The Jungle [Paperback]

When I read Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" in high school I had to keep reminding myself that that novel was written in 1906, otherwise I would never be able to eat another hot dog the rest of my life. Although muckraking is a term used to describe journalistic exposes, "The Jungle" functioned much the same way by bringing instant notoriety to the American meatpacking industry. In his story of the Lithuanian immigrant Jurgis Rudkus and his family, Sinclair revealed the unsanitary, dangerous, and inhumane conditions that existed in Chicago's stockyards and meat-packing houses. When the novel was published it became front-page news across the nation and President Theodore Roosevelt invited Sinclair to the White House to discuss his book. Because of this book the sales of pre-packed meat in the United States was cut in half and the public outrage would lead to the passage of both the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Beef Inspection Act.

Sinclair's story was first published serially in "The Appeal to Reason," a socialist weekly and was dedicated to "The Workingmen of America." Clearly, Sinclair intended "The Jungle" to be a clarion call to socialism and a plea for the end of wage slavery, and ultimately he was disappointed by the reaction to his novel, writing once, "I aimed at the public's heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach." In this graphic novel adaptation of "The Jungle," artist Peter Kuper and his co-writer Emily Russell (who I believe is his daughter) clearly make an effort to get back to the basics and refocus the story so that this time it hits the heart.

Originally published in 1991 as part of an attempt to revive the Classics Illustrated comic book line, Kuper uses a full-color stencil technique that suggests that particular period but anticipates, so to speak, the political art of the period before World War II. Jurgis Rudkus and the other characters are depicted with an almost doll-like quality, which eerily enhances the tragic story. Sometimes I think he looks like a clownish version of the Frankenstein monster, but I find that underscores the sense that Jurgis is up against a man-made monster in the unfettered capitalist economy that Sinclair depicts. To cut down the original novel to the 44-pages illustrated pages of this graphic novel, the mind numbing and health eroding work in the fertilizer plant is reduce to a couple of pages. This is why the focus in Kuper's version shifts from what Americans were eating to what is happening to Jurigs, as his personal tragedy becomes the heart of the story.

Consequently, I find that this graphic novel version of "The Jungle" is not so much a substitute for reading the original novel as it is an ancillary work. More than with most such adaptations, you really have to have read (and vividly remember) the original work to appreciate what Kuper and Russell have wrought here. Even if consider socialism to be outdated, unnecessary and/or offensive, you have to admit that Sinclair's novel speaks to the historic reality of what life was like for the working class at a time when that meant they were members of the lower class. At the very least, you can appreciate the grand irony that Sinclair's book did as much to forestall a socialist revolution in the United States but spurring the government to actually act on the issues he incorporated into "The Jungle."

Kuper currently illustrated "SPY vs. SPY" each month for "MAD" magazine, but his illustrations and comics have also appeared in "Time," "Newsweek," and "The New York Times." In addition to "The Jungle" he has also illustrated Sinclair's "The Jungle and Sticks and Stones," a wordless graphic novel about the rise and fall of empires, which was awarded the gold medal in the 2004 Society of Illustrators competition in the sequential arts category. He has also done a graphic novel version of "The Metamorphosis" as well as adapted several Franz Kafka short stories in "Give It Up!" So if you are looking for more literary works given the Kuper touch, then check those out as well.

When reading this book, I don't know whether to be happy that more people will be exposed to the classic work by Upton Sinclair or sad that their only exposure will probably be through cartoons. "The Jungle" was a society-altering book when it exposed the graft, corruption and appalling conditions in the slaughterhouses and other work places.

The main character is Jurgis Rudkus, one member of a family that immigrated to Chicago from Lithuania. He is a powerfully built, illiterate man, so he is well suited to perform the backbreaking labor that was the lot of such men. He works hard, but is injured and beats up a factory boss after he forces Jurgis' wife to have sex with him. Things get progressively worse, he is blacklisted and forced to take the most menial of jobs in the fertilizer factory. His wife Ona dies and his son Antanas drowns in the street. He then flees and becomes a vagabond; eventually returning to learn that Ona's brother Stanislovas was accidentally locked in a factory and eaten by rats. Ona's sister Marija is now a prostitute and she tells Jurgis that Ona could have supported them all had she become one when they first arrived. At the end, Jurgis is attending a socialism rally, where he feels that the speaker is talking directly to him.

While this book captures the essence of "The Jungle", no cartoon synopsis can ever completely do justice to the power of Sinclair's words. My hope is that this book will be the catalyst for people to go on to read it and understand why unfettered, unregulated capitalism is a dangerous thing. It also shows why the threat of socialism was needed so that the workers could have a chance to live decent lives instead of wallowing in filth.

Peter Kuper's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle is not as intellectually stimualting as the original. However, it is an excellent version of the book that can be read by individuals at the middle and high school levels. To teach the lessons and history contained within Sinclair's 400+ page book would be too time-consuming for most school classrooms. With the stark, harsh illustrations and the narrative provided, the reader will still be able to understand the original story and appreciate the plot, no matter what format the book comes in.

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