Upton Sinclair's Portrayal of Economic Tensions and Historical Processes - Essay Sample

Introduction

Most of the writers of the early centuries used fiction to promote their ideologies. As a result, they were able to promote causes, incite leaderships as well as enhance the legislative processes. The author of the text "The Jungle," Upton Sinclair wrote the text in an attempt to promote his socialist belief. However, the text involves some other important American historical processes and economic impacts that the author portrays in the book. Upton used his fiction to call attention to the economic challenges that he believed were created by the industrialization regimes in the 19th and 20th centuries. This essay analyzes how Upton Sinclair depicts the economic tensions and historical processes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Even though the author intended to promote his socialist ideology, the novel hit the American economic situation in the late 19th and early 20th century. Kathleen Ryan explains that the setting of Sinclair's novel is in the early 20th century as the author portrays the industrialization challenges during the time. Sinclair criticizes the challenging and harsh living conditions of the workers as well as the filth in the surrounding the industrialized areas (Ryan 2). The novel reveals a wide range of contamination as well as what Ryan describes as "intentional adulteration of the meat" (Ryan 2). Sinclair, through depicting the horrors and challenges of the Chicago meat-packing industry, manages to portray the economic tensions in the late 19th and early 20th century in America. With the desire to enhance industrialization, the government under the leadership of President Roosevelt encouraged the industry establishment. Chicago meat-packing industry is one of such factories, but very little was done to ensure the safety of the consumers. Sinclair in his novel portrays this through the description of reluctant safety measures in the yards to protect both consumers and workers in the industries. Sinclair describes the challenges that industrialization brought to the Americans; for instance, poor living conditions for workers due to low wages and environmental pollution due to the smoke produced by the industries and locomotives.

Sinclair criticizes how industrialization destroyed the environment. For instance, the author describes one scenario that "the city had begun to note the perplexing changes in the atmosphere.....it grew darker all the time" (Sinclair 25). The author depicts the economic disparity and the social challenges in urban America in the late 9th and 20th centuries. The environment surrounding the industries such as Packingtown are more affected due to the exposure to the unhealthy impacts. The image that one gets from reading about the Packingtown surrounding depicts the filth brought about by the industrialization. The author portrays the irony of industrialization; as the economy grows due to industrialization, the society becomes poor and deteriorated. Sinclair says that "one wondered about this, as also about the swarms of flies which hung about the scene" (29). The industries thrived due to the workers or laborers who worked in the factories, but where they lived did not depict the working class.

Most of the people moved to the urban areas with the aim of bettering their living conditions. However, as Sinclair portrays in his novel, this dream becomes impossible to realize due to the impacts of the intensified industrialization. People moved to the urban areas, but when they get there the situation is not better than where they came from. Sinclair depicts the living conditions in the city; for instance, the description of the estates such as Poni Aniele, where there was a four-room flat where the workers stayed. Sinclair describes the pathetic life that laborers were exposed even though they were working in the industries that gave the country more revenue income. Mrs Jukniene describes Poni Aniele as "not what one would call choice accommodations" to show the kind of dwindling economic situation in the American urban areas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Sinclair 26). The life in the city is more expensive; Teta Elzbieta explains that "nothing could be too cheap to suit them" as she refers to the difficult economic situation in the city especially for newcomers (Sinclair 26). Sinclair tries to criticize the impacts of industrialization that brought extreme poverty. The workers were exposed to extreme poverty with their families.

The novel "The Jungle" also portrays the historical processes in America. The novel is described as "muckraking literature" due to its association with the progressive era in American history. The political impact of Sinclair's text is associated with the policies and reforms in the administration and governance. Ryan explains that President Roosevelt responded to Sinclair's advice by ordering an investigation of the packing yards further (3). According to Ryan, the book propelled investigations that later led to the enactment of Food Acts of 1906. These acts include the Pure Food and Drugs Act and Meat Inspection Act (Ryan 3). As Ryan explains, Sinclair portrayed the problems in the packing yards as well as the meat production factories not only to support his socialist ideology but also to communicate the failures of the industrial capitalism adopted in America in the late 19th and 20th centuries (9). Sinclair focused more on the general failures of the political system in the industries and leadership. The content of this text helped create new reforms in the American history of politics. The book is credited with the enactment of the policies that changed the American industrial management. Sinclair depicted how millions of Americans were getting sick by the filthy conditions in the factories such as meat processing industry in Chicago. Even though agitations had started regarding the conditions of the industries in the late 19th century, but it was until the book was published that the government started to act due to the public furor that the book awakened. The meat industry lost about 50% of the meat product sales in the United States (Reed 16). Reed further states that after Sinclair's ideas spread across the U.S border, the foreign purchases of American meat products were also cut by a half (20). In an attempt to respond to this effect, the government enacted Meat Inspection Act in 1906, which is still part of the American history up to date.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Sinclair's novel is considered a socialism text because the author was a socialist, but the novel has portrayed more than just socialism ideology. Based on this study, Sinclair's novel portrays the cruelty and heartlessness in the American industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author has depicted the economic disparity and tensions associated with the American economic capitalism regime. Through the graphic description of the meat-packing industry, Sinclair has not only depicted the economic tensions, but he has also portrayed the historical and political processes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Works Cited

Reed, Lawrence. "Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle' Proved Regulations was required." Foundation for Economic Education (October 31, 2014). Accessed on May 7, 2018 from https://fee.org/articles/29-upton-sinclairs-the-jungle-proved-regulation-was-required/

Ryan, Kathleen M. "The Meaning of Meat in Industrial Social Protest Novels." LEDA at Harvard Law School (1996). Accessed on May 7, 2018 from https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8846756/kryan3.html?sequence=2

Sinclair, U. (1988). The jungle. University of Illinois Press.