Into The Jungle

Noah Selwyn A Literary Analysis

Of the many themes portrayed in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, the theme that lies in its title gruesomely depicts the overall way of life in Packingtown. At first thought of The Jungle one would think that the late 1800'time period in Chicago could not relate to a "Jungle" setting, where beasts compete for food and control over territory, where anything goes to survive. One learns very soon that that idea is not the case, and the many components of the jungle fall into place.. In the Packingtown of Chicago is the jungle in all its wrath and ugly truths depicted through the tragic story of a family of Lithuanian immigrants, looking for a better life. Jurgis Rudkus and his family have moved from Lithuania to Chicago because there was news of a friend who had become wealthy in the land of opportunity. The long journey by sea and then train left them to wonder what their new chapter of life would be like, the first time they encounter the jungle. The book depicts this encounter while they were on the train heading into packingtown. The Familie's first encounter with the jungle was the strong odor pouring into their trolley car. "Now, sitting in the trolley car, they realized that they were on their wat to the home of it - that they had travelled all the way from Lithuania to it. It was now no longer something far off and faint, that you caught in whiffs; you could literally taste it, as well as smell it - you could take hold of it, almost examine it at your leisure... There were some who drank it in as if it were an intoxicant; there were others who put their handkerchiefs to their faces. The new emigrants were still tasting it, lost in wonder..." (Sinclair 32) This thorough description of the smell alone personifies one aspect of the jungle. Although the words "the jungle" are not written, one can relate to the smells and stenches that are prevalent in wildlife jungles. The very transformation can run paralel to one traveling from a sunny town to the humid life-teaming unknown of a

rainforest. Soon after the Rudkus family have established themselves in their first living space, the jungle theme shows itself again. Jurgis has found his first job and is on a tour of the Brown's meat packing Stockyard. The beast which takes in massive amounts of cattle and swine, files them into rows and unforgivably sends the trusting animals to their eminent doom. "There is over a square mile of space in the yards, and more than half of it is occupied by the cattle pens; north and south as far as the eye can reach there stretches a sea of pens. And they were all filled - so many cattle no one had ever dreamed existed in the world... Jokubas had recently been reading a newspaper article which was full of statistics full of that... Jurgis, too, had little sense of pride. Had he not just gotten a job, and become a sharer in all this activity, a cog in this marvelous machine?" (Sinclair 40, 41) The land of Packingtown is teeming with life, and death. The thousands of cattle and hogs mercilessly slaughtered every day acts as a mirror image to that of the way of life in a jungle. There is much life and unfortunately, death in both realms. These two worlds are cold and unforgiving, stopping for the mercy of no man or animal. The being as a whole must continue to exist in this world and feed itself, for it will never have a full belly. Soon the jungles hunger turns to the unsuspecting family of Jurgis. Throughout the book, Packingtown starts to claim lives through many despicable processes, phased not by the cries for salvation of the poor working class, phased not by the range of age, strength, or relationship. People like Jurgis' father are literally worked to death. Getting sick did not matter for your boss back then. There will always be more to take the place of the old cog. "Whether it was that his blood was bad, or there had been a cut, he could not he could not say... He would lie there and cough and cough, day and night, wasting away to a mere

skeleton..he was still clinging to the faith that tomorrow or the next day he would be better, and could back to his job.. while three or more hemorrhages came; and then at last one morning they found him stiff and cold" (Sinclair 95) The passing of Dede Antannas was only the beginning of the troubles of the family, not to mention the ever-tormenting struggle for food and money. Soon little Antannas would not return home one night and had gone missing. Later on is was learned that he had found sleep in one of the packing warehouses with a pitcher of beer, unknowingly that he would be eaten alive by the rats of the jungle. Ona, as well would also pass during extreme sickness and an unsuccessful childbirth. The jungle has no filter for its hunger. The overall theme of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle had a huge effect on the United States of America, which had not known the real perils and tragic events that took place in this manmade jungle. From the beast which is the slaughter machines and the workers that drive them not slowing down for the weary, to the horrors of sickness and unsuspecting dangers that lurk around every corner. Packingtown seems to be alive on all aspects. Even though the words "The Jungle" are only mentioned in the very title, the situations and events that our characters are in depict the parallel relationship between the jungles of the amazon to the man-made jungles of Packingtown and other industrial cities in America. This book has proven to show the real horrors of life and many can learn from these words to make a better world for future generations.