In the novel The Jungle, Upton Sinclair illustrates that “Neither the squeals of the pigs nor the tears of the visitors made any difference to the workers; one after another they hooked the pigs and one after another with a quick blow they cut their throats” exemplifying the desensitization of workers in the meatpacking industry. This desensitization was the result of years of tedious work that took away all hope from workers and left them isolated. However, it wasn't just the nature of the work that affected them, but also those who had more power than them. The advance of the Industrial Revolution led to businessmen and bosses gaining power simultaneously while workers were circumscribed from their work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The rise of monopolies ensured that businessmen controlled the lives of industrial workers. For example, in the Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie had the misconception that poor people who were not intelligent did not deserve charity and that only libraries, parks and the cultivation of hobbies should be funded. This shows that Social Darwinism, the idea that businessmen were “selected” to govern, was prevalent. As a result, there was a distinct wall between the businessmen and the workers: the businessmen were unable to truly see the workers and painted in their heads an idealized version of them, where the workers only exist to benefit them . In The Story of the Life of a Lithuanian, Antanas Kaztauskis points out that “they take all the blood from the cattle and all the work from us men,” explaining that there is hardly a distinction between cattle and men. There were also bosses who had power on a smaller scale and had a closer bond with the workers. Foremen in factories were unprofessional, trying to manipulate and swindle workers out of money, even managing to invade their private lives. In The Jungle, Upton Sinclair argues that despite the fact that the meatpacking industry “employed thirty thousand men,” these men did not reflect the general population. Older or weaker men, who ironically became so because of work, were unable to find work. In the jungle, when Jurgis tried to find a job "one of the chiefs noticed that his form towered above the others" and he was hired immediately. However, when his father desperately tried to find a job, a man sent by the boss sensed his desperation and asked him if “he was willing to pay a third of his salary.” This shows that immigrants were disadvantaged due to their innocence in a society that rewards the unjust. Their high expectations of America blinded them to the way they were treated. Furthermore, bosses carried out personal vendettas against their workers, trying to learn more about them, and if their beliefs did not align they would be fired. Even the unions, which were supposed to be a safe space for workers, had spies so that the bosses could find out more about them. The bosses spying on them showed that the bosses were afraid enough to care, giving the workers an illusion of victory. The leaders also had information about the people in each family. Because workers were isolated at work, they were most likely closer to their families. In the jungle, Ona is exploited by her boss and fearfully declares that "he knew everything about us, he knew we would starve." His ties.
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