How the terrible situation for immigrants develops over the course of the book?

[Erika]

I am a bit lost, especially since I really wasn't paying much attention by the end of the book, with all the socialist themes. But, did these terrible conditions for immigrant workers seem to improve over the course of the book, or did they continue the same way until the end?

[Silverpiper]

Actually they don't improve over the course of the book.

Don't get too hung up on the socialist issues. Back then even unions were considered rampant socialism. It was written more to expose the working and living conditions of the common workers. I think people were more shocked to learn about what was going in to the food they consumed.

[Marcy]

I agree, it was written to expose working conditions more than to promote an ideology. And in fact, the book led to the creation of the US Department of Agriculture to oversee and regulate the meat industry. I think that is so cool; it shows that a novel can have a powerful effect.

[Barbara]

It stayed the same/got worse, but the main character felt a feeling of activity by joining a political party and that helped his situation, albeit like everybody says, the goal of the book is to expose the terrible conditions they lived in.

[Tim]

One of my favorite books of all time. No matter how much they try, they are always falling behind.