The Jungle | The Jungle

At a glance:

Author: Upton Sinclair
First Published: 1906
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Social realism
Time of Work: Early twentieth century
Setting: The meatpacking district of Chicago, Illinois
Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
Subjects: Factories, Family or family life, Politics, Socialism, Twentieth century, American Dream, Chicago, Poverty or poor people, Immigration or emigration, Adultery, Politicians, Working class, Tuberculosis, Unions or unionism, Fraud, Meat, Sanitation
Locales: Chicago, IL, Lithuania

Jurgis Rudkus (YOHR-gihs RUHD-kihs), a Lithuanian immigrant overflowing with the American dream of self-made success. Jurgis arrives in the United States determined to succeed; nothing in his life works out, however. When things go against him, he vows only to work harder, and he is not given to complaining. He delays his marriage for sixteen months in order to buy a house and provide for his wife’s family. When he injures his ankle in the killing beds of a meatpacking plant, he has to miss work because of his injury and is fired. He takes a lesser job...

The Jungle | The Jungle

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Join eNotes