Based on your reading of THE JUNGLE, do you think Sinclair believed immigrants to the United States could achieve the American Dream? How? What would provide them the most opportunity for success?
I don’t think that Sinclair believed that immigrants in the United States could achieve the American dream. Immigrants can’t achieve the American dream because they are always but to the low wage, filthy and unsanitary jobs. Like Jurgis and his family would never obtain the American dream or a more decent life with the job and costs of their house and many other issues. Jurgis works in a meat factory which was the most unsanitary job at the time, but he needs the money to support his family and to make the quota for their house payments. Even when Jurgis got the whole family working it was still hard to make the payment the family needed to. But the factor that would provide immigrants with success is the fact that they can buy a cheap house (if they watch out for hidden fees) and immigrants usually can find work with a low pay check. So it would be pretty hard for immigrants to get a decent life in America because they never know if they will have a lousy job. Or find hidden fees on their homes like Jurgis did.
I agree with Ryan. I also do not think Sinclair thought that immigrants to the US could achieve the American Dream. In the Jungle, it seems as if whatever this family tries to do to get a better start for the future something goes wrong. For example, Jurgis’s family buys a nice, thought to be, inexpensive house, but in reality the house was more then the family could afford. Then the family decides to purchase furniture, providing the family to have somewhere to sleep and utensils to eat and cook with. When the furniture and supplies arrived, plates were broken, a pan was missing, and there weren’t even enough places for the whole family to sleep. My last obstacle I would like to explain is how hard it was for the immigrants to get jobs, especially for the women. While Jurgis had a reliable job, the workplace was dirty, disgusting, unsafe, and was willing to get rid of him in any encounter of him not showing up on time, no matter what the reason. Women had an extremely hard time finding a job, and when they did the wages were extremely low. When the family finally thought they were going to make it, Jurgis, the main supporter of the family, hurt himself, forcing the family to work harder and even starve. In these examples I think Sinclair is showing us their will always be struggle for immigrants. Even when they do come to the US and become successful there will always be their past, and something holding them back from achieving their goals. For immigrants to become successful they have to work hard, and be willing to start at the bottom, working their way up to a successful American citizen.
After reading The Jungle, I do not believe Sinclair thought immigrants could achieve the American Dream. In The Jungle, immigrants are paid low wages and work in poor conditions. Majority of immigrants live in poor housing and they barely have enough money to feed their families. Each immigrant struggled coming here, but the struggle continued in this book. I believe he wanted to portray the struggle to show the harsh conditions of America in the nineteen hundreds. The American Dream was not accessible to the immigrants in The Jungle. One example was how the workplace had very harsh conditions. In The Durham Factory, blood was everywhere and the workers were carrying diseases. Wages were extremely low; the family in the book had trouble paying their house bills every month. Another example was when Jurgis was tricked into becoming a citizen, so he could be hustled into voting for someone for money. Immigrants were denied their dignity in The Jungle. Many employers and rich people took advantage of them giving immigrants no opportunity to prosper. Many opportunities would allow immigrants to succeed, but not many opportunities were present in The Jungle. One opportunity immigrants had was they could find low paying jobs, but at least they could get jobs. The downfall on this was the conditions were terrible and they were paid poorly. Another opportunity was they had houses, but they were not the best. I believe the most beneficial opportunity immigrants had was their families. Although immigrants didn’t have the best lives, they had the strongest family bonds. I believe that if people respected the immigrants at the time, immigrants would have grown more successful. If immigrants had better working conditions and higher wages, they would have had more of an opportunity for success.
I personally think Sinclair is saying for immigrants to try to reach that American dream by working hard, but i am not sure if he is saying that they could. He is also saying a warning that in order to achieve that American dream, you have to work hard to get it. The character in Jungle expected to get the American dream as soon as they arrived, but that is not how it works. If you work hard and strive for your goals, you will be that dream that all immigrants want. But, some night be unable to reach that dream because they are very different than many of the citizens of the US at that time. He is also saying that it is possible, but very hard for many immigrants for how they are being treated.
I agree with Hayden, Kelsey, and Ryan. I do not think that Upton Sinclair believed immigrants would be able to achieve the American dream. They had struggle after struggle, and most of the story was negative and sad. In some parts of the story, it seemed like things might finally be turning around for the family, but then something bad happens again. For example, the family receives a flyer about this home that has an amazing deal, and they only have to pay once and the house is all theirs. Later on, they find out that they have to pay seven dollars a month, and they have to pay for water. It causes everyone in the family to work at the factory, even the children. It ends up getting worse. In the wintertime, it is so cold in the house that with three people in a bed, everyone is still freezing. Antanas was working in an unheated cellar, and he was miserable there. The chemicals ate through his boots, he lost toes, and one day fell in a heap on the floor. He was carried back to the house where he laid in bed sick. He hung on every day, but he wasn’t getting any better. He was very skinny, and you could see his bones. One day he coughed up blood. A doctor came and checked him out, but said how there was nothing he could do for Antanas. Antanas died, and there was not enough money for a funeral. Antanas death hit the family hard. Another time when things seemed to be going well was when Ona and Jurgis got married. The wedding was held in the hall, and they had fun. After that day though, they found out they had over one hundred dollars in debt from the ceremony. Also, when Ona asked for the day after her wedding off, she was denied. So, she didn’t even have a whole day after her wedding to celebrate the happiness of her new marriage to Jurgis. I think that if they tried to get longer hours, made sure they were documented for working those hours, and put a little bit of money aside each month, that they could get rid of the house. They could move somewhere else, and get a safer job, most likely in the same city. Also, I think if they became American citizens, they would be treated better. Also, they would have more rights. But I don’t think they had many opportunities for success in the state and time that they were in.
Like everyone else, I think that Sinclair didn’t think most immigrants could achieve the American Dream. Most immigrants though that by coming to the United states they would be able to get good paying jobs and could support their families better. Sinclair tends to show the exact opposite in the jungle. I think that the whole story is pretty depressing for an immigrant. Jurgis’s family has a semi bad house, not the best jobs, and money problems. When it comes to money, this family gets cheated out a lot. First, The family has to pay more money each month to keep the house they got. Second, the family members that are working don’t get paid as much as they should be. Some work for around 12 hours and barley receive 2 dollars! At one point in the story Sinclair shows that there is a slight bit of hope for reaching the American dream. Jurgis’s family has a neighbor named Grandmother Mujauszkiene. Grandma tells the family how her son and she have managed to pay the payments long enough to officially own the house. This shows that by working hard and get money, there is a slight chance at owning the house, which is a step to reaching the American dream! Sadly, she also tells them how many families tried to live in the house that they are renting now. Each of the families was eventually evicted because they couldn’t pay the monthly bill. In this situation the hope for the American Dream is built up, but then pushed back down again. Learning that Grandma and her son own the house gives the family a good idea. For the best opportunity for success they now know they have to first try to make each payment for the house to the point where they own it! Sinclair shows that achieving the American Dream is a hard task to accomplish.
I think that wanted immigrants to be able to achieve the American Dream, but he didn’t really think that they could, given the conditions they were put in. When immigrants came to America, they were often given the most unsanitary, lowest paying jobs. On top of that, they were also tricked and fooled by salesman and employers, to the point where they had lost almost everything they had. A worst-case scenario of this is shown in the Jungle. First, a real estate company tricks the family, and they are forced to pay more than the thought they would have to for their house. Then, Jurgis, who brought in most of the family’s income, was injured at work, and was laid up for several months. The family barely survived this experience. The house was freezing in the winter, and the family had very little food. Unfortunately, situations like this were all too common for many immigrants. I think that Upton Sinclair wrote the Jungle to make a point that immigrants should be able to achieve the American Dream, if only they were given a fair chance. In other words, they could reach the American Dream, but only if they were strong enough to wrench it from the stone grasp of the Americans. I think that Sinclair thought that Americans should be more fair to immigrants, and actually give them a chance to have the life that they came to our shores seeking.
Along with everyone else, I also agree that Sinclair didn’t believe in the immigrants. The immigrants thought that if they worked hard enough, they could achieve the “American Dream”. My thoughts are similar to Kaitlin’s when she is talking about immigrants working hard. To add onto Kaitlin’s post, I believe several immigrants did attain the dream, but because they had connections or other privileges. I think some immigrants already had money to help pay for a house and food, so they didn’t go into debt as easy, or at all. Also, various immigrants had relatives from the United States and could get housing or accommodations from them. In addition, immigrants could have been brought over for a job that was put aside for them. All of these variables could boost immigrants’ new lives in the United States. Sinclair shows his belief by only telling about the downside of immigrant life. Previous blogs have told about the low wages, unsanitary jobs, and bad luck. Sinclair gave a story where all the bad things that could have happened, did happen. In truth, all those things could have occurred, but Sinclair wraps all the negative things into one story. On the upside, positive things were provided to immigrants to help them success in life. For example, jobs were made somewhat available. Even though the jobs were low paying, a job is better than no job. Also, when an immigrant family saves up their money, they can pay off their debt. Migrating to America was proven to be a tough, tiring task. In the long run, now the immigrant’s ancestors have a better life.
I would have to say I agree with everybody in saying that from Sinclair’s point of view in the novel The Jungle, it seems impossible for immigrants to make the so called “American Dream” become a reality. Throughout the story Jurgis’s family is constantly struggling. No matter what they do they are always tricked or swindled out of every success they have. Just one of the many instances in the novel where they are tricked is when they buy their first house. After Jurgis and his family buy their first house they are very proud and finally think they will make it in America. But just when they think they can make it work, Jurgis and his family find out that there are many hidden fees on water, taxes, and sewage that the banker never told them about. With all the new housing fees, every member in the family is forced to find a job. Another thing that prevented many immigrants from reaching the American Dream is the low wages. The low wages didn’t help the harsh situation that Jurgis and his family were in. Jurgis and his family put in many hard hours working and barely got paid at all for their work. Most of the time, the family was cheated out of the little money they earned. But what other choice did the family have besides to keep working? If the family just quit their jobs because they were unfair they would have no money and no job. Finally, the working conditions made it very hard to reach the American Dream. In the factories and sweatshops that many immigrant families worked in were dirty and full of disease. For example, Jurgis’s meat packing company had freezing conditions in the winter, and depending on what part of the packinghouse a person worked in there were many contractable diseases in which many were deadly. If a key contributor to your family financially died then most likely the rest of a family wouldn’t survive either. After reading the novel The Jungle, I truly find it hard to believe that it was possible to reach the American Dream that so many immigrants hoped to achieve by coming to America.
After reading selections from The Jungle I do not think that Sinclair believe that immigrants could achieve the American dream. Every time he would get to a point where Jurgis’s family started to strive he would knock them back in book. I think he was trying to portray that maybe these immigrants can’t succeed directly but if they keep up the very hard work their predecessors will have that success. Immigrants today even show how hard it is to achieve the American dream. As Americans we seem to not value our lifestyle but it must be great if so many people envy it. The only thing that would provide these immigrants portrayed in the book success is blood, sweat, and tears. I think this story is touching because it shows that our ancestors went through hell and back to earn this life we have now. Although many died and suffered in aspiration of a great American life Sinclair showed that their efforts only proved in the long run.
I do not believe that Sinclair thought immigrants could achieve the “American Dream”. Jurgis’s family came to America thinking that they are guaranteed a good life and a good home. This is quite the contrary. Throughout the course of the book, the family endures many hardships that test the family as a whole. Some examples are of the hidden fees they found in the house they bought. The house was designed so that immigrants would not be able to pay off the debt, resulting in foreclosure. There were not only financial struggles, but physical struggles as well. The ridiculous cold of Chicago seemed to be more than a human could endure. They had to go to bed wearing full winter clothes, and they still were freezing! Nothing in Sinclair’s mind could bring about success for the dirt poor immigrants arriving daily into America.
I don't think Sinclair was into the American dream at all.In this book he writes about immigrants coming over into a new land. They all hope for this dream to be real. The book starts out great and happy with getting a job and an okay apartment. But good things always end. From there on the book takes a sprialing plunge down the pit of depair. Everything that could possibly go wrong does. At first things work out, but then it goes wrong. Sinclair does these to show that lots of good things happened to the immigrants who came here, but also bad things happened. Another thing Sinclair show is the Food. The main character works in a meat place. Sinclair does not leave out one single detail. Everything down to where every piece of the animal goes. Sinclair kinda makes you wanna become vegetarian. This book was somthing that helped pass that Food and Drug act. So i do not believe that Sinclair saw the American Dream. Otherwise why would he write this book?
I personally think Sinclair is sending two messages. I agree with everyone in saying that he believes immigrants can’t reach the American dream. The family in the Jungle definitely did not reach the American dream, we all know that. The family in the Jungle also didn’t always make the right choices. Sinclair is saying to be a successful immigrant in the United States you don’t get very many second chances, therefore you have to make the right decisions the first time you have an opportunity. The reason I think this is because Sinclair knows that many immigrants have become successful. To reach the American dream for an immigrant is harder for them then it is for the average American citizen. Sinclair is telling the story of a family that didn’t make it.
I think that Upton Sinclair believed that immigrants could not achieve and uphold the American dream. I think this because The Jungle ended miserably and depressing. They never prospered and neither character ended up rich or comfortable. What did happen though was that they were tricked and deceived by everyone they made contact with. For example when they purchased the house, they were tricked into believing they only had to pay a certain amount when it was actually much more. I think that having a safe work and not being taken advantage of would provide immigrants with the greatest opportunity for success.
I think Sinclair thought that many immagrants could not achieve the American dreams. He felt that America was gilded. Almost like America having a brocher with a rainbow and happy workers on the title page and when you open it up you see death and miserable people. Sinclair wanted to show people the truth about America and he definatly did. Many immagrants tried to achieve the American dream by getting good jobs, (or so they thought). Immigrants felt that they could get a job, a house, and support a family. Sinclair tried to say that America is not what it is said to be and he wanted to make sure that people wouldn't think that America is the dream.
I believe that Sinclair believed that they could work hard to achieve the “American Dream,” but they’ll probably never achieve it. Many people kept manipulating immigrants, especially Jurgis and his family. They bought a house believing that they got a good deal, but in reality they were ripped off. The house wasn’t new like the ad said, and they couldn’t afford the payments after awhile due to the payments growing larger and larger. Also immigrants didn’t get the nicest of jobs. Jurgis worked at a slaughter house, and the Meat Inspection Act wasn’t created yet, so it was really nasty there. Immigrants also didn’t get the best wages when they worked. Usually they were underpaid, or received minimal wages, which made it hard for most of them to pay for such things as house payments. Jurgis’s family kept struggling and struggling throughout the book from money troubles to deaths and injuries. It seemed that they believed that they were getting the “American Dream,” but the rich, or manipulators were getting the American Dream as they swindled the family out of their money, and tricked them many times. I doubt Sinclair believed in the “American Dream.” He seems to state that it is a hope, or illusion that is cast to pull in immigrants, and make already rich people richer.
In my opinion, it is obvious that Upton Sinclair did not believe that immigrants could achieve the American Dream. Sinclair provides much backup in this novel to support my opinion. The misfortunes come one after another for the newly immigrated, Lithuanian family. The first calamity was the house the family bought. The house was the complete opposite of what they thought it would be. It turned into a major swindle and cost them a lot more than anticipated. Because of their new predicament, more of the family had to work to be able to afford everything. The jobs that everyone had were each hardships of their own. Jurgis’ job could be extremely dangerous and paid very little, especially in the slow season. Due to injury on the job, Jurgis could no longer work and therefore, no longer make money. Marija faced work related problems when the company she worked at closed. There were many more challenges for the newcomers to America, such as the bitter and unforgiving coldness of the winter and the deaths of Dede Antanas and Kristoforas. The Family would have the most success if those who worked were able to stay at their jobs, and if they had not been swindled in the purchase of their new house. If the family was to remain working and worked very hard, I believe that they would have been more successful in America. Sinclair showed just how hard it was for immigrants to achieve the American Dream in this novel.
In reading pieces of Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, I doubt that he believed immigrants could achieve the American dream. I think that Sinclair picked out one of the worst off immigrant families. There is no doubt in my mind that there were a multitude of families in the same situation of this Lithuanian group. This family came to America with the same aspirations as most any immigrant group. Jurgis and his clan came here with their naive ways and made a few "spur of the moment" decisions. The people that Sinclair chose to base his book off of would have some good times when they thought that everything would turn out okay, but then something would come up that would knock them right back down again. The rise and fall sensation made the devastation all the more pronounced. I think that during the early 1900s, for an immigrant to come here and be successful, they need to have somewhere to start from. Many of the immigrants had friends and family already in the states. For an immigrant to have really had it good would've needed to entail some preparation. When the immigrants came through the processing in Ellis Island and Angel Island, they were questioned to see whether they had any specific skills or occupations. A new immigrant would've needed to have been skilled in some practice. Success would also come from someone that had a good amount of money with them to start their new life. Many of the immigrants came to America because their country was full of poverty, and that usually meant that the immigrant would've been broke and poor. Skill and money would help everyone get started in America, but success would include a lot of hard work and perseverance. Chicago was a rough place to be during this time period. I think Upton Sinclair did an excellent job of portraying just how difficult the new life in America was, but he definitely chose a family in one of the worst situations. This leads me to believe that Sinclair did not think that immigrants had much of a chance to succeed in America.
I believe that Sinclair did NOT consider immigrants to the US able to achieve the American Dream only because of how he wrote this book. I think that immigrants wanted to achieve this dream but soon realized life was not that simple. Coming to America was clearly an immense struggle and finding a job worthy of your capabilities wasn’t any easier. I’m sure that if there were a few immigrant families that were lucky enough to have a stable income and the privilege to live less difficultly than who Sinclair based his novel on, then maybe they could achieve the American Dream. But since Sinclair did not choose to write The Jungle on a family of those standards, he possibly thought immigrants coming to the United States could not reach the American Dream. Maybe the fact that Sinclair decided to write about all the negatives these immigrants faced, he felt that there wasn’t even an American Dream they could accomplish. Perhaps he felt that America wasn’t dream worthy and the immigrants made a mistake coming to the US and is why he wrote so depressingly about them.
I also think that Sinclair didn’t believe that immigrants could achieve the “American Dream”. Throughout the story, nothing positive ever becomes of the immigrant family. Immigrants were usually paid with minimum and wages and didn’t have the best jobs. Jurgis was working in a slaughter house which was very dangerous and unsanitary. He made barely any income. When the family was able to buy a house, they were given a worn down one that was said to be new in the ad, so the family paid a price that the house wasn’t worth when they needed every penny they could get. With out much income the family wasn’t able to support themselves. They weren’t anywhere near living the “American Dream”. Without any positive outcome for the family, this story was depressing and would be discouraging to someone working to reach the same goal the immigrant family was. If Sinclair did believe that an immigrant family could reach the “American Dream”, by the end of the book the family would’ve have gotten there. The end turns out just the opposite which implies that an immigrant family can't make it.
Personally, I think that Sinclair is saying the American Dream is a fallacy. When immigrants come to America, they expect to make a lot of money and live a good life. They expect their pay to depend on how hard they work, and if they work hard enough, their life will be simple and rich. From the moment Jurgis or any immigrant steps foot in America, their dreams start to deteriorate. Every small benefit comes with a huge downfall. Jurgis works in deadly working space and lives like a rat in a sewer, but he still holds on to the American Fallacy as a motivation. When he gets his house, he thinks his world is starting to get better, but he only saw the gold on the gilded surface. When Jurgis finished the deal, he had regrets. The paint was the only thing new and Jurgis owed a lot more money than he bargained for. Sinclair is saying that the American Dream itself is gilded. The only thing immigrants see when they come to America is the rich people with a better chance, but then they live in slums and tenements. Plus, they are cheated out of money. I think Sinclair is saying that the best thing someone can do when coming to America is be aware. Always be aware and untrusting of people in America. Sinclair is saying to make your own judgments of character and to try and make the right choices. The American Dream doesn’t exist for those who are blind to the evils of the world.
No I do not think Sinclair made it look like immigrants could achieve the “American Dream.” In fact I think that Sinclair wanted to show there is no American dream for immigrants that in deed they were going to endure hardships like the ones the characters face. There really is no true way for them to provide themselves with the most opportunity for success. Personally I think that they should’ve moved to another town as soon as things got bad. I would’ve attempted to sue the company for the unsafe working conditions. Jurgis should’ve started his own business. Jurgis should’ve started with the meat cleaning job. Then his family should all have their jobs put a side so much money each week. Then whatever money they put aside they should use it tio start their own business.
I believe Sinclair believes in the immigrants. Why would he write a book about immigration if he didn't believe in them? He is trying to explain the hardships of America and how different it was compared to present. He gives very good examples with the factory jobs and packing houses. If I was an immigrant, the best opportunity would have to be working in a factory. You would have no education, so a factory job would most likely provide you with the most money. I can't think of a better job. The condition could be very dangerous like the packing house, but it would be better than nothing. Jurgis was very happy when he got his first job in the packing house, but he soon learns the conditions are poor, and that the job isn't very good. Jurgis is soon spoiled at times. Sinclair gives very realistic examples in the jungle and i believe he thought the American dream was possible.
I think that Sinclair believed that immigrants could achieve the American dream. He made us believe that because he showed that a Lithuanian family can come to the US and deal with hard work. The family in The Jungle could not even speak English at all. The typical American dream is to be a wealthy person living in a decent house and can afford to feed the family. The family in The Jungle does not have all of these things, but they have a decent enough life for them to live in America.
I believe that Upton Sinclair thought immigrants could not achieve the American dream because they could easily be bamboozled by the whites who have established themselves in America already. The immigrants just wanted a job and didn’t know how much was a good pay here in this new country. Immigrants could not achieve the American dream without some type of help from a rich man who knew him or some type of degree to help him get a good paying job. Most of the immigrants had neither of those so they worked in mass production houses with little pay not knowing what they got themselves into. Most people only herd the great things coming from the United States but not knowing that only a small percentage succeeded and not hearing of the bad to come from America the immigrants were coming to America blinded by only the good. Upton was saying that the “American Dream” was just a tall tale and only the best of the best could make it.
Ricky made some very good points. I believe Sinclair believed immigrants could "make it" in America. However, he sees what most immigrants don't. The streets in America are paved with asphalt not gold. Walking into any situation like Jurgis did, thinking everything will be easily attained without hardwork, will surely set someone far back, let alone entering a new country. Going in with his eyes closed, Jurgis and his family were scammed, overworked, and bamboozled. Capitalism showed its fury upon Jurgis at the bottom rung of the social ladder. The American Dream is only what it says: a DREAM. Sure anybody can have a dream, but how many dreamers actually turn out successful. Coming to the U.S. dirt poor is probably not the best option. Building a foundation in some other country (maybe not Lithuania, but somewhere easier to plant their roots) Sinclair, however shows much more of the struggle toward achieving their dream, rather than instant success. Sinclair certainly could capture the savageness that is the American Jungle.
Looking through the parts of The Jungle that we read, I don't think it's so much that he doesn't believe in the immigrants to achieve the American Dream, but that they aren't given a fair chance to do so. The family does what it can in a rapid struggle to get ahead in life, and they put in a good effort. However, it's the outside forces tear them down; through all the effort they're putting into coming out successful and happy, the terrible working conditions and constant deception continue to throw them back to the ground. I get from this that Sinclair doesn't believe immigrants can achieve the American Dream. However, he wants to get out to us that the reason they cannot achieve it had nothing to do with the immigrants, but with everyone around them pulling them away from that dream; they are capable, but they are refused their chance.
I don’t think that Sinclair believed that immigrants in the United States could achieve the American dream. Immigrants can’t achieve the American dream because they are always but to the low wage, filthy and unsanitary jobs. Like Jurgis and his family would never obtain the American dream or a more decent life with the job and costs of their house and many other issues. Jurgis works in a meat factory which was the most unsanitary job at the time, but he needs the money to support his family and to make the quota for their house payments. Even when Jurgis got the whole family working it was still hard to make the payment the family needed to. But the factor that would provide immigrants with success is the fact that they can buy a cheap house (if they watch out for hidden fees) and immigrants usually can find work with a low pay check. So it would be pretty hard for immigrants to get a decent life in America because they never know if they will have a lousy job. Or find hidden fees on their homes like Jurgis did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ryan. I also do not think Sinclair thought that immigrants to the US could achieve the American Dream. In the Jungle, it seems as if whatever this family tries to do to get a better start for the future something goes wrong. For example, Jurgis’s family buys a nice, thought to be, inexpensive house, but in reality the house was more then the family could afford. Then the family decides to purchase furniture, providing the family to have somewhere to sleep and utensils to eat and cook with. When the furniture and supplies arrived, plates were broken, a pan was missing, and there weren’t even enough places for the whole family to sleep. My last obstacle I would like to explain is how hard it was for the immigrants to get jobs, especially for the women. While Jurgis had a reliable job, the workplace was dirty, disgusting, unsafe, and was willing to get rid of him in any encounter of him not showing up on time, no matter what the reason. Women had an extremely hard time finding a job, and when they did the wages were extremely low. When the family finally thought they were going to make it, Jurgis, the main supporter of the family, hurt himself, forcing the family to work harder and even starve. In these examples I think Sinclair is showing us their will always be struggle for immigrants. Even when they do come to the US and become successful there will always be their past, and something holding them back from achieving their goals. For immigrants to become successful they have to work hard, and be willing to start at the bottom, working their way up to a successful American citizen.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading The Jungle, I do not believe Sinclair thought immigrants could achieve the American Dream. In The Jungle, immigrants are paid low wages and work in poor conditions. Majority of immigrants live in poor housing and they barely have enough money to feed their families. Each immigrant struggled coming here, but the struggle continued in this book. I believe he wanted to portray the struggle to show the harsh conditions of America in the nineteen hundreds.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream was not accessible to the immigrants in The Jungle. One example was how the workplace had very harsh conditions. In The Durham Factory, blood was everywhere and the workers were carrying diseases. Wages were extremely low; the family in the book had trouble paying their house bills every month. Another example was when Jurgis was tricked into becoming a citizen, so he could be hustled into voting for someone for money. Immigrants were denied their dignity in The Jungle. Many employers and rich people took advantage of them giving immigrants no opportunity to prosper.
Many opportunities would allow immigrants to succeed, but not many opportunities were present in The Jungle. One opportunity immigrants had was they could find low paying jobs, but at least they could get jobs. The downfall on this was the conditions were terrible and they were paid poorly. Another opportunity was they had houses, but they were not the best. I believe the most beneficial opportunity immigrants had was their families. Although immigrants didn’t have the best lives, they had the strongest family bonds. I believe that if people respected the immigrants at the time, immigrants would have grown more successful. If immigrants had better working conditions and higher wages, they would have had more of an opportunity for success.
I personally think Sinclair is saying for immigrants to try to reach that American dream by working hard, but i am not sure if he is saying that they could. He is also saying a warning that in order to achieve that American dream, you have to work hard to get it. The character in Jungle expected to get the American dream as soon as they arrived, but that is not how it works. If you work hard and strive for your goals, you will be that dream that all immigrants want. But, some night be unable to reach that dream because they are very different than many of the citizens of the US at that time. He is also saying that it is possible, but very hard for many immigrants for how they are being treated.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hayden, Kelsey, and Ryan. I do not think that Upton Sinclair believed immigrants would be able to achieve the American dream. They had struggle after struggle, and most of the story was negative and sad. In some parts of the story, it seemed like things might finally be turning around for the family, but then something bad happens again. For example, the family receives a flyer about this home that has an amazing deal, and they only have to pay once and the house is all theirs. Later on, they find out that they have to pay seven dollars a month, and they have to pay for water. It causes everyone in the family to work at the factory, even the children. It ends up getting worse. In the wintertime, it is so cold in the house that with three people in a bed, everyone is still freezing. Antanas was working in an unheated cellar, and he was miserable there. The chemicals ate through his boots, he lost toes, and one day fell in a heap on the floor. He was carried back to the house where he laid in bed sick. He hung on every day, but he wasn’t getting any better. He was very skinny, and you could see his bones. One day he coughed up blood. A doctor came and checked him out, but said how there was nothing he could do for Antanas. Antanas died, and there was not enough money for a funeral. Antanas death hit the family hard. Another time when things seemed to be going well was when Ona and Jurgis got married. The wedding was held in the hall, and they had fun. After that day though, they found out they had over one hundred dollars in debt from the ceremony. Also, when Ona asked for the day after her wedding off, she was denied. So, she didn’t even have a whole day after her wedding to celebrate the happiness of her new marriage to Jurgis. I think that if they tried to get longer hours, made sure they were documented for working those hours, and put a little bit of money aside each month, that they could get rid of the house. They could move somewhere else, and get a safer job, most likely in the same city. Also, I think if they became American citizens, they would be treated better. Also, they would have more rights. But I don’t think they had many opportunities for success in the state and time that they were in.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I think that Sinclair didn’t think most immigrants could achieve the American Dream. Most immigrants though that by coming to the United states they would be able to get good paying jobs and could support their families better. Sinclair tends to show the exact opposite in the jungle. I think that the whole story is pretty depressing for an immigrant. Jurgis’s family has a semi bad house, not the best jobs, and money problems. When it comes to money, this family gets cheated out a lot. First, The family has to pay more money each month to keep the house they got. Second, the family members that are working don’t get paid as much as they should be. Some work for around 12 hours and barley receive 2 dollars! At one point in the story Sinclair shows that there is a slight bit of hope for reaching the American dream. Jurgis’s family has a neighbor named Grandmother Mujauszkiene. Grandma tells the family how her son and she have managed to pay the payments long enough to officially own the house. This shows that by working hard and get money, there is a slight chance at owning the house, which is a step to reaching the American dream! Sadly, she also tells them how many families tried to live in the house that they are renting now. Each of the families was eventually evicted because they couldn’t pay the monthly bill. In this situation the hope for the American Dream is built up, but then pushed back down again. Learning that Grandma and her son own the house gives the family a good idea. For the best opportunity for success they now know they have to first try to make each payment for the house to the point where they own it! Sinclair shows that achieving the American Dream is a hard task to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteI think that wanted immigrants to be able to achieve the American Dream, but he didn’t really think that they could, given the conditions they were put in. When immigrants came to America, they were often given the most unsanitary, lowest paying jobs. On top of that, they were also tricked and fooled by salesman and employers, to the point where they had lost almost everything they had. A worst-case scenario of this is shown in the Jungle. First, a real estate company tricks the family, and they are forced to pay more than the thought they would have to for their house. Then, Jurgis, who brought in most of the family’s income, was injured at work, and was laid up for several months. The family barely survived this experience. The house was freezing in the winter, and the family had very little food. Unfortunately, situations like this were all too common for many immigrants. I think that Upton Sinclair wrote the Jungle to make a point that immigrants should be able to achieve the American Dream, if only they were given a fair chance. In other words, they could reach the American Dream, but only if they were strong enough to wrench it from the stone grasp of the Americans. I think that Sinclair thought that Americans should be more fair to immigrants, and actually give them a chance to have the life that they came to our shores seeking.
ReplyDeleteAlong with everyone else, I also agree that Sinclair didn’t believe in the immigrants. The immigrants thought that if they worked hard enough, they could achieve the “American Dream”. My thoughts are similar to Kaitlin’s when she is talking about immigrants working hard. To add onto Kaitlin’s post, I believe several immigrants did attain the dream, but because they had connections or other privileges. I think some immigrants already had money to help pay for a house and food, so they didn’t go into debt as easy, or at all. Also, various immigrants had relatives from the United States and could get housing or accommodations from them. In addition, immigrants could have been brought over for a job that was put aside for them. All of these variables could boost immigrants’ new lives in the United States. Sinclair shows his belief by only telling about the downside of immigrant life. Previous blogs have told about the low wages, unsanitary jobs, and bad luck. Sinclair gave a story where all the bad things that could have happened, did happen. In truth, all those things could have occurred, but Sinclair wraps all the negative things into one story. On the upside, positive things were provided to immigrants to help them success in life. For example, jobs were made somewhat available. Even though the jobs were low paying, a job is better than no job. Also, when an immigrant family saves up their money, they can pay off their debt. Migrating to America was proven to be a tough, tiring task. In the long run, now the immigrant’s ancestors have a better life.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say I agree with everybody in saying that from Sinclair’s point of view in the novel The Jungle, it seems impossible for immigrants to make the so called “American Dream” become a reality. Throughout the story Jurgis’s family is constantly struggling. No matter what they do they are always tricked or swindled out of every success they have. Just one of the many instances in the novel where they are tricked is when they buy their first house. After Jurgis and his family buy their first house they are very proud and finally think they will make it in America. But just when they think they can make it work, Jurgis and his family find out that there are many hidden fees on water, taxes, and sewage that the banker never told them about. With all the new housing fees, every member in the family is forced to find a job. Another thing that prevented many immigrants from reaching the American Dream is the low wages. The low wages didn’t help the harsh situation that Jurgis and his family were in. Jurgis and his family put in many hard hours working and barely got paid at all for their work. Most of the time, the family was cheated out of the little money they earned. But what other choice did the family have besides to keep working? If the family just quit their jobs because they were unfair they would have no money and no job. Finally, the working conditions made it very hard to reach the American Dream. In the factories and sweatshops that many immigrant families worked in were dirty and full of disease. For example, Jurgis’s meat packing company had freezing conditions in the winter, and depending on what part of the packinghouse a person worked in there were many contractable diseases in which many were deadly. If a key contributor to your family financially died then most likely the rest of a family wouldn’t survive either. After reading the novel The Jungle, I truly find it hard to believe that it was possible to reach the American Dream that so many immigrants hoped to achieve by coming to America.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading selections from The Jungle I do not think that Sinclair believe that immigrants could achieve the American dream. Every time he would get to a point where Jurgis’s family started to strive he would knock them back in book. I think he was trying to portray that maybe these immigrants can’t succeed directly but if they keep up the very hard work their predecessors will have that success. Immigrants today even show how hard it is to achieve the American dream. As Americans we seem to not value our lifestyle but it must be great if so many people envy it. The only thing that would provide these immigrants portrayed in the book success is blood, sweat, and tears. I think this story is touching because it shows that our ancestors went through hell and back to earn this life we have now. Although many died and suffered in aspiration of a great American life Sinclair showed that their efforts only proved in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Sinclair thought immigrants could achieve the “American Dream”. Jurgis’s family came to America thinking that they are guaranteed a good life and a good home. This is quite the contrary. Throughout the course of the book, the family endures many hardships that test the family as a whole. Some examples are of the hidden fees they found in the house they bought. The house was designed so that immigrants would not be able to pay off the debt, resulting in foreclosure. There were not only financial struggles, but physical struggles as well. The ridiculous cold of Chicago seemed to be more than a human could endure. They had to go to bed wearing full winter clothes, and they still were freezing! Nothing in Sinclair’s mind could bring about success for the dirt poor immigrants arriving daily into America.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Sinclair was into the American dream at all.In this book he writes about immigrants coming over into a new land. They all hope for this dream to be real. The book starts out great and happy with getting a job and an okay apartment.
ReplyDeleteBut good things always end. From there on the book takes a sprialing plunge down the pit of depair. Everything that could possibly go wrong does. At first things work out, but then it goes wrong. Sinclair does these to show that lots of good things happened to the immigrants who came here, but also bad things happened.
Another thing Sinclair show is the Food. The main character works in a meat place. Sinclair does not leave out one single detail. Everything down to where every piece of the animal goes. Sinclair kinda makes you wanna become vegetarian. This book was somthing that helped pass that Food and Drug act.
So i do not believe that Sinclair saw the American Dream. Otherwise why would he write this book?
I personally think Sinclair is sending two messages. I agree with everyone in saying that he believes immigrants can’t reach the American dream. The family in the Jungle definitely did not reach the American dream, we all know that. The family in the Jungle also didn’t always make the right choices. Sinclair is saying to be a successful immigrant in the United States you don’t get very many second chances, therefore you have to make the right decisions the first time you have an opportunity. The reason I think this is because Sinclair knows that many immigrants have become successful. To reach the American dream for an immigrant is harder for them then it is for the average American citizen. Sinclair is telling the story of a family that didn’t make it.
ReplyDeleteI think that Upton Sinclair believed that immigrants could not achieve and uphold the American dream. I think this because The Jungle ended miserably and depressing. They never prospered and neither character ended up rich or comfortable. What did happen though was that they were tricked and deceived by everyone they made contact with. For example when they purchased the house, they were tricked into believing they only had to pay a certain amount when it was actually much more. I think that having a safe work and not being taken advantage of would provide immigrants with the greatest opportunity for success.
ReplyDeleteI think Sinclair thought that many immagrants could not achieve the American dreams. He felt that America was gilded. Almost like America having a brocher with a rainbow and happy workers on the title page and when you open it up you see death and miserable people. Sinclair wanted to show people the truth about America and he definatly did. Many immagrants tried to achieve the American dream by getting good jobs, (or so they thought). Immigrants felt that they could get a job, a house, and support a family. Sinclair tried to say that America is not what it is said to be and he wanted to make sure that people wouldn't think that America is the dream.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Sinclair believed that they could work hard to achieve the “American Dream,” but they’ll probably never achieve it. Many people kept manipulating immigrants, especially Jurgis and his family. They bought a house believing that they got a good deal, but in reality they were ripped off. The house wasn’t new like the ad said, and they couldn’t afford the payments after awhile due to the payments growing larger and larger. Also immigrants didn’t get the nicest of jobs. Jurgis worked at a slaughter house, and the Meat Inspection Act wasn’t created yet, so it was really nasty there. Immigrants also didn’t get the best wages when they worked. Usually they were underpaid, or received minimal wages, which made it hard for most of them to pay for such things as house payments. Jurgis’s family kept struggling and struggling throughout the book from money troubles to deaths and injuries. It seemed that they believed that they were getting the “American Dream,” but the rich, or manipulators were getting the American Dream as they swindled the family out of their money, and tricked them many times. I doubt Sinclair believed in the “American Dream.” He seems to state that it is a hope, or illusion that is cast to pull in immigrants, and make already rich people richer.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it is obvious that Upton Sinclair did not believe that immigrants could achieve the American Dream. Sinclair provides much backup in this novel to support my opinion. The misfortunes come one after another for the newly immigrated, Lithuanian family. The first calamity was the house the family bought. The house was the complete opposite of what they thought it would be. It turned into a major swindle and cost them a lot more than anticipated. Because of their new predicament, more of the family had to work to be able to afford everything. The jobs that everyone had were each hardships of their own. Jurgis’ job could be extremely dangerous and paid very little, especially in the slow season. Due to injury on the job, Jurgis could no longer work and therefore, no longer make money. Marija faced work related problems when the company she worked at closed. There were many more challenges for the newcomers to America, such as the bitter and unforgiving coldness of the winter and the deaths of Dede Antanas and Kristoforas. The Family would have the most success if those who worked were able to stay at their jobs, and if they had not been swindled in the purchase of their new house. If the family was to remain working and worked very hard, I believe that they would have been more successful in America. Sinclair showed just how hard it was for immigrants to achieve the American Dream in this novel.
ReplyDeleteIn reading pieces of Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, I doubt that he believed immigrants could achieve the American dream. I think that Sinclair picked out one of the worst off immigrant families. There is no doubt in my mind that there were a multitude of families in the same situation of this Lithuanian group. This family came to America with the same aspirations as most any immigrant group. Jurgis and his clan came here with their naive ways and made a few "spur of the moment" decisions. The people that Sinclair chose to base his book off of would have some good times when they thought that everything would turn out okay, but then something would come up that would knock them right back down again. The rise and fall sensation made the devastation all the more pronounced. I think that during the early 1900s, for an immigrant to come here and be successful, they need to have somewhere to start from. Many of the immigrants had friends and family already in the states. For an immigrant to have really had it good would've needed to entail some preparation. When the immigrants came through the processing in Ellis Island and Angel Island, they were questioned to see whether they had any specific skills or occupations. A new immigrant would've needed to have been skilled in some practice. Success would also come from someone that had a good amount of money with them to start their new life. Many of the immigrants came to America because their country was full of poverty, and that usually meant that the immigrant would've been broke and poor. Skill and money would help everyone get started in America, but success would include a lot of hard work and perseverance. Chicago was a rough place to be during this time period. I think Upton Sinclair did an excellent job of portraying just how difficult the new life in America was, but he definitely chose a family in one of the worst situations. This leads me to believe that Sinclair did not think that immigrants had much of a chance to succeed in America.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Sinclair did NOT consider immigrants to the US able to achieve the American Dream only because of how he wrote this book. I think that immigrants wanted to achieve this dream but soon realized life was not that simple. Coming to America was clearly an immense struggle and finding a job worthy of your capabilities wasn’t any easier. I’m sure that if there were a few immigrant families that were lucky enough to have a stable income and the privilege to live less difficultly than who Sinclair based his novel on, then maybe they could achieve the American Dream. But since Sinclair did not choose to write The Jungle on a family of those standards, he possibly thought immigrants coming to the United States could not reach the American Dream. Maybe the fact that Sinclair decided to write about all the negatives these immigrants faced, he felt that there wasn’t even an American Dream they could accomplish. Perhaps he felt that America wasn’t dream worthy and the immigrants made a mistake coming to the US and is why he wrote so depressingly about them.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Sinclair didn’t believe that immigrants could achieve the “American Dream”. Throughout the story, nothing positive ever becomes of the immigrant family. Immigrants were usually paid with minimum and wages and didn’t have the best jobs. Jurgis was working in a slaughter house which was very dangerous and unsanitary. He made barely any income. When the family was able to buy a house, they were given a worn down one that was said to be new in the ad, so the family paid a price that the house wasn’t worth when they needed every penny they could get. With out much income the family wasn’t able to support themselves. They weren’t anywhere near living the “American Dream”. Without any positive outcome for the family, this story was depressing and would be discouraging to someone working to reach the same goal the immigrant family was. If Sinclair did believe that an immigrant family could reach the “American Dream”, by the end of the book the family would’ve have gotten there. The end turns out just the opposite which implies that an immigrant family can't make it.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that Sinclair is saying the American Dream is a fallacy. When immigrants come to America, they expect to make a lot of money and live a good life. They expect their pay to depend on how hard they work, and if they work hard enough, their life will be simple and rich. From the moment Jurgis or any immigrant steps foot in America, their dreams start to deteriorate. Every small benefit comes with a huge downfall. Jurgis works in deadly working space and lives like a rat in a sewer, but he still holds on to the American Fallacy as a motivation. When he gets his house, he thinks his world is starting to get better, but he only saw the gold on the gilded surface. When Jurgis finished the deal, he had regrets. The paint was the only thing new and Jurgis owed a lot more money than he bargained for. Sinclair is saying that the American Dream itself is gilded. The only thing immigrants see when they come to America is the rich people with a better chance, but then they live in slums and tenements. Plus, they are cheated out of money. I think Sinclair is saying that the best thing someone can do when coming to America is be aware. Always be aware and untrusting of people in America. Sinclair is saying to make your own judgments of character and to try and make the right choices. The American Dream doesn’t exist for those who are blind to the evils of the world.
ReplyDeleteNo I do not think Sinclair made it look like immigrants could achieve the “American Dream.” In fact I think that Sinclair wanted to show there is no American dream for immigrants that in deed they were going to endure hardships like the ones the characters face. There really is no true way for them to provide themselves with the most opportunity for success. Personally I think that they should’ve moved to another town as soon as things got bad. I would’ve attempted to sue the company for the unsafe working conditions. Jurgis should’ve started his own business. Jurgis should’ve started with the meat cleaning job. Then his family should all have their jobs put a side so much money each week. Then whatever money they put aside they should use it tio start their own business.
ReplyDeleteI believe Sinclair believes in the immigrants. Why would he write a book about immigration if he didn't believe in them? He is trying to explain the hardships of America and how different it was compared to present. He gives very good examples with the factory jobs and packing houses. If I was an immigrant, the best opportunity would have to be working in a factory. You would have no education, so a factory job would most likely provide you with the most money. I can't think of a better job. The condition could be very dangerous like the packing house, but it would be better than nothing. Jurgis was very happy when he got his first job in the packing house, but he soon learns the conditions are poor, and that the job isn't very good. Jurgis is soon spoiled at times. Sinclair gives very realistic examples in the jungle and i believe he thought the American dream was possible.
ReplyDeleteI think that Sinclair believed that immigrants could achieve the American dream. He made us believe that because he showed that a Lithuanian family can come to the US and deal with hard work. The family in The Jungle could not even speak English at all. The typical American dream is to be a wealthy person living in a decent house and can afford to feed the family. The family in The Jungle does not have all of these things, but they have a decent enough life for them to live in America.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Upton Sinclair thought immigrants could not achieve the American dream because they could easily be bamboozled by the whites who have established themselves in America already. The immigrants just wanted a job and didn’t know how much was a good pay here in this new country. Immigrants could not achieve the American dream without some type of help from a rich man who knew him or some type of degree to help him get a good paying job. Most of the immigrants had neither of those so they worked in mass production houses with little pay not knowing what they got themselves into. Most people only herd the great things coming from the United States but not knowing that only a small percentage succeeded and not hearing of the bad to come from America the immigrants were coming to America blinded by only the good. Upton was saying that the “American Dream” was just a tall tale and only the best of the best could make it.
ReplyDeleteRicky made some very good points. I believe Sinclair believed immigrants could "make it" in America. However, he sees what most immigrants don't. The streets in America are paved with asphalt not gold. Walking into any situation like Jurgis did, thinking everything will be easily attained without hardwork, will surely set someone far back, let alone entering a new country. Going in with his eyes closed, Jurgis and his family were scammed, overworked, and bamboozled. Capitalism showed its fury upon Jurgis at the bottom rung of the social ladder. The American Dream is only what it says: a DREAM. Sure anybody can have a dream, but how many dreamers actually turn out successful. Coming to the U.S. dirt poor is probably not the best option. Building a foundation in some other country (maybe not Lithuania, but somewhere easier to plant their roots) Sinclair, however shows much more of the struggle toward achieving their dream, rather than instant success. Sinclair certainly could capture the savageness that is the American Jungle.
ReplyDeleteLooking through the parts of The Jungle that we read, I don't think it's so much that he doesn't believe in the immigrants to achieve the American Dream, but that they aren't given a fair chance to do so. The family does what it can in a rapid struggle to get ahead in life, and they put in a good effort. However, it's the outside forces tear them down; through all the effort they're putting into coming out successful and happy, the terrible working conditions and constant deception continue to throw them back to the ground. I get from this that Sinclair doesn't believe immigrants can achieve the American Dream. However, he wants to get out to us that the reason they cannot achieve it had nothing to do with the immigrants, but with everyone around them pulling them away from that dream; they are capable, but they are refused their chance.
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