The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
This topic is about
The Jungle
2022/23 Group Reads - Archives
>
The Jungle - Week 6
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
My version has endnotes. The last one says: “Sinclair made many changes and omissions when the serial version of The Jungle was republished in novel form—among them, the elimination of a final paragraph that read: ‘All of which was at one o’clock on the morning of the day after the election; and at one o’clock of the afternoon of the same day Jurgis was handcuffed to a detective, and on his way to serve a two-years’ sentence in a state’s prison for assault with intent to kill.’”
Personally, I’m glad Sinclair decided not to include this, as I’d like to imagine a more optimistic ending for Jurgis. What do you think?
Sinclair’s main intention with this book was to spotlight the injustices and abuses suffered by the workers, mainly immigrants, in the meatpacking plants. But it was his descriptions of the unsanitary conditions of the factory and the handling of the food that attracted the most description. After the novel was published, President Theodore Roosevelt called for the factory conditions to be inspected, and the Meat Inspection Act and the Food and Drug Act were quickly passed. Sinclair responded by saying, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” What did he mean by this?
If you’re interested, the Introduction in my copy mentions the 2001 book by Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation. I haven’t read it, but evidently it demonstrates how little the meat industry has changed, at least in the US.
Mod
I'll try to share a couple of links to recent Washington Post articles. Let's see if Goodreads allows the links. If you're over you're WaPo quota, let me know and I can gift you the article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...
There is so much in this last section that my head is spinning. Jurgis undergoes a great transformation as he discovers Socialism, meets people who are active in the movement, and has a job which is (hopefully) permanent. The last paragraph of Chapter 28, when Jurgis’s soul rises up in sudden understanding and elation, was one of the most moving in the book. I feel that there are many problems with both Socialism and Capitalism. Reading articles like the ones from the WaPo is proof that Capitalist horrors continue. But at the same time, I have issues with the ideas of Socialism regarding private property. The important point to me was that Jurgis and others like him endured the worst horrors of Capitalism and regained hope through Socialism. If we discount Sinclair’s alternate ending, Jurgis is a man transformed, living as a man and not a beast.
I sincerely hope that others in the group will someday reconsider reading this novel. I, too, expected nothing but the horrors of the meat-packing industry, but the true story was the death-dealing poverty and dehumanization of the workers. It isn’t a pleasant read, but it is an important one.
Lori, thanks very much for acting as moderator and for your insights. I have read Fast Food Nation and recommend it. I am planning to read Matthew Desmond’s POVERTY, BY AMERICA which deals with some of the same issues we’ve discussed. I read his book EVICTED when it came out and learned a lot about what the impoverished go through just to maintain a roof over their heads.
Mod
Thanks so much for participating! And thanks for the insight about the other books.
How do Jurgis’s views change in the first two chapters of this section, and why?
Who is Ostrinski and what does Jurgis learn from him?
Why does Jurgis compare himself to a hog?
In this last section, there is quite a bit of dialog and speechmaking between various thinkers and idealists. Was there any particular point that struck you, or which you’d like to discuss further?
Has Upton Sinclair made his point with this story?
What did you think of the book overall?
Did any of you read the longer version?
Would you read more of this author’s work?