The American Dream in The Jungle

In the beginning of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Jurgis shows us his perspective of the "American Dream." He comes to America thinking he can be a big asset in the system of labor and that he can thrive on it. In chapter 2, he is described as someone that every boss wants to get their hands on. Because of this, he has pride and faith in himself, as does his family, and he is hopeful in accomplishing the "American Dream."

To me, what is so sad about the novel is that I got the feeling this dream is never really achievable. If you can't attain it by working hard, how do you attain it? Luck? I feel that in addition to Sinclair's exposing of the wrongs in the meat packing industry, he exposed the unfortunate fate of it's victims. Jurgis' story is a common one and the ending is usually the same. A family succumbs to prostitution or begging because their jobs, if they attain one, are not looking for their best interest.

Regardless, I left with a feeling that this dream is unattainable for most immigrants. I am developing my understanding of the term catharsis, but perhaps this is it.

Catharsis in "The Jungle"

Today in class Gi Hyun introduced the concept of catharsis. He explained that when considering catharsis it is very important to realize that cathartic writing should not only arouse pity and fear, but use these feelings to "leave an audience feeling not depressed but relieved". Intrinsic to this idea is the stereotype.

In "The Jungle" we are introduced to several very broad stereotypes, for example 'the hobo', 'the prostitute', and 'the boss'. Many variations of the saying 'Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes' summarize what this book seems to promote. This phrase encourages those who hear it to re-examine possibly very established personal views and to evoke perhaps empathetic emotion, in a nutshell, explaining one aspect of catharsis.

Catharsis also deals with the purging or purification however, which can work in different ways. Sometimes the 'purging' applies to the audience while in other situations, it seems we are shown the purification of a character. "Oedipus Rex", as Gi Hyun said, is very good example of this. The audience is first made to feel quite relieved that such horrors have not befallen them, helping to purge them of unhappiness over (perhaps) lesser events in their own lives. As Oedipus gouges his eyes out with Jocasta's pins, he symbolically cleanses himself of the things he has seen. The loss of his eyesight rids Oedipus of all the evil he has seen and committed, however unwittingly.

Jurgis has his own cathartic realization as he travels the country as a hobo. He is a another good example of a character who experiences catharsis as well as displays it in his own life. Jurgis is a strong, young man, who talks "lightly about work" and cannot "imagine how it would feel to be beaten" (Sinclair 17). However by the end of the book we are following a very different man, one whose efforts to care for his family have landed him a two year sentence in a state prison (Sinclair 335). Getting from page 17 to page 335 involves the astounding journey that Jurgis takes. Starting with his family in Packingtown, he encounters much by way of loss (the family's home, Ona, their child). During the time that he lives as a hobo, Jurgis goes through a transition. He at first feels that the hobos are

Just as Jurgis functions as a character that inspires catharsis in readers, he also experiences it, himself. While he lives as a tramp, Jurgis is careful to keep some money for himself, because he feels "terror...at the thought of being out of work in... the wintertime"(Sinclair 201). The fear that Jurgis has of facing the winter and becoming like the others that he travels with is what 'purifies' him. It is what moves him to come back to the city and to try his luck at the factories again.

Emotion in an Anti-Sentimentalist Novel

The discussion in class today about the heart-breaking and emotionally charged scenes from The Jungle made me question the anti-sentimentalist nature of the novel. The definition of anti-sentimentalism based on the hand-out is “build[ing] stories and characters by utilizing a style of language and stating events without unnecessary detail, and by stressing reason over emotional attachment.” This was summarized as focusing a story on the situations, not the characters. This is true of The Jungle because the focus was not on the specific personalities and feelings of the characters; it was on the roles that they play in society. So, my question is how the emotions in the novel that don’t seem to fit with the anti-sentimentalist style fit into The Jungle. I think that the answer has to do with the idea of catharsis.

We discussed how catharsis has an emotional, intellectual, and physical component. In The Jungle, the intellectual component is satisfied by the conclusion’s showing that regardless of their ideals, no political system is safe from corruption. The physical component is the disgusting revelations about the meat that people were eating. The emotional component fits in with this because Sinclair wants the reader to conclude that there is an imminent need for change. This is accomplished by the intellectual and especially the physical component of the catharsis. The emotional anecdotes about the working class feed off of this intellectual and physical catharsis to accomplish Sinclair’s purpose of better conditions for the working class. This purpose of better conditions for the working class is also aided by the anti-sentimentalist portrayal of the uniform oppression of the worker. So, the emotion and anti-sentimentalism work together to achieve Sinclair’s purpose.

Metaphor in the Jungle

In the story The Jungle, whenever Jugris is exhausted by the work in the fertilizer factory, he seems to be supported with alcohol in order to forget the severe labor. I believe an element such as alcohol could be considered a metaphor that it leads the readers into the idea of catharsis. In Gi Hyun's presentation today, he introduced one of the meanings of catharsis is that it "leaves an audience feeling not depressed but relieved".

In chapter 14, Upton Sinclair depicts that "They might drink together, and escape from the horror---escape for a while, come what would" (p.129). At first sight for this statement, it is capable of making the audience (the readers) depressed because they may consider the situation that Jugris only depends on the agency of alcohol in order to escape his real life. However, for laborers at that time, this statement would have another interpretation because this statement must be shared as same experience for them. This interpretation is based on this story's scrupulosity of the truth on the laborers. Because one of the characters of this story is considered muckraker, this story would be believed not only just tragedy but also the opportunity which the situation of the laborers is overturned from poverty and capitalism. Therefore, the element of alcohol would be considered not the means to escape from the reality but the object which people can share their experience as common information against capitalism, and finally they are relieved. Therefore, I believe the reason why the element of alcohol is used in the chapter is because alcohol contains not only the association of purification, but also the means which it is shared as common information for the laborers.

Two Different Tragic Constructions

I think The Jungle deals with numerous characters and also various heartbreaking plots. When I read first page, the novel started to describe the dream of immigrants and their hope for comfortable life. However, as the story goes by, all characters are falling down and down, and I felt deep sorrow because the result was too different from their belief for the future.

First, when the family moves to the U.S., I thought it was a kind of huge project. The asset they had was limited and their life was at stake. Though Jurgis, the protagonist of The Jungle, can not 100% assure that they are going to make a success, he thinks he can get a job and run his family with Ona. Then their hopefulness starts to disappear and change to despair and pain. The house rent makes them cry. The town makes them cry. And the cold weather and the change of people’s relationship makes them cry. Especially when I found out Ona is selling her body for the health of her family, I felt extreme sorrow. The whole family is getting corrupted by the environment of capitalism which is opposed to what they firmly believed. To the gap between two conditions, I felt inability to control my sense and to accept the result of the characters.

On the other hand, Our Nig starts its story with already sad circumstance. Frado is thrown away to the white house and starts to work as an indentured servant. Once the author introduces how Frado is abused, and what kind of pain she felt (because it is based on her own life) with inserting numbers of painful scenes. Though the end of the story raised my emotion with understanding to her (moreover, people like her), and also Hattie adorned the story not just with tragic factors but also the social issues at that time and the racism in order to progress the story to achieve her goal of the novel. Besides, not like The Jungle, the difference between two conditions existed in the nature of the characters. Mrs. B makes Frado’s life miserable and deteriorates her health. And Jack and Susan gives hope to Frado and this is the main force and hope for Frado to extend her life. Unfortunately, they don’t fully help her. Probably the reason is based on the limited freedom to Frado and the circumstance of the family.

One interesting thing is that two novels seem to evoke the readers’ emotion, sorrow, pity and fear for the different purpose, but their ways to construct the heartbreaking plot seem also different. The different goals of the novel, making understanding of the readers and creating effect to the society, might be the reason for different construction of tragic literature.

Critique of Corruption

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, is set in the meatpacking district of Chicago.  The story follows Jurgis Rudkos and his family on their quest for “the American Dream”.  After several job failures and numerous family catastrophes, Jurgis exchanges his honest, hard-working personality for a lifestyle of crime. He quickly becomes involved with a vote-buying scheme to land certain political figures in office. Regarding the plot, Sinclair writes, "All of these agencies of corruption were banded together, and leagued in blood brotherhood with the politician and the police; more often than not they were one and the same person,--the police captain would own the brothel he pretended to raid, and the politician would open his headquarters in his saloon” (Sinclair 303). Because Jurigs and his family were immigrants, they had faith in America and that it would bring them happiness.  They thought that capitalism would make them successful; this was not the case.  Irony “turns standard meanings and expectations upside down. It often involves saying one thing and meaning another” (Killingsworth 131). In this particular situation, Jurgis believes in capitalism and the potential happiness it could bring him. However, it is ironic because, in reality, his expectation of the government form was essentially the opposite of what was promised or foreseen.  In order to survive, he was forced into the dishonesty of politics. Sinclair is able to clearly present the levels of corruption in the government through his use of irony; this allows for the audience to see the true happenings of the political parties at the time. 

Irony in The Mole People

In Jennifer Toth’s ethnography, The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, she performs an in-depth study of the people living beneath the New York City subway and have been forced to make those tunnels their home. She meets a variety of people from different demographics such as age, gender and race. Although living on, and beneath, the streets of the dangerous city is a rough life, those forced into the lifestyle choose it, without hesitation, over city shelters. One of Toth’s characters mentioned his experience at shelter and states, “two nights ago a man tried to rape him at a city shelter where he hoped for sleep” (Toth 8).  These state funded institutions fail to achieve their intended goal. Instead of providing a secure place of rest for those less fortunate, they instill fear in those without a home. This fact is ironic on several levels; however, it is mainly portrayed because, “the ironic tone is conveyed by setting up a condition of unequal knowledge” (Killingsworth 132).  In this case, the government appears to be supplying homeless people with safe places to stay, sleep and eat. Yet, those intended to use this resource refuse because of the poor quality and increased risk.  Therefore, the unequal knowledge is that government knows of the mistreatment in homeless city shelters where as the remainder of the public does not. Toth is able to present the irony in this situation to her readers and therefore heighten their awareness of the happenings of New York’s homeless. 

The Impetus for Writing "The Jungle"

Today in class I discussed what I thought could have been Upton Sinclair's motivation for writing The Jungle. Though the article I was assigned to read was about Sinclair's fervor towards socialism, I did not feel that socialism itself was the impetus for the novel. The article discusses all that can go wrong with socialism as there are many intricies that go into developing that form of government. Because it is such a complicated system, much can go wrong, and I feel that these wrongs are what drove Sinclair to write this novel.

Upton Sinclair mentions "evils of present-day society" and the contradiction that lies within society. He refers to capital as a "democratic administration for the equal benefit of all", which I can sense is sarcastic after reading the novel. I therefore feel that the Sinclair's reason for writing The Jungle was not his disliking towards the concept socialism or capitalism, but the outcome for not facilitating correctly.

Reveal to explain

The Jungle mainly depicts the family members, and the meatpacking industry. By revealing hidden truths, Sinclair shows his own ideology against the ideology of the two groups. On page 73, when the family sets up the foundation condition for living in the city, a voice of the implied author defines the characteristic of the world at that time: “the world was divided into two groups” (Sinclair 73). One group is apparently people who like Jurgis’ family members and the other one is the owners who are possessing and running inhumane business. As the story goes on, the author seems to try to giving new knowledge with revealing the truth he witnessed actually before, as a muckraker.

The first group of the world is the people who want to find new place, and try to escape from reality expecting another world. However, their belief and faith for economic happiness is frustrated by the people who take benefits, and the environment of the city. Once, they start to earn money, they find all systems require paying money with unjust contract, and it seems that there is no option for practicing what they dreamed. Moreover, there is another drawback which is a bunch of saloons around the company. “There was only one condition”, the author points out with reporting the meaning of drinking to the working class. People should drink to forget the painful memory and to get closer with other workers. If not, they are not welcomed in the society and have to feel what he feels during the work hour.

The second group is the owners who run the company in immoral way only for taking profits. In the process of making products, they not just broke the dream of the working class but also the rule of the world. They don’t consider what is right and valuable to the people but pursue what makes money. Especially, on p88 in the text, the author reveals one of the company’s illegal custom: “they had recouped themselves by putting out imitations of German meat for home markets”.

Showing unknown truth of the society, the author tries to let readers focus on customs and habits of the two groups.

Being Bold Pays Off

In the Foreword of The Jungle, we are informed of what the history of the novel, The Jungle, is and what Upton Sinclair went through to get the novel published. We are informed that “Sinclair was sent to Chicago to do research on the meatpacking industry by the editors of the Socialist newspaper for $500” (Sinclair i). When Sinclair witnessed the unsanitary practices of the meatpacking industry, he quickly started writing a novel, modeled by the plot of Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. In efforts of getting The Jungle published, Macmillan published the novel half way through then resisted and gave Sinclair a long list of things to change due to the graphic descriptions. Macmillan agreed to publish the novel if Sinclair would rewrite a sanitized version but Macmillan declined to publish at all, for reasons that are unknown. It is questioned whether or not that Macmillan was, ”persuaded to drop publication because of pressure from the meatpacking industry” (Sinclair ii). Sinclair felt that it was important to state the facts, rather than what people wanted to hear, so he continued looking for a publisher.

Sinclair finally was given the opportunity to have Doubleday, Page publishing company publish The Jungle. Learning from experience, “Sinclair cut numerous scenes from the book” that would still convey the importance of the novel without some of the other graphic descriptions (Sinclair ii). The Jungle came out in 1906 and Theodore Roosevelt was given a copy of the novel. Roosevelt responded in a negative manner, not believing what he was reading. Roosevelt asked Doubleday to show him proof that The Jungle was portraying true facts. Once Roosevelt came to the realization that The Jungle was true, he started his own investigation with the Bureau of Commerce and Labor. Due to the popularity and the help of Roosevelt’s investigation, “Upton Sinclair became famous, and his novel helped push the federal government to pass its first comprehensive Pure Food and Drug laws” (Sinclair iii).

This is an example of how things can be overlooked because people are told what they want to hear. If it wasn’t for Sinclair being bold and standing firm for what he was “reporting”, who knows when Pure Food and Drug laws would have been passed.

Jurgis is a Person who cannot Adapt to the Environment

In the book The Jungle, Upton Sinclair depicts a tremendous truth that how people are treated, their state, is a part of the process of factory in capitalism. I believe Sinclair wants to claim that capitalism considers a laborer not as a person but disposable products through the figure of Jurgis. After Jurgis injured his leg and returns to his job, Sinclair describes that "They had got the best out of him, there was the truth---they had worn him out, with their speeding up and their damned carelessness, and now they had thrown him away! And Jugris would make the acquaintance of some of these unemployed men; he would stroll away with them . . . . and he found that they had all had the same experience" (p.114). This experience must indicate the real situation that people are treated as a disposable product by capitalists in order to make productivity without the view of humanity. Therefore, Jugris is forced to engage the worst job in the factory of fertilizer.

However, I believe the reason why Jurgis feels torture and mental anguish is because of not only the fertilizer factory but also his character that he cannot adapt to the environment at all. In the beginning of story, he is described as a man who has a confidence his power and ability for labor. In spite of the fact, the real situation always conflicts with him against his belief. Therefore, the real deprives his confidence gradually through the chapters. However, he cannot adapt to the environment that he has to be at the mercy of the factory and capitalism, because he has a free will that he has to protect his family, especially children and his wife, Ona. His free will would always give him doubt and question about the situation that people are treated as a part of the process, like as machine. Therefore, he finally hits his boss because he has to protect his injured wife from the insistence of sex in chapter 15. In addition to the truth that this novel exposes the true states of laborers, furthermore, I believe that this novel also indicates the conflict between naturalism and free will.

Sinclair and Toth: Continuity in Society

The last two books that our class has studied, "The Mole People" and "The Jungle", by Jennifer Toth and Upton Sinclair respectively, deal with similar aspects of humanity's suffering. Despite almost a 90 year gap between their publications, they both describe the way in which whole groups of people can be trampled by society. The two authors, however, take very different issues to heart and present their ideas in quite different ways.

I believe part of the reason for this is the level of removal of the author. Toth is initially further removed from the people she studies but proceeds to delve so deeply into their lives that leaving them becomes quite difficult. Sinclair also gets first hand experience with the evils of society that he writes about but leads a life that is less removed in comparison, prior to success with "The Jungle" having been raised in a poor family. Toth spent a year investigating the tunnels, letting them slowly become more and more a part of her life. In contrast to this, Sinclair spent seven weeks within Chicago's meatpacking industry in order to write "The Jungle" on the payroll of journal owner.

Despite these differences, in both novels the audience is introduced to the idea that there are those who fall through the cracks of society and although they work hard cannot gain a footing with which to improve their situations. While the chapters of "The Mole People" each focus on different characters and aspects of tunnel life, "The Jungle" focuses on the plight of Jurgis Rudkos' family. Although no less influential (but perhaps more so) than "The Mole People", the subject matter of "The Jungle" is innately different from that of Toth's ethnography. We are able to see examples of the idea of 'exigency' by comparing these two writers and on what or how they choose to carry their points and critiques. The time periods that each take place in dictate the novelty that they hold for an audience. While far reaching effects of Sinclair's writing such as the passing of the laws such as the Pure Food and Drugs Act (1906) and the Meat Inspection Act (1906) helped quench some of the fears that assaulted the "public's... stomach" in his novel, many aspects, such as the plight of the immigrant were largely forgotten about. This is why the work of Toth is still necessary and even exigent -- because as Sinclair says in "What Life Means to Me", "the sheer horror" of some literature that "[makes] it true" also is what "[kills] it" (What Life Means To Me, Sinclair, 351). An uproar may occur in response to a writing, says Sinclair but without the inclusion of "human anguish" an audience receives nothing more than "sugar-coated sentimentality".


http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jupton.htm

The American Dream in the Jungle

The portrayal of the American Dream in Sinclair’s The Jungle creates an ideological critique. The two parts of our definition of an ideology were the beliefs and the customs and traditions that went along with the beliefs. In The Jungle, the primary motivation of the immigrant characters was “The American Dream,” “the wonderful dreams of wealth that had been haunting Jurgis” (Sinclair 22). This is the belief portrayed in The Jungle, that capitalism would bring happiness and economic prosperity. The traditions and customs of the ideology though are less admirable. To gain the wealth that they desired, men become greedy, such as the captains of industry that ran the inhumane stockyards. Poor men also were victim, such as Jurgis in his endeavor to quickly purchase a house. This system of greed is the underlying idea of capitalism that is supposed to end up providing the most efficient and substantial wealth for the most people. But, the ideology breaks down when the greed begins to hurt everybody, not only with the horrible working conditions, but the horrible products. For example Kristoforas died supposedly of “tuberculosis pork” in his “smoked sausage he had eaten that morning” (Sinclair 117). No one, not even the very rich, were able to obtain safe meat. So, the greed’s taking over everything had very negative consequences. This lack of providing for the well being of most people is contradictory to the basic tenets of capitalism, and therefore is used as a critique of the ideology of capitalism.

Ch 7 in The Mole People

Ch7 mainly deals with Sergeant Henry who has to capture homeless people in the tunnel. The story narrates his past memory, as if it is happening now, quoting hi swearing much of the time, how he starts the job and how he accepts it. Though the author and sergeant Henry know much of the condition of the people in the tunnel now, the narrator (Toth) portrays a time when Henry doesn’t know fully about the “ploy” (Toth 60).

In the middle of the Ch7, the narrator inserts a dialogue between J.C and Sergeant Henry. Interestingly, it was hard to figure out that J.C and Sergeant Henry are saying at the same place with facing each other. The reason is the narrator manipulates the dialogue without giving clear sense about the distance and also the narrator never mentioned until the author changes from telling story to showing their conversation. As I read further I could figure out they might interview in the same place because the author hinted us providing much of common knowledge between two characters.

Suggesting how should we accept the law in this harsh condition, the author intentionally manipulate the time and the distance between two characters in the dialogue.

Rollercoaster of Chapters

As we were questioned in class, how are the chapters in The Mole People arranged and why were they arranged in such a manner. As I looked at the chapters and reviewed what was shared in class about the certain chapters that we were assigned, I was able to see a pattern in the chapters. When I am looking at the chapters from chapter 1 to 24, I see that pattern of a roller coaster. How I have come to this conclusion is that looking throughout the chapters and how classmates summarized their chapters we see a pattern of good and bad and hope and hopelessness. It starts with chapter 2, Seville’s Story, as it was explained in class, this chapter can be seen as a bad chapter because it is about a kid that runs away but no one tries to help the family get their soon back. As we go further into the novel, I would consider chapter 7, about Henry as a hopeful chapter because he sheds some light in what he has done and is doing for the tunnels. In chapter 9 and 10, I would consider these hope chapters because the children still have connections with the life above ground and they do not consider themselves “houseless”. Chapter 11 is a good chapter because Bernard’s Tunnel is educated and has great pasts before there came to the tunnels. Chapter 14 and 15 are hopeful chapter because the many characters had a lot of street smarts and they knew they would survive and having outreach programs that help people in the tunnels. In chapter 20 and 21, I consider these chapters good because we see that they are about community and that the people within the tunnel have a system and it works well for them. In chapter 22, the women seem hopeless, as Josh explained because they are unhappy and “done” with life. In chapter 24 I conclude my analysis of chapters with this chapter being a bad chapter. In this chapter, Jennifer Toth, fears for her life and leaves the tunnels forever.

As we can see, the chapters go from bad to good then bad again. We always see that some chapters are hopeful and others have hopelessness. I see this roller coaster of chapters as a way to explain the tunnels in a mixed way because we see good and bad intermixed within the novel. I think the Toth does this well and that the novel is presented well. I like that The Mole People ends on a bad chapter because it keeps us reminded that, no matter how much you try to understand a sub-culture, sometimes it never works. It also reminds us that not every situation is great and sometimes when you try, you end up having a roller coaster experience.

Audience-Construction in Mole People

When I consider the audience-construction which is based on my theory in Mole People, it would be difficult to see how we are lead into the same field of the genre by reading this story in terms of discussion and argument, even though the audience-construction exists absolutely. Because the contents about people who live in the tunnel underground are really unfamiliar for us, it is difficult to bring up any specific mental images in our mind. The field of the genre is broad. Although we might be able to consider ambiguous themes, it would have a difference to the time when we read, for example, the novel Our Nig. At the time, it was really clear what kinds of the genre we should be lead into because the story has a logical development that starts from poverty, through discrimination and violence, to Frado's death. However, in Mole People, the story has not a fluid development but an intermittent development because each chapter has many characters and they seem to introduce their situation and explain what things happen in the tunnel on people.

That is, the process by which we are lead gradually into the field to the genre is hard to be found in this story. Furthermore, because the characters sometimes refer to any specific impression, our position may be not as an audience who discusses but as an observer who receives the facts about mole people.

However, as I wrote above, even though the story is unfamiliar for us, we are created as audience because we can compare some ideas between the fact of mole people and our life in above ground, their past state in above ground, and their current state in the tunnel. Although each chapter seems to be an intermittent development, the developments have any specific message that we can receive it immediately much stronger than the mental images. Therefore, we would be also constructed as audience by not the author but the characters who are mole people.

Jamall's Story

I believe Jamall's Story, or chapter 23, is very significant to the book. While the whole story seems as if there is no hope, and it seems as if he has given up, there is more to it. The underlying purpose of this chapter is to show how the tunnels can be a place of healing. Jamall even says so at the end of the chapter. He emphasizes this when he talks about the different places and communities within the tunnels, and how there is no need to evict the people in the tunnels, because they are using abandoned places as places to heal. There is something for anyone who wants to or is forced to go down into the tunnels. Furthermore his relationship with Cher helps this idea that the tunnels can help heal. The fact that he would stop drinking for Cher's sake is a huge indicator of this idea. He finally found something he cared for enough to begin to heal. When she dies however, Jamall gives up because he has lost his healing aide. He leaves the tunnels because he has lost the one aspect of the tunnels that can help him. However Cher still provided him with a way out with her story of the light taking her away. He continues to look for the beam of light to take him away, back to Cher. In Cher he found a way to heal, but when it is taken away, he tries to find this healing agent that he once found in the tunnels. Just as he found his Cher, anyone who enters the tunnels can find something to help them heal.

Levels, Distance, and Light

The use of light is seen as a metaphor in both “Maggie” and “Mole People” as a symbol of hope (brightness) and degradation (darkness). One of the first things I noticed when reading “Mole People” was that the lower the levels underground got, the darker and more hopeless and lost the people were. This descent reminded me of how in “Maggie” Maggie walks away from the light of the city and further into the darker outskirts to her eventual death. Both texts show the decline of self with the heaviness of darkness.

“She passed more glittering avenues and went into darker blocks…” (52) Light continually slips away as readers begin to realize that this girl is Maggie after all and this is what she has become. Crane shows Maggie’s journey into the darkness, walking swiftly and looking into the faces of possible customers. “She went into the blackness of the final block. The shutters of the tall buildings were closed like grim lips. The structures seemed to have eyes that looked over her, beyond her, at other things.” (53) This image can sufficiently portray that of society towards Maggie, pursed lips taught with disgust and contempt, avoiding eye contact and looking away, making her feel small, dismal, insignificant and as if she doesn’t exist. Her own mother and brother threw her out, why not the rest of society as well? “Afar off the lights of the avenues glittered as if from an impossible distance.” (53) These twinkling lights of splendid luxury are far out of reach for Maggie, and are positioned here to show that happiness and love will forever be unattainable.

These quotes from Maggie, specifically the ‘buildings of society’ imagery and far off glittering lights have a real place in “Mole People” as well. Many feel scorned by society, and that’s why they hide in the tunnels unable to accept daylight without shame; “it is not uncommon to find homeless who have gone a week or more without seeing sunlight” (192). However, unlike Maggie herself, a lot of the people interviewed by Toth would rather stay in the tunnels and eventually go deeper instead of wistfully staring at the “glittering avenues”. These homeless, in my opinion, have been adversely affected by the darkness in both good and bad ways. Good for their sense of community and belonging, but bad because in many ways they have lost parts of themselves and have chosen to accept the life below. For some its perfect, for others I wish a happier outcome. The deeper the people go however, the more prevalent this idea of ‘losing yourself’ or ‘a lost soul’ seems to become. No longer a member of sunlight and fresh air, the tunnel has turned some of these people into creatures.

Darkness, oppression, and hopelessness will be the end of many Mole People just as it was the end of Maggie. Gwen, a woman in Chapter 22, shows strength I wish was in every person introduced. She fought the darkness and is pulling her life back together, while Maggie accepted her course of action as fate, leading to her death. In both texts, light offers hope, but in both texts likewise, there is evidence that the further one moves away from it, the more lost and destitute one becomes… perhaps to the point of insanity, or death. Levels or distance, darkness is waiting.

I Bet Maggie Is...

The end of Maggie’s life is questionable because we are not sure what happened to her. Though the author doesn’t depict clearly her death, Jimmie and Mary seem to accept her death in the next chapter. In the class, my mates said it is related to the purpose of degradation and devalue; to guess her character more; to make it more realistic for giving long impact (which is mine). After coming back to dorm and sleeping quite a lot, I re-thought about the effect of the way in Ch XVII (1893 edition) and how does it affect to the goal of pragmatism.

First, the readers are naturally tempted to guess the result of her condition, once they read ChXVII and XVIII. Living prostitute and wandering the sullen part of the city, is she dead at last or worse than dead? If readers don’t catch the clear answer same as me, they might ask and then about the cause of her wandering which made us guess, let alone whether she’s dead or alive. It’s just like passing to the next question when we are faced a difficult and ambiguous question in the math exam.

Second of all, by not showing her clear result, we can substitute the environment around us to Maggie. It is kind of making Maggie just like a white sketchbook and start to paint the color on it. Because Crane sketches the structure of her life path and her background, it is we, the readers that read and make independent and creative response ourselves.

Third, we simply assume and expect Maggie’s future. If she’s dead, then where goes her body? If not, Jimmie’s lying to her mother which shows more severe malfunction of a family. Not saying makes more questions to her existence and this is continued to the most ironic chapter. Not making it close to the tragedy or melodrama or Cinderella types or Pamela styles which generally show clear result of the plots, it emphasizes the importance of family in economic tragedy season, rather than showing an individual's tragic end.