Upton Sinclair
"Relentless, remorseless, it was; all his protests, his screams, were nothing to it--it did its cruel will with him, as if his wishes, his feelings, had simply no existence at all; it cut his throat and watched him gasp out his life."
— Upton Sinclair (The Jungle)
Upton Sinclair, a renowned author of The Jungle and a muckraker, was born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 20th, 1878. Raised by an alcoholic father, he underwent a humble and miserable childhood. The family had also undergone an economic loss due to the Civil War, which prevailed in the South during the era.
After, he lived with his wealthy grandparents, experiencing both the wealthy and the poor environment, which created a crucial background for his career as a writer. He published his first novel at the age of fifteen and frequently wrote for magazines of his college, Columbia University. Although he composed more than hundreds of novels, The Jungle lifted Sinclair to the status of a pioneer muckraker.
Before composing the novel, he interviewed meat-packing factory workers and their families. His goal was to alter the living conditions of immigrants and the poor. Then, he disguised himself as one of the workers to personally observe the conditions for seven weeks to write one of the most acclaimed stories in history. The novel cynically portrayed the life of a Lithuanian immigrant named Jurgis, who obtains a job in the meat-packing factory in Chicago. Jurgis, originally full of the idea of the American dream, learns of the political corruption as well as the unhealthy work conditions that slowly deteriorates his health and his beliefs.
The realistic portrayal of the meat-factory corruption-- slaughtering diseased animals, using the workplace as the bathrooms, and the unheated slaughterhouses during winter, which threatened the worker’s lives-- in the 1900s enraged the readers. In fact, readers mailed hundreds of letters to President Roosevelt each day demanding reforms in the workplace. Numerous critics noted that the influence of The Jungle matched that of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, forever reforming corruption within the United States.
The Jungle, stained with experience and passion, altered society and paved the way for modern investigative journalists and muckrakers.
After, he lived with his wealthy grandparents, experiencing both the wealthy and the poor environment, which created a crucial background for his career as a writer. He published his first novel at the age of fifteen and frequently wrote for magazines of his college, Columbia University. Although he composed more than hundreds of novels, The Jungle lifted Sinclair to the status of a pioneer muckraker.
Before composing the novel, he interviewed meat-packing factory workers and their families. His goal was to alter the living conditions of immigrants and the poor. Then, he disguised himself as one of the workers to personally observe the conditions for seven weeks to write one of the most acclaimed stories in history. The novel cynically portrayed the life of a Lithuanian immigrant named Jurgis, who obtains a job in the meat-packing factory in Chicago. Jurgis, originally full of the idea of the American dream, learns of the political corruption as well as the unhealthy work conditions that slowly deteriorates his health and his beliefs.
The realistic portrayal of the meat-factory corruption-- slaughtering diseased animals, using the workplace as the bathrooms, and the unheated slaughterhouses during winter, which threatened the worker’s lives-- in the 1900s enraged the readers. In fact, readers mailed hundreds of letters to President Roosevelt each day demanding reforms in the workplace. Numerous critics noted that the influence of The Jungle matched that of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, forever reforming corruption within the United States.
The Jungle, stained with experience and passion, altered society and paved the way for modern investigative journalists and muckrakers.