Immigrants in Upton Sinclair s The Jungle Essay - 763 Words

A well-discussed debate among today’s economy is the issues concerning immigrants and their yearning desire to become American citizens. As displayed in The Jungle, a rather perturbing novel about the trials and ruthless temptations early America presents to a Lithuanian family, adjusting to new surrounding and a new way of life is quite difficult. To make matters worse, language barriers and lack of domestic knowledge only seems to entice starvation and poverty among newly acquired citizens, who simply wish to change their social and economic lives to better themselves and their families. Such is the case of Jurgis Rudkus and his extended family, consisting of cousins, in-laws, and their multitude of children. Natives to the country of†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, America, still under the influence of the Industrial Revolution, was inhabited by working men and women, who were more concerned about business and finances than neighborly affections. As a result, Jurgis and his family became, in the eye of society, yet another immigrant family struggling to make a modest living. America has been labeled by outsiders as â€Å"The Land of Milk and Honey† for many years. In a cynical twist of irony, Jurgis and his family became indulged in an American lifestyle that was anything but opportunistic. Almost immediately, they were faced with the challenge of finding new jobs and housing. In a city like Chicago, with booming enterprises and large-scale factories, as well as the increased use of assembly lines, finding a job would seem to be effortless. However, location was a key factor in determining the availability of jobs, as well as what type of work needed to be done. Jurgis and his family soon adjust to their new lives, as well as to the work presented to them at Durham’s. After lodging with friends and fellow immigrants for some time, they decide to purchase their own house in Packingtown, a village comprised mostly of the innumerable workers employed at Durham’s. Unbeknownst to Jurgis and his family, however, working at Durham’s would prove to be a turbulent and eye-opening experience, regardless of the fact that Durham’s was an essential catalyst for their new life in America. â€Å"Experience is not whatShow MoreRelatedSinclair s The Jungle And Schlosser s Fast Food Nation1459 Words   |  6 Pagespublications on the meat industry in the United States, the works of Upton Sinclair and Eric Schlosser contain eerily similar accounts in attempt to expose the dangers behind our food. These shocking revelations exposed by Sinclair and Schlosser have forever changed the way our nation views its food. 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OriginallyRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1334 Words   |  6 PagesAs of 2015, immigrants make up more than 43.3 percent of the United States population. By the early 1900s there were already more than 10 million immigrants living in America. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle reveals the struggles and hardships of a family that immigrated to the United States from Lithuania during the 1900s. Although many immigrant families came to America in search of a better life, soon most found themselves barely surviving with no job, food, shelter, or money. As is the case of theRead MoreThe Food Industry From The 20th Century1674 Words   |  7 Pageschange it. The author of The Jungle and the producers of Food, Inc. are no exception. During the early 20th century the meat packing industry was a filthy and cruel business. Cruel to both the people that worked in the factories and the animals that were killed there. The industry has changed a lot since then but the production of food has become a much more industrial and engineered process that has completely taken nature out of the equation. People like Upton Sinclair and the producers of Food,Read MoreEssay on The American Dream in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Jr.967 Words   |  4 Pages(dictionary.com). Upton Sinclair gained fame in the early 1900’s from his muckraking novel, The Jungle, describing the life of a young Lithuanian immigrant, Jurgis, living in Chicago in pursuit of the American dream. Jurgis found out that America isn’t as good as it appeared; with higher wages came more expensive goods, and with cheaper houses came higher interest rates. The Jungle, a fictional novel, tells of the real horrors of working in a Chicago meat packing factory. Sinclair had gone undercover