The Jungle

Lore & Background

In 1904, Sinclair spent seven weeks gathering information in the meat packing district of the Union Stock Yards in Chicago for the socialist newspaper Appeal to Reason, which published his novel in serial form in 1905. In 1906, the novel was published in book format by Doubleday. The book portrays working-class poverty, immigrant struggle, lack of social support or welfare, harsh living and dangerous working conditions, generating hopelessness, cynicism, and cruelty among the powerless. These elements are contrasted with the deeply rooted corruption of people in power. A review by Sinclair's contemporary, writer Jack London, compared The Jungle to America's most famous novel written to expose a cruel system, by calling it 'the Uncle Tom's Cabin of wage slavery.' While Sinclair's goal in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism, the novel's most immediate impact was to provoke public outcry over passages exposing health issues and unsanitary practices in the American meat-packing industry. This led to sanitation reforms including the Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, and other product safety legislation.

In Their Own Story

The light filters through the canopy in thick green shafts, catching the pollen that hangs like gold dust in the still air. Conker crouches on a moss-slicked branch, one ear flattened against the wind, the other twitching at the distant crash of something large falling out of a tree. Somewhere below, a waterfall hammers against a rock face, and the spray cools the sweat on his fur.

He sniffs. Rum. Faint, but there—threading through the rot and the orchids and the smell of something that definitely should not be in a jungle. He grins, showing too many teeth, and drops into the undergrowth. The leaves part around him with a sound like tearing canvas. Ahead, the path forks. Left, the trees lean in like gossips. Right, the ground gives way to a wide, sun-blasted clearing where the air smells of honey and old wood.

He picks left. He always picks left. It's never a good idea, and it's always funnier.

Reader's Guide

The plot follows Jurgis Rudkus, who marries his sweetheart Ona Lukoszaite in a joyous traditional Lithuanian wedding feast. They and their extended family have recently immigrated to Chicago due to financial hardship in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. They have heard that America offers freedom and higher wages and have come to pursue the American Dream. Despite losing much of their savings being conned on the trip to Chicago, and having to pay for the wedding, Jurgis is initially optimistic. He is swiftly hired by a meatpacking factory. The family buys a house through a deceptive contract, leading to financial strain. Sickness, injuries, and deaths befall the family. Ona is raped by her boss Phil Connor; Jurgis attacks him and is imprisoned. After Ona dies in childbirth and their son drowns, Jurgis leaves Chicago, later returns, falls into crime, becomes a vote fixer, and eventually attends a socialist meeting where he is inspired.

Did You Know?

• The novel was first published in serial form in 1905 in the socialist newspaper Appeal to Reason.
• Jack London called The Jungle 'the Uncle Tom's Cabin of wage slavery.'
• The novel's exposure of unsanitary practices led to the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act.