Lauren Retzloff
College English
Mr. Kirsten
27 April 2008
The Jungle Outline
I. Though The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, is a fictional story about an immigrant man in
Chicago, it is also the author’s personal statement about the dangers of capitalism, to both
the body and soul.
A. Statements opposing capitalism
B. Reform of meat industry
1. Public outcry
2. Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
C. Socialism as solution to modern society (rhetorical strategy in The Jungle)
1. Production and industry should not be left in the hands of a few
wealthy men
2. Intellectualism, on the other hand, should be free
II. Sinclair’s views on capitalism
A. Capitalism is the exploitation of the poor at the hands of the wealthy
B. Metaphor
1. Jurgis is the slaughtered animal
2. Humans are animals in the jungle
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III. Reform of meat industry
A. Public outcry
1. Outrage about vivid imagery of unsanitary practices as opposed to
human rights issues
2. “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.”
B. Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
1. President Roosevelt disagreed with Sinclair, but public pressure
caused investigations
2. Now factories are inspected for sanitation and legality in handling raw
materials, processing, and the finished product
C. Problems today
1. Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation addresses corrupt meat practices
2. Similarities in both animal and worker treatment of Sinclair’s time
IV. Socialism as solution to modern society (rhetorical strategy in The Jungle)
A. Production and industry should not be left in the hands of a few wealthy men
1. Classless society—spread of wealth among those who work
2. Production of necessities guided by government instead of
competition, reducing both price and reducing incentive to take damaging
“shortcuts”
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B. Intellectualism should be free
1. “Communism in material production, anarchism in intellectual”
(Sinclair 385)
2. Use of intellectuals to convince readers of socialism’s worth
V. Conclusion
A. Capitalism is still the American way
1. Freedom to make your own way
2. Hard work should lead to success in this country; instead cheating and
lying are often the way to make money
3. Realization that greed can lead to corruption (the story of Jurgis as an
example to others)
B. Why Sinclair feels socialism is a solution
1. Those with the least could make their own choices
2. A country guided by competition leads to greed and the exploitation of
the underprivileged
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Donna Godchaux
College English
Mr. Kirsten
27 April 2008
The Darkness of the Jungle
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, although a fictional story about an immigrant man
in Chicago, is also the author’s personal statement about the dangers of capitalism to both
the body and the soul. Sinclair, whose novel first appeared in the socialist publication
Appeal to Reason, used Jurgis’ story first and foremost to expose the secret world behind
capitalist industry. Sinclair’s detailed documentation of the unsanitary, illegal, and
inhumane events that happened behind meat factory walls led to a nationwide reform
movement for better sanitation practices. However, a clean work environment was not
exactly what Sinclair hoped to gain—Jurgis’ story was intended to be a statement about
the lack of humanity found in modern society, where those who “have” exploit the “have
nots.” Although The Jungle did inspire change, Sinclair’s ultimate theory has not yet
been accepted: that a socialist society is the answer to the problems of the overworked
and underprivileged of America.
The Jungle, the foremost “muckraking” novel of the Progressive era, is dedicated:
“to the workingmen of America.” Throughout Sinclair’s long, illustrious career, he was
an observer of injustice and a fighter for social change. He believed that the corrupt
capitalist society of America was responsible for the plight of the poor and uneducated.
Capitalism causes competition among suppliers, which, in theory, means the prices
should be kept low and the quality of the products high in order to encourage consumers
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to choose a specific brand. In practice, competition between large companies often leads
to corruption of the “bosses” and exploitation of the workers, as described in The Jungle.
In the novel, the “jungle” is Packingtown, a collection of slaughterhouses,
processing plants, and stock yards that covers a square mile of Chicago (Schlosser 152).
The political Beef Trust that monopolized these packing-houses is a metaphor for
capitalism. According to Sinclair: “ . . . it was the incarnation of blind and insensate
Greed. It was a monster devouring with a thousand mouths, trampling with a thousand
hooves; it was the Great Butcher—it was the spirit of Capitalism made flesh” (Sinclair
361). Through choosing to criticize the Beef Trust of early 1900s Packingtown, Sinclair
was also making a statement about the cold, ruthless nature of the wealthy and powerful,
and how the greed of a few affects the common man.
When Jurgis, his betrothed, Ona, and their families first arrive in Chicago, they
are in awe of the large, efficient meat-packing plants that are considered by the public to
be miracles of modern technology. They are told, “They use everything about the hog
except the squeal” (Sinclair 38). However, as they watch the slaughter of the animals,
their perception of this “miracle” is changed:
One could not stand and watch very long without becoming philosophical,
without beginning to deal in symbols and similes, and to hear the hogsqueal of the universe . . . . each of them had an individuality of his own, a
will of his own, a hope and a heart’s desire; each was full of self
confidence, of self-importance, and a sense of dignity. And trusting and
strong in faith he had gone about his business, the while a black shadow
hung over him and a horrid Fate waited in his pathway. (Sinclair 40)
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The longer the immigrants watch the hogs being butchered, the more disturbed they
become. The hogs become substantive individuals, nearly human, and Jurgis is moved to
say, “Dieve—but I’m glad I’m not a hog!” (Sinclair 41).
Little does Jurgis realize that, like the slaughtered animals, he will be used in his
entirety. First his family, his reason to struggle, is broken apart—his father, wife, and
then his baby son each die from the hardships of harsh conditions and poverty.
Debilitating physical injuries leave him unable to work, but the worst consequence of his
exploitation is the mental distress he undergoes. He slowly realizes that, in the eyes of
high society and big business, he is as lowly as an animal, a product to be utilized and
consumed. His personal mantra for success, “I will work harder,” becomes a hopeless
idea as he uncovers the motives of his bosses: to take everything from him—his family,
health, and dignity—and then throw him away. In Sinclair’s eyes, to be successful in
America you must lie, cheat, exploit, and swindle. The few elite capitalize on the
desperation of those beneath them, who will do whatever is necessary to survive.
Sinclair hoped that his exposé on Chicago’s infamous Packingtown would alert
America to the terrible labor conditions in which humans were suffering; the majority of
The Jungle was dedicated to portraying the difficulties and inequalities of the poor man’s
life. The outrage of the nation, however, was guided toward the half dozen pages
depicting the inner workings of meatpacking factories (Reed 1). The public was appalled
at what was being put into the public’s bacon, fertilizers, and “devilled ham” (Sinclair
38). As Sinclair famously said, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in
the stomach” (Spiegel xix). Sinclair describes sausages adulterated with potato flour, and
spoiled meat disguised with chemicals (Sinclair 133). Rancid butter was rechurned and
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oxidized to take away odors, then resold to customers (Sinclair 111). The Jungle portrays
events that seem wild and unimaginable: tubercular pigs deemed unfit for sale were
given injections of kerosene and sold (Sinclair 109). Arguably the worst of all, workers
would fall into vats, and “be overlooked for days, till all but the bones of them had gone
out to the world as Durham’s Pure Leaf Lard!” (Sinclair 113).
Through vivid imagery, Upton Sinclair influenced American capitalism in an
unintended way—through the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Pure Food
and Drug Act of 1906 was enacted by President Theodore Roosevelt in response to the
national outrage stemming from the publication of the The Jungle in a widely available
novel form. The Pure Food and Drug Act, and its subsequent amendments, required
inspections on sanitation, raw materials, food processing, and the finished product (Pure
1). In 2006, the American Meat Institute praised The Jungle because it “inspired passage
of key laws that today continue to ensure a safe food supply, safe workplaces, fair
treatment of workers, and a host of consumer and environmental protections” (Hagstrom
1). While the effectiveness of these laws is debatable, they are a testament to Sinclair’s
belief that change can begin with an ordinary man’s voice.
The meatpackers vehemently denied the accusations of the book, and even
President Roosevelt disagreed with Sinclair’s point of view: “I have an utter contempt
for him. He is hysterical, unbalanced, and untruthful. Three-fourths of the things he said
were absolute falsehoods. For some of the remainder there was only the basis of truth”
(Reed 2). In light of the president’s disapproval, and the strong political influence of the
Beef Trust, it is especially notable that the laws were passed because of grassroots efforts
by average American citizens.
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Unfortunately, modern muckrakers have uncovered problems today that resonate
those addressed in The Jungle. In an entrepreneurial society where “more is better” is the
social norm, the rights of the underprivileged are often sacrificed to increase profits, and
when hindered by the law, many corporations are unafraid to break the rules.
Eric Schlosser’s exposé Fast Food Nation points out the deregulation of
government standards, allowing meatpackers to increase line speeds to dangerous levels,
both for workers and consumers. When the line speed quickens, there is a greater chance
of the animals’ bodily fluids splattering, which leads to food borne illnesses such as E.
coli (196). Cattle feed can contain a mixture of sawdust, newspaper, chicken manure,
and even other cattle (202). Clearly, the meats we buy at the supermarket today share
some of the same dangers as those of Sinclair’s time.
Parallels can also be found in the story of Jurgis’ family and the experiences of
workers in America’s meatpacking plants of today. Much like European immigrants
were abused for their inexperience and ignorance in the Progressive Era, Mexican
migrants and blue collar Americans face exploitation in the form of long hours, small
wages, and dangerous jobs resulting in cumulative traumas, even amputations (Schlosser
185). There are many reasons for lack of justice: workers may not understand the legal
system, desperately need their job, or are afraid to approach officials if they reside in the
country illegally. Critics of the industry say that “companies deliberately recruit
undocumented workers whose precarious status renders them vulnerable to exploitation .
. . if The Jungle were published today, Jurgis and Ona Rudkus would be Jose and Rosa
Ramirez” (Phelps 2).
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These illegal practices cut costs and increase profits. The faster and harder that
people are worked, the less they are paid, the more “efficient” companies become, in
terms of dollars and cents. Apparently, the Pure Food and Drug Act was not enough to
solve what Sinclair felt was the main problem of American society—the greed and
corruption associated with capitalism. Fairness, he argued, could only be possible if
power was in the hands of the people, instead of the wealthy upper-class.
Sinclair not only identified capitalism as the source of class division and poverty,
he devoted much of his book to promoting his solution: socialism. In order to
understand Sinclair’s beliefs, it is important to understand the theories of socialism. In
the ideal socialist society, production of necessities, such as food, is controlled by the
government to ensure safety, affordability, and equality in the workplace (Thomas 1).
The goal of socialism is “a classless cooperative commonwealth . . . ” (Socialism 1),
which Sinclair argues for in The Jungle.
By using rhetorical strategy in a variety of ways, the author makes a strong case
for his particular brand of government. Such strategy is present throughout the novel, by
using Jurgis as an example of human suffering, and impassioned speakers to shout
convincing condemnations of our present society: “‘What,’ asks the prophet, ‘is the
murder of them that kill the body, to the murder of them that kill the soul?’” (Sinclair
351). After inciting the reader with descriptions of our nation’s wrongs, the author
quickly moves to long, intellectual discussions of socialism’s benefits that use reason to
convince the reader that it is a wise and sensible solution.
In The Jungle, the voice of reason is Dr. Schliemann, who is described as an
intellectual of monumental proportions: “Nicholas Schliemann was familiar with all the
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universe, and with man as a small part of it. He understood human institutions, and blew
them about like soap-bubbles” (Sinclair 380). He is meant to be a man of answers, who
gives an air of authority to Sinclair’s ideas. Through Dr. Schliemann, Sinclair stated his
belief in “communism in material production, anarchism in intellectual” (Sinclair 385),
meaning that every citizen should be entitled to his own thoughts and dreams, though
production of life’s necessities should be carefully controlled and distributed. Thus,
Jurgis, the representative “common man,” is converted to the idea of socialism as a way
to stem the suffering of people like him at the hands of America’s capitalists.
In many ways, capitalism goes hand in hand with the American dream; we are the
“land of opportunity,” where people of humble origins can, theoretically, become
powerful and wealthy. Hard work should lead to success in this country; instead,
cheating and lying are often the way to make money. Power is given to those who
intrude on others’ rights to a simple, free life. In Sinclair’s opinion, every citizen is a
victim of capitalism in some way, whether it is through political corruption, abuse in the
workplace, or simply tainted meat; a country guided by competition leads to greed and
exploitation of the underprivileged. It’s easy to argue that our country has come a long
way since the era of “the jungle,” but it’s also true that suffering still exists in America.
Upton Sinclair believed that change was necessary to protect the common man, and most
importantly, the human soul.
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Works Cited
Hagstrom, Jerry. “Embracing Upton Sinclair.” Congress Daily 30 June 2006: 15. 8 Apr
2008. EbscoHost. <http://www.ebscohost.com>
Phelps, Christopher. “Welcome to the Jungle: Meatpacking then and now.” Canadian
Dimension Nov/Dec 2005: 45-46. 8 Apr 2008. EbscoHost.
<http://www.ebscohost.com>
“Pure Food and Drug Acts.” Funk & Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia. 2002. 8 Apr
2008. EbscoHost. <http://www.ebscohost.com/>
Reed, Lawrence W.
“How a Food Safety Myth Became a Legend.”
Consumers’
Research Magazine Feb 1995: 23. Vol 78, Issue 2. 4 Apr 2008. EbscoHost.
<http://www.ebscohost.com>
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. Barnes and Noble Classics. New York: Barnes and Noble
Books, 2003.
Spiegel, Maura. Introduction. The Jungle. By Upton Sinclair. New York: Barnes and
Noble Books, 2003.
Thomas, Norman and Robert E. Burke. “Socialism.” Funk & Wagnall’s New World
Encyclopedia. 2002. 8 Apr 2008. EbscoHost. <http://www.ebscohost.com>
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