The reason he wrote it is to show people what was really happening. If you really think that things like this did not happen, then you are sadly mistaken, and if you want to live in a world where there is no desparity, poor working conditions, and just all around bad things happening, then you are in the wrong place.
Either the wrong place or the wrong time... At the time, socialism was seen as the only exit from the oppressive hands of the weathy businessmen and bankers. With the rise of a mediocre middle-class, the desire for change disintegrated as we all became happy with what little we were allowed to earn. Don't let the propaganda fool you, the socialists at the turn of the twentieth century laid the groundwork for what little gains we have made as a society. The remaining conservative political parties that stiil exist today only took credit for the reform. Learn the hidden history of the US and then we can see that the future is bright, but only if we strive to make it so. What Upton Sinclair did was no more than create an advertisement. There you are correct, but the advertisement was more for an advancement in the treatment of humanity than for socialism. The problems with the meatpackers were not restricted to them. These problems affected all of society. If not for the activists of the time, we may still be toiling twelve hours per day scratching out a meager existence... Oh wait, perhaps we still do. Long live the revolution!
socialism stinks and capitalism rules.<br>"in every just government, there will be poor people" - Andrew Jackson<br>everyone should be given an equal chance to succeed, but only a few will.
Good point...
It wasn't written as a novel. The original Jungle was a series in periodicals. It was only put into novel form later.
Socialism on a limited scale benefits society, only communism is actually opposed to natural human rights, and it seems we have some people here who are trying to revive the "Social Darwinist" concept. Once people are given a chance to succeed about 90% of the population wil, at least to a limited point. I agree with you in that no government can (or should) make it so EVERYONE is well provided for, no matter what. The point to capitalism is to give people a motivation (material wealth) to do work. But I think you're underestimating the power of extreme economic diversity. We still haven't gotten as far as we need to inner cities are underfunded, and the ultracapitalist greed is a dangerous primitive concept.
After reading The Jungle, I asked myself why, oh why would anyone sit down and write a whole novel about despairity, poor working conditions and diseased meat. Then I remembered the last couple of chapters in which Sinclair advertises Socialism... quite fervently, and I realized that the entire book is actually one big advertisement.
I wouldn't say that the Jungle is always the most fun reading material. However I think it is important to read about the past. It bears witness through Jurgis' story all the real lives that really had to lead such cruel existence. If Uptain Sinclair was trying to say this shouldn't happen and it can only be fixed with socialism I don't wether to say this is good or bad advertising because I haven't finished the book yet.
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