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American Dream in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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In "The Jungle," by Upton Sinclair, Jurgis and his family stumble upon slavery of income and the cruelty of capitalism which destroy their every aspect of existence. Within this novel, remarks on capitalism show the affect the character's lives and create an emotional effect on the reader and their opinion on capitalism. During the early 1900's, the young couple Jurgis and Ona immigrated from Lithuania to Packingtown, Chicago, the meat-packing sector of the city, in search of a better life. Packingtown is a filthy place in which it is difficult to seek jobs, but when the immigrants left their wedding feast without donating money, Jurgis has no way to cover the cost of the feast without acquiring a job to increase their income. Jurgis and Ona's cousin Marija quickly find work, and the family unexpectedly moves into a trashy and poorly maintained home in which they were deceived into. As the expenses increased, Ona and her stepmother's child are required to search for jobs involving extremely harsh conditions and strenuous labor. As winter approaches, Jurgis puts his life on the line by working in an unheated slaughterhouse without lighting. Anguish over the conditions of his families' lives motivates him to learn about the political dishonesty that Packingtown thrives on by joining a union. Shortly after Ona receives a job, she becomes pregnant, eventually has a baby boy named Antanas, and returns to work a week later. Poor working conditions soon cause Jurgis to be unable to work for three months and receive no pay, causing more hardship on the family. After recovering, he acquires a job at a tainted fertilizer plant and begins to use alcohol as a turn-to. Next, he receives a month's sentence to jail for attacking Ona's boss when he forces her to sleep with him. The family is evicted and move to a boardinghouse, and when Jurgis comes back, he finds his wife in strenuous labor that kills her and the child. Antanas, Jurgis's first s

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