Wednesday, April 11, 2012
How Sinclair uses anti-sentimental writing in The Jungle to express his exigence
In the Jungle, Upton Sinclair uses anti-sentimentalism in his writing to provide the reader with detailed information regarding the lives of people working for large companies during the time period, and the incredibly inhumane treatment of workers for large companies, as well as the corruption and the resulting lack of quality and safety of the goods produced by said companies. Sinclair writes of all the events with a detached tone, providing details rather than emotional responses. For example, when describing the way pigs were slaughtered in Anderson's in chapter 3, the process was simply described as it was done, and the only emotion expressed was that shown by the reactions of the characters, and even their reactions were only briefly described (Sinclair 31-32). This method of description continues when Jurgis sees the parts of the process that the companies hide, when all the family members working with meat are described as standing in blood, when the conditions of the working places are described, and when the fates of workers who die in the factory are described. This method of writing leaves the facts in a very raw, visible state, forcing the reader to see them exactly as they are. Sinclair uses this to illustrate the need for change and for regulation of industry. He also expresses his political views in the novel, showing that the situation of the workers and the large companies is a product of capitalism, and in the later chapters of the book showing Jurgis's interest in socialism. Jurgis (and Sinclair) uses the information about the meat industry shown in earlier chapters of the novel to support his views when speaking to the public.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
When Sinclair uses anti-sentimentalism in "The Jungle" I don't think he uses it in a way that completely explains his exigence. Anti-sentimentalism does seem to be a tool he uses to get his point across, but it is not entirely focused on his exigence. I think his use of anti-sentimentalism reflects the mindsets of his characters. The kind of numb outlook on life that allows emotion just not overly focused emotion. Considering the way they have to react to the conditions they live in I think it reflects the whole situation of these Eastern European workers in Chicago at the time.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was the people that these characters were based on that drove his exigence. However, I do not think he wrote this novel simply because anti-sentimentalism was the kind of novel he wanted to write. Sinclair's exigence might very well be the need he saw for change and the regulation of industry, but I see anti-sentamentalism as more of a tool he used to write a novel that he believed did not need any sugar coating overly emotional feel to it.