How The Jungle influenced Social Reform and Socialism.

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Lauren Christina Barry

American Literature

February 2, 2003

Mr. Waterhouse/ Period 1

How The Jungle influenced Social Reform and Socialism.

        Beginning in the late 19th century, many people became concerned with many social problems resulting from the industrialization period of the United States. People began to demand reform. The writing of the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was one of the most influential tools used to reform many American industries. In this book, Sinclair focuses on the unsanitary conditions and corruption that was involved in the Chicago meat packing industry. This book exposed so much information to the public that it even caused new legislation to be passed concerning the matter. This book also indicted slave wages and the poor treatment of immigrant workers. Sinclair was a socialist and argued that socialism was the only solution to the problem of abused men and women in America’s policy of industrial capitalism. It shows a number of universal problems screaming for help.

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         The book is written from the perspective of an immigrant who recently got a job in a packing town in Chicago. The real story is about Lithuanian immigrants who move to the stockyards of Chicago in hopes of a better life. Unfortunately, their hopes are quickly dashed. Like thousands of other untrained immigrants their need for money forces them into horrible work in order to make ends meet.         In the story, he is being shown the different factories and rooms in which the animals are killed and made into the meat which “fed America”. The book uses vivid descriptions and ...

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