History NightmareFuel / TheJungle

* It starts with the very house the family buys. They're told that it's brand new when that can't be true as nearly half a dozen families have lived in it before, and have all been evicted for being unable to pay rent. It isn't worth even half of what they paid, and are forced to work themselves to the bone to keep. It's made from the cheapest materials, is literally falling apart at the seams, and is stated to have decades of untreated sewage festering underneath it that frequently make the family sick. The ceiling constantly leaks, and there's no insulation so the house is always sweltering, and swarming with vermin in the summer, and freezing cold, and draft-filled in the winter.

* Baby Anatas is graphically described as coming down with countless illnesses from the filthy conditions of the slums that leave him covered in red, painful bumps, and leave him wailing in utter pain, and misery while he's tied down to the bed out of fear of him kicking the covers off, and dying of the cold.

* Just how the family slowly crumbles as the effects of poverty, disease, starvation, addiction, and the brutalities of the people, and environment around them start to take hold. The grandfather dies [[BloodFromTheMouth coughing up blood]] from pneumonia, and infection after working himself too hard in the sickeningly damp, and disgusting pickling room. One-by-one, the children are pulled out of school to work miserable, dangerous, and jobs to help keep the family afloat, and one of them dies screaming in agony after eating tuberculous meat while only the daughter is home to try, and vainly help him. Jonas, the brother-in-law, mysteriously vanishes either by getting killed at work, or [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere by just fleeing the horror of it all.]] The baby drowns in the street. [[SexSlave Ona is forced to be a sex-slave]] to her boss under threat of her family being blacklisted from work in the entire city. [[BreakTheCutie The once loud, and plucky Marija becomes a morose, and withdrawn heroin-addicted prostitute,]] and Jurgis, the once proud, strong, and determined patriarch is reduced to [[DownerEnding a crippled, starving, homeless widower that is sent to jail at the end of the story having lost everything.]]

* It starts with the very house the family buys. They're told that it's brand new when that can't be true as nearly half a dozen families have lived in it before, and have all been evicted for being unable to pay rent. It isn't worth even half of what they paid, and are forced to work themselves to the bone to keep. It's made from the cheapest materials, is literally falling apart at the seams, and is stated to have decades of untreated sewage festering underneath it that frequently make the family sick. The ceiling constantly leaks, and there's no insulation so the house is always sweltering, and festering with vermin in the summer, and freezing cold, and draft-filled in the winter.

* Stanislovas then subsequent death by [[EatenAlive getting eaten alive]] by rats after he accidently passes out at work from drinking too much.

* Stanislovas then subsequent death by[[EatenAlive getting eaten alive]] by rats after he accidently passes out at work from drinking too much.

* It starts with the very house the family buys. They're told that it's brand new when that can't be true as nearly half a dozen families have lived in it before, and have all been evicted for being unable to pay rent. It isn't worth even half of what they paid, and are forced to work themselves to the bone to keep. It's made from the cheapest materials, is literally falling apart at the seams, and is stated to have decades of sewage festering underneath it that frequently make the family sick. The ceiling constantly leaks, and there's no insulation so the house is always sweltering, and festering with vermin in the summer, and ice-cold, and draft-filled in the winter.
* What's even worse is that the very moment the family fails to keep up with rent, they're turned out onto the street, and the place is repainted, and sold to another family of immigrants the very next week who are completely un-the-wiser.
* Just how the family slowly crumbles as the effects of poverty, disease, starvation, and the brutalities of the people, and environment around them start to take hold. The grandfather dies coughing up blood from pneumonia, and infection after working himself too hard in the sickeningly damp, and disgusting pickling room. One-by-one, the children are pulled out of school to work miserable, dangerous, and jobs to help keep the family afloat, and one of them dies screaming in agony after eating tuberculous meat while only the daughter is home to try, and vainly help him. Jonas, the brother-in-law, mysteriously vanishes either by getting killed at work, or [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere by just fleeing the horror of it all.]] The baby drowns in the street. Ona is forced to be a sex-slave to her boss under threat of her family being blacklisted from work in the entire city. [[BreakTheCutie The once loud, and plucky Marija becomes a morose, and withdrawn heroin-addicted prostitute,]] and Jurgis, the once proud, strong, and determined patriarch is reduced to [[DownerEnding a crippled, starving, homeless widower that is sent to jail at the end of the story having lost everything.]]

* The entire premise of the story. A once happy, and close-knit family comes to a new country with hopes of starting a new life of peace, and prosperity only to be slowly, brutally, and methodically be ripped apart by means that they cannot control, and have little, if any hope of stopping.

* Just how the family slowly crumbles as the effects of poverty, disease, starvation, and the brutalities of the people, and environment around them start to take hold. The grandfather dies coughing up blood from pneumonia, and infection after working himself too hard in sickeningly damp, and disgusting pickling room. One-by-one, the children are pulled out school to work miserable, dangerous, and jobs to help keep the family afloat, and one of them dies screaming in agony after eating tuberculous meat while only the daughter is home to try, and vainly help him. Jonas, the brother-in-law, mysteriously vanishes either by getting killed at work, or [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere by just fleeing the horror of it all.]] The baby drowns in the street. Ona is forced to be a sex-slave to her boss under threat of her family being blacklisted from work in the entire city. [[BreakTheCutie The once loud, and plucky Marija becomes a morose, and withdrawn heroin-addicted prostitute,]] and Jurgis, the once proud, strong, and determined patriarch is reduced to [[DownerEnding a crippled, starving, homeless widower that is sent to jail at the end of the story having lost everything.]]

* Stanislovas then subsequent death by getting [[EatenAlive getting eaten alive]] by rats after he accidently passes out at work from drinking too much.
* Later in the book it's described how unsuspecting women from the countryside are often lured into the city with promises of jobs in packaging plants, and textile factories only to drugged, and sent to work in brothels are sex-slaves.

* Rotten meat filled with maggots, and other vermin being dusted off, and then it transported to be turned into sausage, or local canteens to be served as a "free lunch".

* The entire premise of the story. A once happy, and close-knit family comes to a new country with hopes of a starting a new life of peace, and prosperity only to be slowly, brutally, and methodically be ripped apart by means that they cannot control, and have little, if any hope of stopping.

* The fear of being replaced at work, and being rendered destitute being so great that an unnamed woman gave birth at work after creeping away into a dark corner, and hid the newborn in a vat of meat that was only just stopped in time before it was dumped into the grinder.

* Just how the family slowly crumbles as the effects of poverty, disease, starvation, and the brutalities of the people, and environment around them start to take hold. The grandfather dies coughing up blood from pneumonia, and infection after working himself too hard in sickeningly damp, and disgusting pickling room. One-by-one, the children are pulled out school to work miserable, dangerous, and jobs to help keep the family afloat, and one of them dies screaming in agony after eating tuberculous meat while only the daughter is home to try, and vainly help him. Jonas, the brother-in-law, mysteriously vanishes either by getting killed at work, or [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere by just fleeing the horror of it all.]] The baby drowns in the street. Ona is forced to be a sex-slave to her boss under threat of her family being blacklisted from work in the entire city. [[BreakTheCutie The once loud, and plucky Marija becomes a morose, and withdrawn heroin-addicted prostitute,]] and Jurgis, the once proud, strong, and determined patriarch is reduced to a crippled, starving, homeless widower that is sent to jail at the end of the story having lost everything.

* Stanislovas then subsequent death by getting [[EatenAlive gets eaten alive]] by rats after he accidently passes out at work from drinking too much.

* It starts with the very house the family buys. They're told that it's brand new when that can't be true as nearly half a dozen of families have lived in it before, and have all been evicted for being unable to pay rent. It isn't worth even half of what they paid, and are forced to work themselves to the bone to keep. It's made from the cheapest materials, is literally falling apart at the seams, and is stated to have decades of sewage festering underneath it that frequently make the family sick. The ceiling constantly leaks, and there's no insulation so the house is always sweltering, and festering with vermin in the summer, and ice-cold, and draft-filled in the winter.
* What's even worse is that the very moment the family fails to keep up with rent, their turned out onto the street, and the place is repainted, and sold to another family of immigrants the very next week who are completely un the wiser.

* Just how the family slowly crumbles as the effects of poverty, disease, starvation, and the brutalities of the ones from around them start to take hold. The grandfather dies of an infection after working himself to the bone in sickeningly damp, and disgusting pickling room. One-by-one, the children are pulled out school to work miserable, dangerous, and jobs to help keep the family afloat, and one of them dies screaming in agony after eating tuberculous meat while only the daughter is home. Jonas, the brother-in-law, mysteriously vanishes either by getting killed at work, or [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere by just fleeing the horror of it all.]] The baby drowns in the street. Ona is forced to be a sex-slave to her boss under threat of her family being blacklisted from work in the entire city. The once loud, and boisterous Marija becomes a morose, and sullen heroin-addicted prostitute, and Jurgis, the once proud, strong, and determined patriarch is reduced to a crippled, starving, homeless tramp that is sent to jail at the end of the story having lost everything.

* The fact that it was so cold that an unnamed boy's ears were broken off when someone attempted to rub some warmth into them. This incident alone is what causes Stanislovas' unparalleled fear of the cold.
* Stanislovas, the young son who's terrified by the cold, and was frequently beaten by Jurgis because of it, gets [[EatenAlive gets eaten alive]] by rats while passed out drunk at work.

* Stanislovas [[EatenAlive gets eaten alive]] by rats.

* President UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt read the book, and was in such disbelief over Sinclair's descriptions of life in the meatpacking plants that he wondered how much truth there was to his claims. Roosevelt assigned the Labor Commissioner Charles P. Neill and social worker James Bronson Reynolds to go to Chicago to investigate some meat packing facilities. [[TheInspectorIsComing Learning about the visit, owners had their workers thoroughly clean the factories prior to the inspection,]] but Neill and Reynolds were still revolted by the conditions. '''Their oral report to Roosevelt confirmed pretty much ''everything'' Sinclair portrayed in the novel''', except the "human lard" thing.

* President UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt read the book, and was in such disbelief over Sinclair's descriptions of life in the meatpacking plants that he wondered how much truth there was to his claims. Roosevelt assigned the Labor Commissioner Charles P. Neill and social worker James Bronson Reynolds to go to Chicago to investigate some meat packing facilities. Learning about the visit, owners had their workers thoroughly clean the factories prior to the inspection, but Neill and Reynolds were still revolted by the conditions. '''Their oral report to Roosevelt confirmed pretty much ''everything'' Sinclair portrayed in the novel''', except the "human lard" thing.

* The descriptions of conditions on the factory floors. Even knowing conditions have vastly improved since the time the book was written, just knowing food was once so filth-ridden and unsanitary is enough to make someone loose their appetite for a while.
* The imagery invoked of some of the meat by-products themselves, made into canned meat and sausage. "Cartilaginous gullets of beef, after the tongues had been cut out"? Lovely.

* Bubbly Creek. Just the thought of a water body in that (real) condition.

* The descriptions of conditions on the factory floors. Are you able to eat meat after reading this book the same way again?
** Knowing that the descriptions in the book led to President Roosevelt passing legislation like the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 to prevent what Sinclair described, then sure, why not?

* President UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt actually read the book and sent two guys to check up on meatpacking factories to see how much of the book was accurate. Save for the "human lard" scene, he was told that pretty much the entire thing was accurate. You can resume vomiting now.

** Knowing that the descriptions in the book led to laws being passed to prevent what Sinclair described, then sure, why not?

* President TheodoreRoosevelt actually read the book and sent two guys to check up on meatpacking factories to see how much of the book was accurate. Save for the "human lard" scene, he was told that pretty much the entire thing was accurate. You can resume vomiting now.

* The somewhat graphic description of the tramps and beggars taken off the streets daily; dying, insane, filthy, disease-ridden, or all of the above.

** Knowing that the descriptions in the book led to laws being passed to prevent what Sinclair described, then sure, why not?

* The descriptions of conditions on the factory floors. Are you able to eat meat after reading this book the same way again?

It's a book about corruption and terrible practices in the meat-packing industry. ''Of course'' it's meant to scare you.
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* Stanislovas [[EatenAlive gets eaten alive]] by rats.