At the turn of the twentieth century, European immigrants flooded America with dreams of success and a better life. The illusion that the United States was a land of opportunity was shattered by the harsh reality of the working class’s struggle for survival. The hungry and impoverished masses worked under inhumane conditions for less than subsistence wages. Upton Sinclair’s classic novel, The Jungle, graphically depicts the sufferings and struggles of a Lithuanian family attempting to survive in the stockyards of Chicago. Despite their best efforts and sacrifices, the family is simply unable to support itself in these desperate times. The capitalist society in which greed and corruption thrive is called into question as the common people continue to suffer. In the end, only socialism and unity of the people could ensure future generations a better life. Capitalism resulted in the depredation of the common man, and only through the unity of the people in the form of Socialism could a truly fair America be produced.

The harsh, demanding life of the immigrants depicted in The Jungle presents the capitalist society as one of greed and opportunism. The wealthy capitalize off the ignorance of the immigrants from the outset. While the Lithuanian family, led by Jurgis, simply wish to pursue the American dream, the American people do nothing but swindle and lie to coerce them into parting with their money. Meanwhile, wages are not sufficient to survive and support a family. Workers live under constant fear of unemployment and thus endure horrible working conditions. The wealthy capitalize off the fear of starvation to make profits. The safety and well-being of employees is not an issue, causing frequent accidents and mutilations. For these, workers receive no compensation. Tasks are repetitive and mentally numbing while physically exhausting. The capitalists not only manipulate the individual workers, but on a larger scale, the entire country of America is exploited in the form of corrupt politics and faulty or unsanitary products. Voters are commonly paid to support different candidates. The wealthy provide the money needed by a politician. In return, the politicians cause the government to prevent the rising of the poor and overlook the horrible conditions of the work place and the products of it. Thus, the rich become even richer selling diseased foods manufactured by exhausted workers for high profits. In the capitalist society, the wealthy exploit the common people resulting in a country full of degradation and poverty.

As capitalism is destroying the working man, the only hope of the common people is to unite against their oppressors in the form of Socialism. The theme of unity is mentioned sporadically through Sinclair’s novel in the form of the unions. Only when the people take a stand together do they even come close to obtaining more rights. This theme is bluntly stated when Jurgis becomes an enthusiastic Socialist. The horrible life Jurgis leads continues when he takes the capitalist approach. Every time his situation improves, he is brought down from his progress by a harsh reality. Only when he is exposed to Socialism does Jurgis find hope for the future. Socialism is presented as the working people’s savior. Enthusiastic speeches denouncing the evils of capitalism and explanations of the nature of a Socialist society are direct advocations of Socialism. At this point in the novel, the people as a whole become more important than the individual. The Socialists are willing to suffer individually to promote the advancement of the common people as a whole. While capitalists seek only personal wealth and power, the Socialists’ goal is to simply provide a better life for the working man. Socialism’s entire purpose is to aid the common people. Once the Socialists have a political victory in the polls, the point that the Socialists must unite and continue the fight is stressed by the Socialist speaker. They must push on to ensure the Socialist revolution which would result in the salvation of the oppressed. Socialism leads the common people to a better life and is the only hope for the downtrodden workers.

The exploitation of the common man can only be prevented by a united Socialist society. This theme permeates the entire novel. According to Upton Sinclair, capitalism is destroying America. The Jungle’s graphic descriptions of suffering and horrible work conditions accentuate this point. Through the novel, the sufferings of the working class was made known. As a result, reforms in the areas of work conditions and sanitary food processing were made shortly after the novel’s publication. Also with his novel, Sinclair provides a solution to the problems of corruption and greed. The end of The Jungle focuses primarily on the Socialist ideals and struggle. Sinclair attempts to appeal to the masses in hopes of providing a better future for the generations to come. The topic of unity is intertwined with that of Socialism. Unity and the goal of bettering the whole is the premise upon which Socialism was based. The Jungle depicts Socialism in a overly enthusiastic and virtuous manner while denouncing the opportunistic capitalist society. According to Sinclair, Socialism was the only hope for the working people and would result in improved standards of living. Due to the corruption of capitalism, exhausting work left the common man with less than subsistence wages. Only through Socialism could the working class achieve the American dream of a better life.