Literature Analysis #1

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
-The original plot of 'The Jungle' was the trials and tribulations of immigrants trying to make it in this country in the early 20th century. It follows a young Lithuanian man and his family's trials and tribulations. But it was Sinclair's expose on the meat industry that really riled people up. People wouldn't eat meat for years after this book was printed. It's why we have the FDA today; it was formed because of this book.

2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
-I believe the theme is about Sinclair is writing against the ideal of the "American Dream." The American Dream promises that, if you work hard, you can build a better life for yourself and your family.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
-Sinclair's tone is that the workimg class is being victimized and the capitalists are evil. So Sinclair has a sense of hatred that is set out towards the capitalists.
  1. "Every socialist did his share, and lived upon the vision of the 'good time coming'".
  2. "No matter how poor a ma was, or how much he suffered, he could never be really unhappy while he knew of that future; even if he did not live to see it himself, his children would, and, to a Socialist, the victory of his class was his victory,"
  3. "The latter were a thousand to one in numbers, but they were ignorant and helpless, and they would remain at the mercy of their exploiters until they were organized- until they had become 'class conscious.'"

4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
  1. Symbolism- Packingtown and the stockyards symbolize the exploitation of workers.
  2. Symbolism- The idea of the jungle symbolizes the capitalist idea of the survival of the fittest
  3. Symbolism- cans of rotten meat symbolize the disingenuous face of capitalism.
  4. Symbolism- Teta Elzbieta symbolizes the family
  5. Symbolism- Jonas symbolizes capitalism's destruction of the family
  6. Foreshadowing- the setting of Packingtown foreshadows the family's destruction
  7. Foreshadowing- the conversation with grandmother Majauszkiene about the housing swindle foreshadows their eviction
  8. Foreshadowing- Jurgis's experiences with vote-buying and crime earlier in the novel foreshadow his participation in schemes later in the novel
  9.Imagery- Sinclair deeply describes the conditions of Packingtown and how Jurgis and his family must survive in great detail so you can completely picture it.
 10. Motifs- corruption of family and tradition



CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
  Direct:
 1. "She was so young-not quite sixteen- and small for her age." pg. 2, This tells me how old she is.
 2."Jurgis could take up a two-hundred fifty pound quarter of beef and carry it into a car without a stagger, or even a thought." pg. 2, This tells me that Jurgis is strong.
  Indirect:
  1. " There was a light in her eyes and her lids trembled, and her otherwise wan little face was flushed." pg. 2, This tells me in certain situations, she becomes nervous and embarrassed.
  2. 'Tamoszius Kuszleika is his name, and he has taught himself to play the violin by practicing all night." pg. 5, This shows me that this character is very independent and seeks to learn.
  
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
-The whole story, both Sinclair's syntax and diction remains the same when focused on characters. The whole time he remains very confident with what he's writing and continues on with that evil tone the whole story. His perspective remains similar to the anonymous narrator.

3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
-The protagonist of the story is Jurgis. Jurgis is a dynamic character. At the beginning of the story, he's just an innocent Lithuanian guy seeking the general freedom by coming to America. Although, once he attends a socialist meeting, he is inspired by a speaker (337). Jurgis is also a round character. Sinclair gives us many different in depth of examples of Jurgis. For example, Sinclair says, "...while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears..."  (2).

4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
-Yes, after completing this book I felt like I actually knew who Jargis and Marija were. Sinclair went so in depth about their characters and their actions that it made you feel  like it was a real life person. An example of this is the excerpt from page 2, "Ona was blue-eyed and fair, while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears- in short, they were one of those incongruous and impossible married couples with which Mother Nature so often wills to confound all prophets, before and after." This paragraph shows how in depth Sinclair is about the characters and how he makes you feel so close to them.