A review by lapingveno
The Jungle by Sinclair, Upton

4.0

Sinclair is a master at depicting the plight of the working class in such a way that we feel deeply sorry for the characters whose lives are ruined by the avarice of the Beef Trust. This novel is gorgeous in its depiction of what can happen to people who are caught in the crossfire when greed is left to run amok, and in many respects, these same troubles (in mitigated forms) still exist today, both domestically and internationally. These bits of praise notwithstanding, Sinclair tips his hand a bit too heavily (for me, at least) near the end of this book, and those who wish a rich read free of "painfully obvious" propaganda can stop at the end of the twenty-eighth chapter. Much to my disappointment, the last three chapters are a shameless manifesto for socialism that hardly bears any weight on or relevance to the plot and characters to which we readers grow so thoroughly attached. Case in point, by the end of the piece, our beloved Jurgis is little more than a supporting character, shifted to the background to allow more "eloquent speakers" to defend the merits of socialism. However, if articulate arguments for socialism are your delight (and I must confess they are not mine), then the last three chapters of this book should bring you as much pleasure as the beauty of the plot which precedes it, for it is quite apparent that Sinclair had both thorough knowledge of and unbridled passion for this ideology he so unabashedly preached.