Reader discussion: The Jungle

Public reader discussion about The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.

Was Rudyard Kipling truly a racist?

By simple-market5111

Just wrapped up Kipling’s *Kim* and I genuinely think it’s one of the best books in English I’ve ever read. That said, I can see how the writing style wouldn’t click for everyone. What threw me most is that I’d never read Kipling before, and the “native” characters are really fleshed out, not just background decoration. At the same time, there are a lot of spots where Europeans get painted as racist brutes who completely don’t get the locals’ customs or how they think. So I’m kind of stuck on that contrast. I’ve always heard that Kipling was basically an arch-imperialist and racist, but the way he describes Indian ethnic groups, religions, and even thought patterns feels like he had a real grasp of the place. How does that square with being seen as a major cheerleader for colonialism? Did his views change over time, or did he somehow frame things like “the white man’s burden” as more like a paternal, benevolent kind of attitude? If anyone knows of solid, authoritative books or studies on this side of things, I’d love recommendations.

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, is the fictitious account of a family of Lithuanian immigrants working in Chicago's Union Stock Yards. While it is a work of fiction, it brought to light the horrible working conditions of the Chicago meat-packing industry at the beginning of the 20th century.

By spring-copper1982

It feels like he wrote it mainly to show what was happening to working-class folks and immigrants, and it bothers me that a lot of people took away “we should just clean up what’s coming out of the factories.” I remember reading somewhere that Teddy Roosevelt said The Jungle was the strongest argument for socialism he’d seen, so I don’t really blame Sinclair for it being received so badly.

What was the impact of the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair when it was released?

By envelope_tide

I read it for school, but I can’t remember if it was the whole thing or just chunks. It felt really jarring to me. I’m curious though—what did it actually do when it first came out? Like, how did people at the time react, and what kind of impact did it have on readers?

Werner Herzog’s Wondrous Novel of Nothingness in the Jungle

By oceanlost

“field recordings of the hiccups of fate” is such a great line. The reviewer feels really on point too, like they’re in the same lane as Herzog. I’m excited to grab this one.

What are your thoughts on Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"?

By bronzeBeaver

I’m almost finished with it. What did you think overall—any first impressions? And did it stir up anything politically for you?