Set in early 20th-century Chicago during a period of rapid industrialization, The Jungle portrays a city marked by exploitative capitalism and a vast divide between rich and poor. This was an era when the rapid growth of industrialization in the US led to a booming economy. However, it also created stark disparities in wealth and allowed for appalling working conditions for laborers.
Because the news of a supposedly better life in America was being spread all over the world in the late 19th and early 20th century, immigrants from Europe flocked to industrial centers like Chicago to look for work. They were often unable to communicate in English and so were easy prey for con artists and exploitative employers. This influx of people meant there was an enormous surplus of labor in cities. This also meant there was also a huge demand for housing and food for all of the people looking for work. Packington is a maze of grimy streets, fetid alleys and dangerous tenement buildings. Indeed, the streets are so dilapidated that Jurgis's son Antanas drowns in a puddle, unable to get out of the sucking mud. The novel's physical setting also emphasizes the harsh American Midwestern seasons, especially its brutally cold winters and scorching summers. Sinclair's portrayal of extreme weather conditions further accentuates the perilous situations his characters all experience.
The stockyards of Chicago—where a great deal of this novel is set—represent the grim underbelly of the American Dream. In this period of American history, the power of worker’s unions was still in its infancy, which meant an almost total absence of protections for laborers. Unions allow workers to fight for their rights and demand fair treatment. Without them, workers are at the mercy of their employers. Sinclair vividly depicts the unsavory and dangerous conditions faced by the poorest individuals in both their homes and workplaces. In the fetid factories of Chicago, Jurgis and other workers face daily, deadly hazards. The factories and stockyards are filled with dangerous machinery, toxic chemicals, and unsanitary conditions. Workers of all genders and ages are exposed to physical risks and health hazards as they struggle to make a living. The workers of Packington toil for very little pay in the treacherous, unsanitary, and dehumanizing world of the factory.
