'The Jungle'

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that Upton Sinclair's 1908 novel 'The Jungle' reflects the burgeoning interest in Marxism and socialism in the US that took root during the Industrial Revolution. Moreover, the writer points out that the novel testifies to the disillusionment with the American Dream experienced by scores of immigrants like the Lithuanian family in Sinclair's novel. The writer discusses that, in the novel, Jurgis Rudkus's transition from idealistic young immigrant to a convict also exemplifies conflict theory. The corruption in business and city politics are the source of Jurgis' deviant behaviors: his heavy drinking and his repeated criminal assaults. The writer maintains that the class conflicts that Sinclair describes in 'The Jungle' are irreconcilable without wholesale changes to the structures and institutions that govern social norms in America.

From the Paper:

"As immigrants, Rudkus and his family also created a Lithuanian subculture in Chicago. Language was one way the family remained cohesive. The Lithuanian immigrants attempted to preserve their social customs such as marriage rituals. Yet all the family members were constrained by sheer survival: the need to earn a living. Lithuanian wedding guests could not afford to uphold wedding customs from the old country. They were losing social cohesion because of financial strain, and that lack of social cohesion weakened the immigrant community. Immigrant communities became less cohesive and more focused on individualistic survival, leading to a breakdown in mores, values, and norms. Almost all the family members worked in deplorable conditions and for corrupt labor bosses including the women. The urban migrations that occurred around the turn of the century led to anomie, Durkheim's theory explaining the dissolution of values and social norms. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle, 1908.

More papers on 'The Jungle':

• Book Review # 93471 : "Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"
• Analytical Essay # 89549 : "Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"
• Book Review # 119163 : "The Role of Capitalism in "The Jungle"
• Persuasive Essay # 72975 : "Stephen Crane's "Maggie" and Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: