Discuss the ways in which setting contribute to The Jungle's effectiveness.

Regrettably, I had to cut down your question to focusing only on
the setting in Sinclair's work. I think that the setting is essential in bringing out the
thematic development of the work. The stockyards and stockyard life is what resonated strongly
with Americans during the Progressive time period. The element of "Muckracking" journalism
present comes from these honest depictions of life in American urban centers, something that was
not either acknowledged or not wished to be acknowledged. At the same time, the setting of
factory life where there was no regulated or standardized practice and what that actually entails
were major elements that motivated Americans to believe that a change was needed. Such attention
to detail can also resonate with the reader of today, demonstrating that the settings evoked
transcend time:

Modern
readers can relate to the dehumanizing effects of boring, repetitive assembly-line labor and of
employers who put profits before the health of their
workers.

Sinclair's settings bring to
light the conditions in which millions of people in America were living and dying. Sinclair's
attention to setting details helped to create a vivid picture of an industrial and capitalist
setting that has veered off the course and become one in needed of absolute change and
transformation.