Banned Books: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

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The Jungle by Upton Sinclair


                When Jurgis Rudkus first laid eyes on Ona he fell in love and knew immediately that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. It was because of her young age and Lithuanian tradition that he sought permission from her father for marriage. Her father was a rich man and Jurgis was a country boy. Ona’s father was not impressed by the two horses he was presented by Jurgis and refused the arrangement. But when her father died leaving most of his estate tied up with creditors, Jurgis, Ona and her remaining family decided to move to America to start anew. In America a man could be free, become rich and not be forced to join the army. So the Lithuanian family moved to America with all they had. They went to the Stockyards of Chicago where a friend of theirs had made it rich. They came seeking a fortune but they soon realized that they weren’t the only ones seeking change and that the land of plenty they had dreamed of could very quickly become a living nightmare where they would struggle to put food on their table.
                I hadn’t been looking forward to reading this novel. I didn’t realize at the time how emotional and eye opening it would be. I was going through my list of banned books, saw it and was intrigued but I wasn’t in a rush to read it. The Jungle was simply biding its time as a book on my shelf. Then I picked it up, read the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. The novel begins at a wedding. There are no clues provided regarding what kind of life these characters live. This is simply a joyous occasion. Yet there wasn’t much joy. I kept reading to discover the circumstances and with each turning page my heart dropped. I couldn’t understand the cruelty, the maltreatment, the trickery and the pain the Rudkus family endured. I didn’t want to believe the struggles they experienced could be based on anything real. I was horrified by the conditions they endured and it brought to light, at least for me, the very real history of greed in the county and the plight of the immigrant that lived on little in a country that had so much to give. The idea of the working man literally working himself to death was obvious on every page. Jurgis came to Chicago a man determined to provide for his family. He was genuine, loyal and willing to do everything necessary to provide for his family. Slowly and surely his spirit was completely broken. It was disturbing to watch the family suffer because of the political system in the early 1900’s. I’m not even going to begin with the amount of detail provided regarding the meat packing industry as a whole during that time either because it is too disgusting.
                This is one of the few novels that I have read this year as part of my banned book theme that I am not completely shocked by the fact that it was ever banned. The political views expressed, especially some of the socialist views being broadcast when this book was published in 1906 would definitely alarm and upset some. This book has been banned in Yugoslavia, East Germany and South Korea. Though reasons weren’t provided for each country, I am going to assume the reasons had more to do with the political views then it did the plight of the working man. It was actually burned by the Nazi’s in 1933 because of its views. Like I said, I’m not shocked. I wouldn’t be shocked if most people found this book utterly appalling simply because it reeks of an honesty and brutality that many, in my opinion, choose to ignore. The root of all evil is money and at the very least greed. If you don’t believe me, read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and look at the lengths that people have been willing to go because of greed. The entire meat packing industry was affected in part because of the public reaction to this novel. That alone should make you want to read this novel, if it could help incite such change.



“Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century”   http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=bbwlinks&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=136590    

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