The American Dream in the Jungle Essays - 2242 Words

Illusion of the American Dream Many immigrants migrate to America everyday with the hopes to achieve their American dream. For most immigrants the American dream consist of finding a country where effort and morality transcend to success. In â€Å"The Jungle† by Upton Sinclair, a family of hard working optimistic Lithuanians migrate to America with the belief that equality and opportunity dictates that all people should have the same opportunities open to them if they put out efforts. They arrive to the US expecting to find a land of opportunity, freedom, and equality, and acceptance. Instead they find a land where only crime, moral corruption and crookedness enables them to succeed. The hopes and dreams of these individuals are destroyed†¦show more content†¦Jurgis was grateful to have a job and that’s all he knew at the time â€Å"to be given a place in it and a share in its wonderful activities was a blessing to be grateful for, as one was grateful for the sunshine and the rain† (Sinclair 43). Is not until later on when he starts to understand more and more about the bitterness he sees in his co-workers. Another form of exploitation that doesn’t allow Jurgis and his family to achieve their American dream is the long hours of labor they must work in order to maintain the family alive. These unhealthy long hours of labor that they must work brings the family physical and mental pain. When Jurgis starts to work in the meat packing plant he is exited and happy to have a job, soon after he discovers that he is engaged in unfair labor activities as well as unsafe food handling. In chapter 11 Jurgis suffers from a terrible accident at work. The company doctor tells him that hell be laid up for months with a severe ankle and foot injury. The accident poses a terrible problem for the family. Without Jurgis wages, they might starve. â€Å"It was dreadful that an accident of this sort, that no man can help, should have meant such suffering. The bitterness of it was theShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream In The Jungle By Upton Sinclairs The Jungle756 Words   |  4 PagesNo. 1 The â€Å"American Dream† is the idea that anybody, from any background, can ultimately achieve their goals through hard work and determination. This popular idea is what made America so appealing to foreigners, and immigrants alike. Which is why so many immigrants moved to America; to achieve their version of the â€Å"American Dream†. However, from reading, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, this was not the case. Many immigrants that moved to America wishing to fulfill the â€Å"American Dream† of happinessRead MoreThe American Dream In Upton Sinclairs The Jungle765 Words   |  4 Pagesthis struggle is Upton Sinclair’s novel, â€Å"The Jungle†. The Jungle provides the reader with insight of how the businesses took control of the average workers life, and the working conditions were horrible while the wages were low. The Jungle begins with a story of a group of Lithuanian immigrants who move to America leaving behind their loved ones in hopes of better life in America because immigrants wanted the opportunity to achieve the â€Å"American Dream†, which is an ideal that individuals who areRead MoreEssay on The American Dream in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Jr.967 Words   |  4 Pagespolitics† (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 goneRead MoreThe Broken American Dream Exposed in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair1080 Words   |  5 Pagesplace a socialist system. In this novel, capitalism and its exploitation of the immigrants and other workers, are in fact shown to be tools of the capitalist bosses, used as another means to control and mislead them. In Sinclairs novel the broken dreams of Jurgis Rudkis and his fellow Lithuanian immigrants, unions are meant to be institutions which give false hope to the workers. They live in utterly dreadful circumstances and are exploited like animals by their capitalist bosses. The women are forcedRead MoreThe Illusions Of American Dream1448 Words   |  6 Pages The illusions of American Dream also presents in â€Å"all men are created equal† in the declaration. As xxx states, it is very clear that â€Å"the white, Protestant landowners was responsible for deciding who keep a voice in the new government, but not the people†. When the country grows and their descendants gradually allow other people (from different races or countries) join the community, and give them equal rights to these â€Å"outsiders† to what they think fit. Human will naturally tend to protect theirRead MoreThe Jungle Of Upton Sinclair1670 Words   |  7 Pages Amanda Poe The Jungle Paper Dr. Barnhart 03/10/17 The Jungle Upton Sinclair came from a life of struggle. He did not start school until after he was ten years old, but was in college by the age of fourteen. He attended City College of New York until he was eighteen, and then he attended Columbia postgraduate. He studied literature, music, history, and philosophy. Sinclair’s childhood was a rough one. He saw two different sides to social class. Since his father was an alcoholic and wouldRead MoreAnalysis Of The Jungle And Good Enough By Upton Sinclair1567 Words   |  7 Pageshistoric rates, leading to the inevitable evolution of the challenges immigrants face after arriving to a new country. The analyzation of immigration literature gives readers valuable insight into the lives of immigrants and the hardships they face. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair follows the lives of a Lithuanian immigrant family in the early 20th century as they strive to attain success by working in the meatpacking industry of Packingtown, Chicago, while Good Enoug h by Paula Yoo is set in the 21st centuryRead MoreModern Day Relevance of Sinclairs The Jungle Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesThe Jungle was first published in 1906. Contemporary critics disagree about whether or not the novel has any â€Å"relevance† for modern readers. What do YOU think? I believe this novel has somewhat of a relevance for modern readers in today’s society. In the world of economic competition that we live in today, many thrive and many are left to dig through trash cans. It has been a constant struggle throughout the modern history of society. One widely prescribed example of this struggle is Upton SinclairsRead MoreWhat Is The American Dream?1094 Words   |  5 PagesMost Americans are unsatisfied with their lives. So many people live their lives discontented with where they are in life. They are discontented with their status in society, the money they make, goals they have yet to achieve, their profession, how they didn’t complete their schooling, and the list unfortunately goes on. We as Americans have a large advantage in comparison to most societies within the world, we have the freedom to live the American dream. What is the American dream? The DeclarationRead MoreTheme Of Capitalism In The Jungle1009 Words   |  5 PagesSinclair wrote the book The Jungle where he discussed life as an immigrant. He tells of how immigr ants envisioned the American dream and told of their attempts of achieving the dream that they were told of. In The Jungle, Sinclair shows the American Dream as freedom, respect, and equality. He shows how immigrants heard of America and they saw it as everything they ever wanted in life. However, when immigrants came to America realty hit and they realized that the American dream is all a fraud. Sinclair