King Hutch aka John H.

Question: Does the fact that Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is a work of fiction render it more or less effective as a work of propaganda?

     A historical novel is a book that attempts to show the spirit, atmosphere, and conditions of a particular time period of history with as much detail and historical fact as possible. Effective novels of this type actually bring the reader into the world that they are writing about. In his book The Jungle, Upton Sinclair portrays a broad view of American society and many events that impacted American society at the beginning of the twentieth century. Although the story of Jurgis Rudkus and his family are fictional, the setting, conditions, and experiences are realistic and similar to those of so many Americans and immigrants who lived during this time period.

     Upton Sinclair certainly knew the plight of the poor working class people in the new industrialized cities of America. In preparation to write his novel, Sinclair “lived among the laborers and their families, carefully observing their lives at work and in the community.” (Sinclair, xi)  The sights and deplorable conditions that Sinclair observed left a lasting impression on him that comes across strongly in his book. While Sinclair may have begun with the goal of exposing the horrible conditions in the food packing and processing industry, the thrust of his book actually morphed to focus extensively on the poor treatment and living conditions of the oppressed American workers.  

     The Jungle is a fabulous and effective work of propaganda. It spotlights both the terrible methods and poor sanitary conditions of the meatpacking industry as well as the difficulties and injustice that workers in the meatpacking industry faced while just trying to survive. The reader is taken on a journey through the lives of Jurgis and his family as they come to America looking for a better life. Sinclair uses the genre of historical novel to highlight what most common people of that time period desired, the American Dream. This dream is to live a better life, get a good job, make something of themselves, have money for more than just necessities, to own a house, and to pass this hope and wellbeing on to their children. There was such hope for Jurgis and his family as they immigrated to America and moved to Chicago.  

     But all their hopes and dreams of a better life are beaten down over several years as one unanticipated crisis after another hit the family. The family doesn’t understand all the expenses involved in buying a house and they get in over their heads. As the family is driven deeper and deeper into debt, the will and ability to go on with life seems to be drained from them. You can just feel the desperation of each member of the family as the resolve and determination for life is slowly squeezed from them. Sinclair paints a masterpiece as he shows each family member breaking down. As the will to live, the zest for life, the ability to hope is pulled from Jurgis and his family they begin to act in ways unthinkable just a few years earlier. The reader finds themselves sympathizing with Jurgis and his family as they face multiple trials and tribulations.  

     The book contains terrible descriptions of the life and struggles of poor people in America. Especially prominent are the descriptions of the lives of the children. The need for children to help support their families was necessary. But what these kids went through seems almost un-human. From kids being eaten alive by rats, working at such a young age, sleeping on the streets, to the desperate search for food in the city dump, the lives of children are used to arouse a great outrage throughout the book.               

     The story of Jurgis and his family are fiction. Yet this story succeeded and achieved the purpose of Upton Sinclair. He wanted to expose and highlight the horrible conditions of the meatpacking industry. He also wanted to bring sympathy, understanding, and social change to the problems facing the poor working class people in the inner, industrialized cities of America. Millions of people read The Jungle and were horrified at what they found. Class and social oppression, health issues, irresponsible government, pollution, filthy living and working conditions, corrupt political machines, and child labor are all exposed throughout this book.

     Yes this book is a wonderful propaganda tool! It does the job that Upton Sinclair intended it to do. It enlisted the American people in a cause to clean up the meatpacking industry. But on top of that, it brought focus and outrage to a lack of basic humanity that infected much of America.  The novel was so popular that the government began investigations into the meatpacking industry. Sinclair wanted to write a novel that brought focus on the problems in the labor movement but as he stated in the introduction “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” (Sinclair, xiii) One result of this novel was an America that began a campaign to reform society. The Jungle even inspired President Theodore Roosevelt to push for more administrative controls and stricter laws in the meatpacking industry. But the more important result was the revelations and subsequent reform that it brought to Americans about the dilemma of the working class and poor people who struggled under unregulated capitalism.