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Alcoholism Exposed In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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There are many things in a society that affects the prosperity and the well-being of the individuals living among it. When foreigners reached “the land of freedom and opportunity”, what they had once expected - an abundance of wealth, job opportunities and freedom to be as one chose to be, had faded away into something beyond them. What they had received was far from “streets paved with gold”. What was truly presented to them was nothing more than tribulations, with disrespect and persecution from the nativists, mistreatment in the workforce, and poverty. Poor, filthy, living conditions, disease, and starvation, were the result of it. America had been cruel to them. From the moment they stepped foot into such a country, life became a constant …show more content…
Although an outsider may question the decisions of the immigrants, how does one go about dealing with the harshness presented to them, when there are those with the power who are unwilling to change it? The flaws of the system caused a domino effect that would take much effort to put a halt on. Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, describes how alcoholism, poverty, and people in positions of authority had a negative impact on the lives of immigrants. Alcoholism is an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency. This type of behavior and dependency is observed throughout The Jungle and three examples will be given for each of the three main characters, Ona, Jurgis, and Marija, that shows the negative impact of alcoholism on each individual. Many examples of alcoholism were shown to the reader, that had a bad effect; on Jurgis in particular. One good example of the effects of alcohol, occurs when Jurgis runs off to the saloons, with the children’s hard earned money, after the death of Ona. He spends every penny on alcoholic beverages. The

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