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Essay / Depiction of the Disadvantages of Industrialization in the Jungle by Upton Sinclair
In the novel The Jungle, Upton Sinclair illustrates that “Neither the squeals of pigs nor the tears of visitors made any difference to the workers; one by one they hooked the pigs, and one by one, with one quick blow, they slit their throats,” illustrating the desensitization of meat industry workers. This desensitization is the result of years of tedious work that took away hope from workers and left them isolated. However, it was not just the nature of the work that affected them, but also those who had more power than them. The advance of the Industrial Revolution allowed businessmen and bosses to simultaneously gain power while workers were limited to their jobs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe rise of monopolies allowed businessmen to control the lives of industry workers. For example, in The Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie had the misconception that poor people who were not intelligent did not deserve charity and that only libraries, parks, and recreation should be funded. This demonstrates that Social Darwinism, the idea that businessmen were "selected" to rule, was widespread. As a result, there was a distinct wall between businessmen and workers – businessmen not being able to truly see the workers and painting an idealized version of them in their heads where the workers do not 'exist only for their benefit. In the life story of a Lithuanian, Antanas Kaztauskis pointed out that "they extract all the blood from the cattle and all the work from us men", revealing that there is practically no distinction between livestock and men. There were also bosses who had power on a smaller scale and were more associated with workers. Factory foremen were unprofessional, seeking to manipulate and defraud workers, even managing to invade their privacy. In The Jungle, Upton Sinclair argues that although the meat processing industry “employed thirty thousand men,” these men did not reflect the general population. Older or weaker men, who ironically became this way because of work, could not find work. In the Jungle, when Jurgis tried to find a job, "one of the bosses noticed that he was in better shape than the others" and he was hired instantly. However, when his father was desperately trying to find a job, a man sent by the boss sensed his desperation and asked if he "was willing to pay a third of his salary." This shows that immigrants were at a disadvantage due to their innocence in a society that rewards the unjust. Their high expectations of America made them blind to how they were being treated. Additionally, bosses carried out personal vendettas against their employees, trying to learn more about them, and if their beliefs didn't match, they were fired. Even unions, which should have been a safe space for workers, had spies so the bosses could learn about them. The bosses who spied on them showed that they were afraid enough to care, giving the workers an illusion of victory. The bosses also had information on the members of each family. Since workers were isolated at work, they were more likely to be closer to their families. In the jungle, Ona is exploited by her boss and fearfully states that "he.