Processes in "The Jungle"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the fictional story, "The Jungle," written by Upton Sinclair. The paper describes the plot of the story and focuses on the processes, or systems, that lead to the dissolution of the immigrant family in the story. More specifically, the paper shows how the social system within the main character, Jurgis's family, and the technological system of the assembly line used by Anderson and Company, both follow similar processes.

From the Paper:

"In conclusion, the fatalism of the story shows how little regard these technological systems had for human well-being. The desires of an energetic young man led him through a dark sojourn to the end of his ignorance and naivety. The changing of seasons beat down on the immigrant family the same way the strikes and labor unions of workers affected the industries at the time. Even though malaise afflicted it, most of the family persevered through seemingly impossible hardship and even though it was crippled, not all was lost. The same way the strung-up pigs and the penned cows suffered their fate, the unreasonable mortgage contract financially defeated Jurgis's family, forcing them to return to their prior abode. This shows the certainty with which the animals were killed the same way the previous owners of Jurgis's home succumbed to their own mortgage payments. All in all, the story continues and appears to end with more hopefulness than other, worse instances in the story. Surely the hardships continue for the immigrants that arrive in Packingtown and the assembly lines do not rest for the livestock, but like everything else in the world, the systems continue and the subjects are either bolstered or broken."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Sinclair, U. (2003). The Jungle. In U. Sinclair, The Jungle (p. 335). Tucson: See Sharp Press.

More papers on Processes in "The Jungle":

• Book Review # 4044 : "The Jungle"
• Research Proposal # 109635 : "Missionaries in the Amazon"
• Book Review # 106844 : "Sociological Concepts in Literature"

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