Finding the Spark: Upton Sinclair's Attempt to Effect Social Change in The Jungle and The Goose-Step
Date of Defense
4-14-2005
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Katherine Joslin
Second Advisor
Dr. Chris Nagle
Third Advisor
Dr. Mark Orbe
Abstract
The Jungle sparked a social movement that led to The Pure Food and Drug Act, earned Upton Sinclair a comparison to the muckrake men in Pilgrim's Progress from President Theodore Roosevelt and remains a well read book included in educational curricula across the United States. The Goose-Step is mentioned on few timelines of American education history, had little effect on society, and is generally unheard of by contemporary readers. Sinclair was able to effect social change by creating harmony between Romanticism and Naturalism in a piece of historical fiction, The Jungle, in The Goose-Step, a later attempt to reproduce this expansive change, he is unsuccessful because he was lacking the key ingredients, namely characters, plot and audience, that are necessary for creating change. There are several factors that contribute to Sinclair's inability to ignite social change a second time, including fanaticism, a missing hero, and deficiency of solutions in The Goose-Step. The story of the evolution of each book offers insight into why they differ.
Recommended Citation
Walker, Melissa A., "Finding the Spark: Upton Sinclair's Attempt to Effect Social Change in The Jungle and The Goose-Step" (2005). Honors Theses. 1078.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/1078
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only