Introduction
In his book the jungle, Sinclair’s s main concern was not to the meat but to the workers who produced. It was then that he said that. ‘I aimed at the public’s heart and by accident hit its stomach’. He attempted to make the public aware that the life of an immigrant was very hard in the 1800s. In real sense, he did not actually assist people to know the harsh condition s but the bad meat that they were eating. This is what hit their metaphorical stomachs (Sinclair, 2006 p. 18).
He describes with many concerns the very poor conditions of life the immigrant workers are living. This revealed the immediate end of the immigrant culture due to the effect from industrial capitalism (Sinclair, 2006p.22). The inspection act in 1906 was due to his critism on how meat was manufactured. He was mainly concerned with the workers who were involved in the process since they were in very horrifying conditions.
The American dream is simply an echo that was meant to bring prosperity in America. It is through the American dream that there are opportunities for the Americans to prosper by their own hard work. All the children have the right to grow and have a quality education without being denied by anybody. People have the freedom of making their own decisions without any restrictions that are based on race, color, and ethnicity. All citizens were given their freedom without being subjected to any form of slavery. Urgis rudkus did not achieve the American dream. We were first introduced to him as an energetic man. Later more tragic events are highlighted that completely changed his life. He lost his job and is forced to work on fertilizer mill. He also lost his family and was later introduced into o criminal activities. This made his dream to diminish since he was optimistic to live the American dream. in the American dream, working hard is one of the aspect which he contradicted by getting into alcoholism and miserable working conditions. (Sinclair, 2006, p.99). This made him not achieve the dream.In the novel, the workers are subjected to very harsh conditions, which are clearly revealed, by the working conditions in the meat industry and they do not have the work security8.the immigrants are also facing many problems since they have many social problems and they are underpaid. The women are not exposed to employment opportunities and are used as instruments of leisure. (Foner, 2006, p. 100) The children are the most affected since they are left homeless and do not have the necessary medical care. The property owners are very irresponsible as shown by the very unhygienic meat industry.
Rudkus and wife are Lithuanian immigrants that settle in the U.S states of Chicago. They meet several other immigrants from the United States immigrants who turn out not to be fluent in American English (Sinclair, 2006, p.106). Here to survive he takes a job at the slaughterhouse. The working conditions were unbearable and he finds himself struggling to survive for his upkeep and for his young wife. They soon fall bankrupt and are in huge debts. This leads them to discuss on how to acquire funds which soon makes them prey for conmen who made them spent the little that was left to them as savings and they are soon evicted as they struggle to purchase a third plan slum house(Sinclair, 2006, p.123). This leads him into crude capitalistic ways at work in order to support his family and relatives. He is fired at the meat industry for misconduct and later took up a job at the fertilizer firm. When life becomes unbearable, his wife takes up a job at the town. Her boss forces her to give him sexual favors in order to retain her job. This prompts Rudkus to attack in revenge resulting in imprisonment (Sinclair, 2006, p.132).
His involvement in the meat industry prompts him to lament about the conditions of the meat-parking situation that led his writing in an article of the many woes of crude capitalism (Sinclair, 2006, p.142). He is enhanced further he attends a rally of a socialist’ movement after his life was tarnished and where he whole-heartedly embrace socialism. This leads him to make the much-acclaimed statement when he comments about the foods and drugs acts as a mere speculation to deceive the public. By claiming that by highlighting about their plight in the book, he aimed at hitting the public’s heart and unfortunately hit the stomach. The jungle is a perfect masterpiece of the crude ways the workers suffers under the tyrannical rules of the employers and where self-interest comes first before public safety in the meat processing industry. Employers are physically and sexually abused. Work is terminated at employers own wish and time without consideration of the terms of service (Sinclair, 2006 p.112).
The works of Erick Foner is a perfect masterpiece of America’s progressive era marked by historic economic growth yet evidently characterized by a non-reformist’s social living (Foner, 2006 p. 110). The American economy is characterized by the increased surged in production, consumption and a continuous persistence of social problems (Foner, p. 120). This calls for change to new notions of American freedom and a new approach to liberation and liberty. This according to Foner calls social liberations and a new approach towards modern socialism and liberation.
The public ownership of essentials such as railroads and factories to enhance equity and the state support of free college education are the mandates that Foner feels are an approach to modern socialism and this calls for reconsideration of the Federal Reserve System and the federal trade commission for the good equitable access of the state economy by the public (Foner, 2006 p. 120)
Reference
Sinclair, $ Foner, (2006). The jungle. Cambridge, Mass: R. Bentley.
