Description
By the turn of the twentieth century, the rise of big business in America had brought huge changes to the lives of people everywhere. Some enjoyed major success, while others struggled desperately to make ends meet, even while holding down steady work. Upton Sinclair was anxious to create a literary "documentary" about this very crisis when he arrived in Chicago in the early 1900s. He boldly observed and recorded the hard truths of existence on the bottom rung of the capitalist ladder. The Jungle is a novel based on what Sinclair learned on his visit to Chicago. In this tragic tale, a young family of immigrants seeks to get ahead by coming to the United States, believing that anyone has the chance to achieve success in the freedom of the capitalist system. As they face back-breaking labor for low wages in the grim Chicago stockyards, they watch their dreams come to nothing and their lives fall apart. Their misery forces them to realize that capitalism has its dark side, and that it does not offer everyone an equal chance at success. Sinclair gives us a sobering look at what the cost of "Big Business" really can be for those only hoping for a chance at a better life.
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Opening Lines (Experimental)
It was four o'clock when the ceremony was over and the carriages began to arrive. There had been a crowd following all the way, owing to the exuberance of Marija Berczynskas. The occasion rested heavily upon Marija's broad shoulders--it was her task to see that all things went in due form, and ...
Back to topRatings for 'The Jungle' by Sinclair, Upton
| californiameaghan |  | 2008-09-24 | |
| ravenskya |  | 2008-10-08 |
The Jungle
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The Jungle
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