Cultural and Social Change in Response to The Jungle

Escrito por Ajay Harish “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” – Upton Sinclair

''La leyenda se escribió durante un período de tiempo muy delicado, una sociedad de los cambios increíbles, sociedad y cultura en América. Con la migración masiva al país, junto con la expansión militar de los EE. UU. Y la revolución tecnológica, los problemas abordados en la novela. La narrativa periodística de Upton Sinclair sirvió como motor de un ambito cultural y social aún más en el país, con la industria de la industria cárnica como su pieza central. La mayoría de los efectos de la jungla involucró cambios políticos, lo'' más notable de la formación de la FDA.

Immigrants and Factory Workers
 At the beginning of the 20 th century, there was a large influx of immigrants into the US seeking freedom and basic rights. But what they found was not what they expected. Sinclair exposed   how poorly these factory workers were being treated – mentioning workers who were extremely ill due to the poor protocol for handling machinery and food, but would not dare miss a day of work, for the consequences were too great. Finding a job in itself was a difficult task for such workers, and missing a day of work would most likely get them fired. Being jobless in a foreign land with little to no support was simply not an option. With the publication of The Jungle, this issue was brought to the attention of the public. Although no specific labor laws were passed as a direct result of Sinclair’s novel, it highlighted the necessity for labor unions in American society. At the time of the publication of The Jungle, the only prominent union in America was The American  Federation of Labor. This was a conglomeration of workers with all sorts of skills. This labor union had difficulty earning rights for its workers, since lobbying for steel workers would conflict with the  i nterests of coal miners. It disbanded when its leader, Samuel Gompers, died in 1924. Sinclair was able to highlight the poor working conditions of the lower class to the American public and sho w why there was a need for representation of the common worker in government. However, it would take another global war to finally spur labor unions into action, fighting to secure safe and acceptable conditions for poor, immigrant, factory workers. Despite the lack of politcal action on the front of labor rights, The Jungle mobilized the public into action. If it weren't for the constant letters the White House received as a response to what Sinclair was publishing, the president probably would not have further investigated the issue, and the landmark legislation would not have been passed in 1906. Sinclair brought the issue right into the forefront of public consciousness, Every major newspaper was discussing and publicizing it. Eventually, the federation would go on to join the Congress of Industrial Organizations, a federation of labor unions that organized workers in the US and Canada, becoming the largest trade union center in the US.



Socialism and Capitalism
The end of The Jungle contained some socialist themes that took even President Theodore Roosevelt aback. Sinclair was a known socialist muckraker, calling for fundamental changes in the way things were done in America. A reading of the novel allowed President Roosevelt to gain perspective on Sinclair’s claims, as he is quoted as saying, “radical action must be taken to do away with the efforts of arrogant and selfish greed on the part of the capitalist.” Even those who blindly dismissed Sinclair’s more socialist claims were able to see worth in what he was saying. The main character of the novel, Jurgis Rudkis, found comfort in socialist lectures and rallies, implying that the American capitalist system may be flawed. Numerous groups of people rallied  against the privately-owned businesses and corporations, afraid that the concentration of wealth in such a small number of people “at the top” would leave the common man under their mercy. Sinclair was ultimately unhappy with how the situation was handled, considering all the legislative changes made “an unjustified boon to large meat packers” since the common man would have to bear the burden of inspection costs (in the form of tax dollars). He would have rathered the meat-packing plants be run publicly by cities like in Europe.