmas the characters are going through, or really what their deep inside feelings are. In fact, the reader meets the characters in the first chapter and by the last chapter knows them no better than in the first. It would seem like Sinclair wanted to write an essay on the subject, but felt that wouldn't appeal to enough people, so he added characters to provide examples to his points.