Although the original novel is nearly a third longer than the printed version today, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is still a fantastic work that portrays the meat packing industry of the early 1900s. Set in the quickly urbanizing Chicago, the main character, Jurgis Rudku’s story begins with tragedy as more tragedy unfolds. The reader soon learns that the antagonists are the unforgiving system, unfair bosses, and poor wages. Rudkus begins wandering the American countryside in search of a better life. Growing cold and lonely, he returns to Chicago finding that little in the unfair work of the meat packing industry has changed. Sinclair’s book is primarily a song of praise to Socialism. Its strength is not as a literary work but rather a catalyst for industrial reform.
Review
A political masterpiece, The Jungle is a book that depicts turn of the century life and advocates socialism. It is well written and full of plot twists. It conveys the positive aspects of democratic socialism without the pitfalls associated with communism. Although it is a slow, heavy read, I highly recommend this book as one of the greatest novels ever written in the twentieth century.