Charles Darwin put forward the idea that nature exhibited a prevailing coherence in a "survival of the fittest" pattern. In the classic realist novel The Jungle, this concept is also present throughout the story. The narrative of a man named Jurgis who greedily attempts to make a living in America, this novel plays on the very idea of ​​survival of the fittest and also highlights the fact that society, much like nature itself, functions in much the same way to a literal jungle in contrast to the common belief that society is very “civilized.” Through the symbolism, characterization, setting, diction, and specific scenes of the novel The Jungle, Upton Sinclair effectively portrays the world and society as a whole as functioning much like a real jungle. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayNumerous symbols are used in Sinclair's novel The Jungle. For starters, the emphasis on actual animals begins on page 39, where it is explained, regarding the industry, how “they brought in ten thousand head of cattle every day, as many pigs, and half as many sheep. . .” Animals are therefore prevalent throughout the rest of the novel and later in the story it is reflected that humans are treated similarly to these animals. The first of these locations is at the beginning of the story on page 41, where Jurgis witnesses the slaughter of pigs. “Each of these pigs was a separate creature. Some were white pigs, some black; some were brown, others spotted; some were old, some were young; some were long and thin, others were monstrous. And each of them had their own individuality, their own will, a hope and a heart's desire. . .” This passage prepares the rest of the book for the comparison between humans and animals. The different types of pigs are representative of the many different types of humans that exist. Some people are tall, some are short; some are black, some white; some are old, some are young. Every human being also has their own individuality that should be valued and recognized. The author presents this passage to effectively and early establish the idea that humans are no different from animals at all and to later point out that it is terribly wrong to treat humans as if they were disposable animals. Sinclair furthers this comparison between humans and animals throughout the rest of the novel, showing how people are often treated like animals too. On page 81 we read: “The new hands were here by the thousands. All day long the doors of the warehouses were besieged by hungry and penniless men; they came, literally, by the thousands every single morning, fighting each other for a chance at life. . . The Durham leaders chose twenty of the largest. . .” At this point in the story, the author describes how, just like animals or livestock, people came to these packing houses looking for a means of work and fought with each other just like animals do to get what they wanted. However, just like the cattle spoken of so often in this novel, only the largest and strongest are chosen for a chance to earn a living, which reflects Darwin's "survival of the fittest", typically regarded as something that really only happens in nature or the jungle. Furthermore, page 154 offers the knowledge that Jurgis has been “thrown aside, like a piece of rubbish, the carcass of some animal” showing how society has weakened him and thrown him out as if he were rotten meat, and Sinclair uses theword “awed” on page 55 as precise diction to reflect how Jurgis and his family have been intimidated by the way society is run and to once again remind the reader of the animal itself. Toward the end of the story, Sinclair finishes his subtle comparisons between humans and animals, and on page 256 he comes right up and exclaims the idea to the reader: "You went out from here like cattle, and like cattle you will return!" This suddenly makes it clear to the reader that humans are often treated as if they were animals and even behave like such. Furthermore, because animals are as dependent on certain things as humans are, they will return to wherever it may provide them with some hope of survival. This dependency reflects the idea of ​​“survival of the fittest” because people who may not be as “fit” return to something that exists to find a way to survive. This same ploy is used on page 257 where it is stated that "they were herded into packing plants like sheep", and on page 263 it says: "He was paralyzed - he was literally paralyzed like any wild animal that has lost its claw, or had been torn from its shell. In these confrontations, the reader is reminded that society many times functions like the brutal world of the jungle, and that humans sometimes have so few options that being treated as if they were an animal could mean the difference between life and death.However, attempts to survive in this "urban jungle" are often futile and a person is chewed up and spat out only to discover that he was simply the prey of another animal the prevalence of the “machine.” The industrial machine in corporate America is presented on page 46. At this point in the story, Jurgis feels stunned by the idea that he is “part of everything” and has become a cog in this enormous monster. of industry. Although machines are very distinct from jungles, they can still represent the idea that society functions like a jungle. Jurgis is amazed that he is part of a machine, a "cog" in the industry, but he does not realize that cogs and cogs can be easily replaced in a machine, so to keep his place in this machine, he must work against everyone others to survive. In the jungle, it's pretty much every man for himself, it's a competition for survival, and this idea of ​​a machine with removable and replaceable parts creates this competition for humans to take care of themselves so as not to be removed. from this machine and can survive. However, the bosses of these packing plants are aware that the “gears” in this machine are disposable and replaceable, so they work the workers to the bone until they can no longer work. These workers are really like the cogs in the machine because when they are worked hard enough and treated poorly and mistreated, they will wear out and need to be replaced. This keeps the competition for survival alive, something that is very abundant in the jungle. Sinclair establishes this theme of society functioning in a jungle-like manner through the specific characterization of certain individuals in the story. Jurgis is first described as someone quite strong and well prepared for anything on page 14, and on page 37 it is stated that "He had gone to Brown and remained there not more than half an hour before one of the chiefs noticed his imposing form." above the rest." When this idea is thought of in terms of animals and how Jurgis compares to everyone else (the other "animals") in this novel, this description implies that Jurgis is one of the "fit" animals in the jungle that will be able tosurvive. because of his great figure and strength. Then, on page 147, Jurgis is compared to a tiger, a creature often considered dominant, powerful, and ferocious in the natural world. It is stated: "He fought like a tiger, twisting and writhing, tossing them in half and lunging at his unconscious enemy." At this particular point in the story, both the author's depiction of a scene and the character of Jurgis reflect the idea that society functions like a jungle. Jurgis became a tiger and, having recently been upset by something someone did, he attacked that person just as an animal would. Attack another if it is angry. Along with this, the author plays on the idea that it is the packing centers and the bosses who work there who are actually the predators of this novel who prey on the weakest animals such as workers and poor immigrants, and the deception appears . be their favorite tactic. Finally, the very setting that Sinclair presented seems to represent that of an “urban jungle”. Page 17 creates a rather chaotic atmosphere during the celebration where there is music, dancing, "thief-like" activity of some guests and general confusion occurring. This reflects how a jungle is always full of activity – chaos – and is never truly peaceful. Creatures are always on the move, birds are always singing, thieve-like animals are waiting to pounce on their prey or steal a meal (or even a life) from another animal, and there is a constant feeling of life and subtle chaos. Later, on pages 32 and 33, the family approaches the city and the reader is told how the landscape changes dramatically. "It grew darker and darker" and there were "half a dozen chimneys, as tall as the tallest buildings, touching the sky itself - and from them leaped half a dozen columns of smoke, thick, oily and black as the Night". The jungle is a very dark place and the buildings seem to mirror the towering jungle trees that surround everything, touching the sky itself. Trees are the most prevalent thing in a jungle and are the things that provide the boundaries of the jungle, just as the imposing buildings described by the author establish the boundaries of this "urban jungle" and are a defining feature of it as GOOD. While not a perfect description of a literal jungle, Sinclair has indeed implanted into the story's setting the daunting and mysterious structure of a dense, dark "urban" jungle, full of activity and nearly isolated from the outside world. Just as the city itself is compared to a jungle, the meatpacking plants are also described as somewhat of a jungle. Pages 98 and 99 skillfully describe diseases that exist within packing plants that all workers must try to avoid and be wary of, which could be similar to all the dangerous things in a jungle that an animal should be wary of and wary. In a jungle there are many types of predators and poisonous things that one needs to watch out for, so this detail becomes important to create the feeling that a person working in a packing plant must be equally wary of all the things that might hurt him, as if he were in a real jungle. On page 81 it also states that the air in the packinghouses was “full of steam, coming from hot water and hot blood, so that you couldn't see five feet in front of you. . .” Jungles are often described as “steamy” and Sinclair's incorporation of this characteristic of packing houses suggests the similarity between the steamy jungle and packing plants. This description gives,.