1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            The endings of literary works usually reveal something about their meaning.  This is true about the ending of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, in which the author departs from his narrative of the lives of Jurgis, a poor Lithuanian immigrant to Chicago’s meatpacking district to argue for socialism.  Sinclair’s shift in perspective and overuse of political rhetoric create a preachy tone that degrades the novel into a one-dimensional argument for socialism that is inappropriate in the context of the work as a whole.

            At the end of the novel, the author breaks from his narrative and begins to make the case for socialism.  Jurgis is abandoned, and Sinclair takes on a more general viewpoint, listing things that Jurgis has never encountered in the story.  The work is revealed as only an account of his conversion to socialism.  This compromises Jurgis’ complexity, simplifying the protagonist into a launching pad for a completely new argument.  During these final chapters, the entire focus of the writing is on socialism.  The same points of fiery rhetoric are repeated over and over, and they quickly get boring.  This further detaches the ending of The Jungle from the rest of the story.

            The tone of the last few chapters suffers from the use of these techniques.  While the rest of the novel is told in a dark manner, describing the abuse of workers and Jurgis’ trials and tribulations in Chicago, the ending abruptly switches to an ultra-hopeful and radical tone that is at best inconsistent and reads as an advertisement.  This further simplifies the story by devaluing the weighty narrative and distracting the reader from the other implications of its meaning-rich beginning and middle sections.

            The meaning of the muckraking commentary on industrial America in The Jungle is wasted by its ending, a shameless and extreme argument for socialism. 

I did not have a good time with this prompt, especially because I remember almost nothing about The Jungle.  It felt like I was only scratching the surface, repeating the same idea and backing it up weakly.  I also ran out of time, though I doubt I could have written anything of value.