Upton Sinclair and the Chicago Meat-Packing Industry

Upton Sinclair and the Chicago Meat-packing Industry In 1900, there were over 1.6 million people living in Chicago, the countrys second largest city. Of those 1.6 million, nearly 30% were immigrants. Most immigrants came to the United States with little or no money at all, in hope of making a better life for themselves. A city like Chicago offered these people jobs that required no skill. However, the working and living conditions were hazardous and the pay was barely enough to survive on. This is the bases for Upton Sinclairs book, The Jungle. Sinclair agreed to investigate working conditions in Chicagos meatpacking plants, for the Socialist journal, Appeal to Reason, in 1904. The Jungle, published in 1906, is†¦show more content†¦Critics view Sinclair as a muckraker, a talented progressive journalist and reformer with no literary technique whatsoever. Although Sinclairs accurate descriptions were amazing, he fell short in his character development and plot. The main character, Jurgis Rudkus, went through an impl ausible number of extreme changes in the period of time the story takes place. He morphs from a pure-hearted family man, to an alcoholic tramp, a beggar, a criminal, a player in machine politics, and finally a sober, hard-core member of the Socialist Party. The other characters are hardly worth mentioning. Readers really dont care much about them because they are so under-developed. Much like the main character, the plot is all over the place, yet it doesnt seem to go anywhere. There is no hope for the characters in The Jungle. Anytime things start to get better for them, something else comes along to bring them back down. Its a constant rollercoaster ride between death and existence. The problem with the plot is most noticeable in the last four chapters of the book. Sinclair was writing this book for a Socialist publication, but hadnt said much about socialism up to this point and didnt really know how to end the book. Therefore, these last four chapters are dedicated to the Socialist cause. Sinclair switches from describing actual events, to describing the theoreticalShow MoreRelatedEssay about Upton Sinclair And The Chicago Meat-Packing Industry1094 Words   |  5 PagesUpton Sinclair and the Chicago Meat-packing Industry In 1900, there were over 1.6 million people living in Chicago, the countrys second largest city. Of those 1.6 million, nearly 30% were immigrants. Most immigrants came to the United States with little or no money at all, in hope of making a better life for themselves. A city like Chicago offered these people jobs that required no skill. However, the working and living conditions were hazardous and the pay was barely enough to surviveRead MoreUpton Sinclair s The Food Industry958 Words   |  4 PagesMikayla Peri Ms. Maxwell English III 10. Feb. 2015 Upton Sinclair Upton Sinclair, the most influential writer regarding the food industry was born in Baltimore 1879. 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