{"product_id":"the-depiction-and-function-of-ethnicity-in-upton-sinclairs-the-jungle-von-matthias-billen","title":"The Depiction and Function of  Ethnicity in Upton Sinclair's \"The Jungle\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eStudienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2009 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur, Note: 2,3, Universität Trier, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: 1. Introduction\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e¿They had dreamed of freedom; of a chance to look about them and learn something; to\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebe decent and clean, to see their child to grow up and be strong¿ (TJ: 168).1 However, the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLithuanian protagonists of Upton Sinclair¿s novel The Jungle do not have a chance to fulfil\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003etheir dreams. They fail, suppressed by the capitalist elite and the daily distress of surviving\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ein the economic jungle of Chicago at the beginning of the 20th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith his description of the industrial conditions in the meat-packing industry Sinclair\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003egained recognition throughout the US. But, ¿as a work of modern fiction measured against\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe aesthetic achievements of a Henry James or a William Faulkner or a James Joyce, The\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJungle hardly merits any discussion at all.¿2 The value of The Jungle as a literary product\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecannot be traced back to certain stylistic devices, psychological density or any other criteria\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof so-called ¿high literature.¿ Nevertheless, it is one of the most important novels of its\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003etime and, due to its political impact, even one of the most politically influential books in\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe first decades of the last century. The author became a ¿muckraker,¿ stirring up nationwide\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eattention due to the detailed description of the hygienic conditions in the meatprocessing\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eindustry, basing this description on mere facts he gathered from his own observations3\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewhich leads to the characterisation as ¿documentary novel.¿4\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e¿Those who consider Sinclair insignificant base their rejection upon aesthetic criteria,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewhereas Sinclair was concerned with the effect of his writings upon his audience ¿ a very\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003edifferent matter.¿5 Directly aiming at the hardships of the Lithuanian and other Eastern\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEuropean immigrants in Chicago, he intended ¿to make literature functional¿6, i.e. to use it\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eas a device of directing more attention to the economic suppression in ¿Packingtown,¿ the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003earea around the stockyards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut neither aesthetic aspects nor political implications are the aim of this paper. Instead,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ethe depiction of ethnic Lithuanians, especially the Rudkus family and their leader Jurgis,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewill be discussed. The questions arising here concern issues such as the function of ethnic\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ebonds and the meaning of family in the new environment and whether old values are still\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecompatible with the new society. Especially the relationship of these values respectively the wider ramifications between the immigrants¿ situation in Northern America and socialism\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ehave to be considered. [...]\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"aw-variant-hidden-subtitle-div\" id=\"aw-variant-subtitle-9783640844081\"\u003e\u003ch3\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Libri","offers":[{"title":"Softcover - 9783640844081","offer_id":39437763641437,"sku":"9783640844081","price":16.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0940\/0622\/files\/b374662b-b716-4ec8-af3e-eb0c48119aa4.jpg?v=1777784872","url":"https:\/\/shop.autorenwelt.de\/products\/the-depiction-and-function-of-ethnicity-in-upton-sinclairs-the-jungle-von-matthias-billen","provider":"Autorenwelt Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}