A Review of The Jungle

The Jungle shows the effects of economic hardship on an immigrant family in the early 1900's. That is all it is reliably accountable for. This story is a downright attack on capitalism that the author tries to conceal behind a fictional story of a sympathy deriving family of Lithuanian Immigrants. Upton Sinclair's sudden stray from the story and straightforward praise of socialism at the end of the novel reveals his narrow minded opinion of the economy of the United States and labels him as a radical believer in socialism.

The one good effect of this novel was the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. What Sinclair meant to metaphorically represent a government under capitalism (spoiled food with a "Grade-A" label) was taken literally by the people of the United States. However, it did help in the supervision of food (particularly meat) production in the United States, which before was highly neglected and hazardous to the health of consumers not just in America, but world-wide.

Upton Sinclair completely blasphemies the United States economy in this novel. Sinclair labels it as purely capitalistic, which it never has been or could have been. He fails to recognize the benefits of capitalism, such as the incredible levels of productivity it brings to society and it's immense influence on the development of new technologies.

The book also hinders the readers knowledge of socialism because Sinclair does not reveal it's negative effects. Socialism puts complete control of the economy in the hands of the government. It places a barrier on production and decreases the influence to create new products. Socialism is a less severe definition for an economy that supports communism.

A purely capitalistic society is not beneficial for the majority of the people, but neither is one built entirely on socialistic principles. In a good economy, there should be some governmental intervention. People have the right to know that the food they consume is not hazardous to their health, that the product they purchased isn't defective, and that they are not being scandalized for more money. At the same time governmental intervention should not hinder economic progress that allows increases in both productivity and technological developments.

An economy should be a free market created by the influence of "supply and demand". However if productivity is too great than there are no profits even when demand is extremely high. While an economy with price floors and price ceilings puts some limits on productivity and slightly skews the influence of supply and demand, an economy without price floors and ceilings is unstable and gives producers too much power over the consumer.

It's impossible to find the balance between capitalism and socialism that is most beneficial for society. However it has been proven that the world's more beneficial economies are more capitalistic than socialistic. While Upton Sinclair wrote this novel to "find righteousness" and benefit the American people, he fails to foresee the negative effects of his ideas. Sinclair's novel makes it evident that many immigrants and workingmen unjustifiably suffered under capitalism, but an economy influenced by his views would not necessarily be better. The only statement that can invalidate Sinclair's idea that socialism is the best form of economy is that the United States capitalistic economy is the most successful economy in the world today.