What is the meaning of the metaphor of The Jungle?

, the author
of, was a well-known socialist. In The Jungle, Sinclair is reacting to the ideas of social
darwinism or the idea that those who are successful in society are those who are the most fit to
survive. This idea was popular during the time Sinclair was writing his novels and The Jungle is
meant to show the pitfalls of Social Darwinism's beliefs. The people who survive in his novel
are not necessarily the most fit, but the most corrupt and brutal. The Jungle metaphorically
paints a picture of the economic situation Jurgis and his family face in the Chicago meatpacking
plants. They are treated like animals amid terrible working conditions and a system which preys
on naive immigrants. The houses they buy are substandard; they catch diseases...