Essay: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

The historical fiction novel The Jungle by Upton Sinclair pleads with its readers to examine socialism as a practical choice of government through a descriptive narrative based around the meat packing industry of Chicago in the early 20th century. A recurring theme throughout the novel is that an individual cannot rise above his circumstances unless society first changes for the better. The contrasting worldview holds that an individual is responsible for changing himself to improve society. Upon analyzing the societal issues of alcohol abuse, crime, and social inequality, we can conclude that both philosophies are relevant.
To begin, alcohol addiction has plagued humanity for ages. It is apparent that addiction becomes a relevant factor in a dysfunctional society, much like the one portrayed in The Jungle. When an individual’s circumstances become intolerable, Sinclair considers substance abuse a justifiable option. “He could drink! He could forget the pain he could slip off the burden; he would see clearly again, he would be master of his brain of his thoughts, of his will. He would be a man again, and master of his life.” (Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle). In contrast to Sinclair’s perspective of externalism, a website dedicated solely to alcohol rehabilitation takes a more individualistic approach to the issue of substance abuse. “Those people who manage to escape an addiction will do so by taking responsibility for their own plight. Recovery begins when the addict takes responsibility for their situation and decides to improve things.” Furthermore, both viewpoints grapple with a complex topic and have validity under certain circumstances. Sinclair suggests that addiction is justified when an individual is unable to overcome society, and the opposing view holds that it is the individual’s responsibility to take authority for his own predicament.
In addition, criminal activity continues to be one of the most prominent issues in both past and modern society. An excerpt from The Criminal Personality by Stanton Samenow and Samuel Yochelson suggests that crime is caused by individuals making wrong moral choices. They conclude that the solution to crime is the conversion of the wrongdoer to a more responsible lifestyle. This outlook indicates that criminals are accountable for all willingly committed crimes despite their circumstances. Differing from this stance, The Jungle demonstrates how society is the main source of unlawful conduct. “Into this wild-beast tangle these men had been born without their consent, they had taken part in it because they could not help it; that they were in gaol was no disgrace to them, for the game had never been fair, the dice were loaded. They were swindlers and thieves of pennies and dimes, and they had been trapped and put out of the way by the swindlers and thieves of millions of dollars.” (Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle). The individuals described by Sinclair had no opportunity for redemption, therefore warranting their abhorrent behavior.
To continue, social inequality amongst humans is the monumental reason for war, addiction, suicide, crime, and sexual assault. Sinclair touches upon inequality multiple times throughout The Jungle contrasting the poor, laboring man’s life, to that of the politician, company owner, and aristocrat. “A poor devil of a bookkeeper who had been working in Durham’s for twenty years at a salary of six dollars a week, would yet consider himself a gentleman, as far removed as the poles from the most skilled worker on the killing beds; he would dress differently, and live in another part of the town, and come to work at a different hour of the day, and in every way make sure that he never rubbed elbows with a laboring-man.” (Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle). Sinclair further explains how poverty is directly associated with inequality, and how society is to blame for the individual’s struggle against hunger, bankruptcy, and homelessness. Steven Barkan, the author of A Primer on Social Problems bluntly disagrees with Sinclair. Barkan claims that if stratification is inevitable, then, poverty is also inevitable. The functionalist view further implies that if people are poor, it is because they do not have the ability to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for important, high-paying jobs. Again, both world views are valid under different circumstances.
Finally, after examining Sinclair’s socialist perspective in contrast to individualism and applying these two world views towards the difficult issues of alcohol abuse, crime, and social inequality we can correctly conclude that neither is a direct remedy. While individualism promises freedom, socialism holds society responsible for the well being of the individual. There are numerous examples of these two opposing world views throughout history and in our world today.