I’ve been dreading the thought of reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle since I first heard about it in a food science class many years ago. I knew that it was propaganda and that it was instrumental in the passage of the first Pure Food Law.
I dreaded it even more when I heard Upton Sinclair described in concert with Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring. Carson’s book was instrumental in the banning of DDT–a move that may have saved some baby birds, but has also reversed the decline of malaria in Africa. For those who don’t know, malaria kills over one million people per year, and is a leading cause of death among children worldwide. So I’m not too into Melody Carson–and Sinclair seemed guilty by association.
However, The Jungle is in Eiseley Library AND it’s in The Book of Great Books, so I knew I would have to read it sometime. That time came about a week ago, when I was searching for a new novel to read and wanted to read one from The Book of Great Books–but didn’t have time to go to the library.
I was therefore forced to choose from among my own library of titles–which left me to decide between Crime and Punishment, Paradise Lost, or The Jungle. I chose The Jungle as the least intimidating of the three. And so I began.
I discovered, much to my surprise, that I really enjoyed reading it. It is propaganda to be sure, but interesting and well-written. While the descriptions of the meat packing plants are graphic and stomach-turning, they are largely accurate–some of the gore still exists, others of it doesn’t. Meat packing has never, and will never, be a pretty sight–but the completely unsanitary conditions described in The Jungle no longer exist (thanks in part to the public outcry The Jungle produced!)
What got me, however, about this novel was the response to it. Sinclair wrote of the public response to his book: “I aimed at the public’s heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach.”
I can’t understand how the only response of the public to this book could have been outcry over meat packing. Sure there were plenty of problems with the meat industry that needed to be dealt with–but what about the real problem, the social problem, described in Sinclair’s book? How could someone read that book without getting up into arms over the social injustices occurring? How could they not be moved to advocate for workplace safety and overcoming the mob bosses and improving conditions for emigrants?
Many of the social conditions that Sinclair described still exist-in the packing industry and elsewhere. Hispanic immigrants (some legal, some illegal aliens) largely staff Nebraska’s meat packing plants–plants where work is hard, boring, and dangerous. Production continues to be “sped up” to the point of being incredibly dangerous. Methamphetamine use has become an enormous problem among packers. Meth allows them to stay awake and calm despite the difficult life they live–but it also kills them.
Immigrants still struggle to find housing, transportation, and food without running into unscrupulous lenders. These individuals are rarely lazy– they are working as hard as they can to pay off enormous interests on low quality homes in awful neighborhoods. They want to keep their families safe; they want to contribute to society; they want to become American citizens–but often, they find that our world is ready to swindle them into bondage.
Of course, Sinclair’s solution–socialism–is not my preferred solution. And perhaps that’s why fewer people took note of the problem. Maybe they were so turned off by Sinclair’s heavy handed application of socialism that they ignored the problems he was attempting to solve. But the problems still exist–and if we are to continue to be a great nation, we must choose to see our problems and work towards solving them.
Do you know any immigrants? Have you educated yourself concerning their plight? What are you doing to help?
You can help by finding some immigrants and becoming their friends. Help them learn English. Offer to read through the fine print with them before they sign away their lives. Tutor their children. Drive them to work or help them arrange carpools and babysitting. Help them learn our laws–ones that they must obey and ones that serve to protect them. You can make a difference.
