In one of
the most famousnot to say, gut-wrenchingepisodes in Jurgis goes on a tour
of a meat-packing plant, which is supposed to open the reader's eyes to the horrors of
unregulated capitalism. The conditions in the factory are truly appalling. The animals sent
there to be slaughtered endure great suffering before they are finally killed. Not only that,
but hygiene is virtually non-existent. An inspector is supposed to make sure that diseased meat
doesn't get into the food-chain, but he regularly turns a blind eye to what's going on, choosing
to look the other way so as not to slow down production. The millions of people who will eat the
meat products produced at this plant have no idea of what they're putting inside
themselves.
Whatever the reader might think, Jurgis is actually rather
impressed by his tour of the plant. He's positively awestruck at this scene of mechanized
slaughter, with its remarkable speed and efficiency. It's quite unlike anything he's ever seen
before. At this early stage in the story, Jurgis is still pretty naive when it comes to the true
nature of American capitalism. But in due course he'll come to realize that it's not just farm
animals who end up being maltreated by this unregulated economic system.
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