The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, is a disturbing tail about the darker side of
             America. In this book the reader is introduced to several characters from Lithuania who
             have dreams of rising from the depths of poverty, using the American dream to attain a
             life full of freedom, finical security, hope and happiness. Instead these characters are
             bombarded with slavery, manipulation, depression and hard realizations about "true
             American society". These realizations lead one of the characters to Socialism, a system
             Sinclair seems to find more agreeable than capitalism.
             In the first chapter of this book the reader is introduced to Jurgis, a hard working,
             limited minded young man who is about to wed a young lady named Ona. Jurgis' big day
             is one of the only glimpses of hope that the reader sees in this book. It is the only time
             when the future of these people looks decent in any shape or form. The guests are
             dancing and the band plays while others drink themselves into a stupor. The general
             mood is one of contentment. However, even in this scene Upton Sinclair slowly begins
             to integrate the Lithuanian group into America's harsh society. Teta Elzbieta noted this
             "A trouble was come upon them. The Veselija is a compact, a compact not expressed, but
             therefore only the more binding upon all. Every one's share was different-and yet every one knew
             perfectly well what his share was, and strove to give a little more. Now, however, since they had
             come to the new country, all this was changing; it seemed as if there must be some subtle poison in
             the air that one breathed here- it was affecting all the young men at once. They would come in
             crowds and fill themselves with a fine dinner, and then sneak off. One would throw another's hat
             out of the window, and both would go out to get it and neither could be seen again. Or now and
             then half a dozen of them would get togethe...