In this paper, I will prove that capitalism is the means through which the rich subjugate the rest of society, as evidenced by the pervasiveness of inequality in “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair and the “Address to the Prisoners of Cook County Jail” by Clarence Darrow. The degree to which capitalism has impacted the distribution of wealth and opportunities in society has shaped the course of events in the world. The distribution of wealth impacts access to power, which the rich have used to shape society and maintain dominion over the working class. The widening rift between the rich and the poor directly results from the wealthy’s influence on legal and social systems designed to direct the flow of wealth away from the majority of the world’s population.
A capitalist outlook in society promotes inequality, which is viewed as the norm in society. In a speech titled “Address to the Prisoners of Cook County Jail,” Clarence Darrow highlights the fact that the law was created by the rich, who, due to their capitalist principles, own and control a vast portion of society’s wealth (Darrow 229). The access that is linked to the wealth they own equips them with the power to define the law and the functioning of legal institutions in a way that serves their interests, which, more often than not, includes the maintenance of their elite position. The rich are part of a social class in which money and capital are some of the privileges that they are accorded. Capital owners are more often than not “richer than any member of” the working class in society (Ranaldi and Milanović 1). It is vital to point out that capital is a tool used by the rich to preserve domination and hierarchy in a capitalist society. The blend of specific privileges allows the rich to wield the power that allows them to impose their will on the rest of society.
The progressive obliteration of Jurgis’s immigrant family by a discriminatory social and economic system, as highlighted in “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair, is evidence of the deleterious effects of capitalism on society’s workers. Immigrants are often hopeful that the American Dream, which promises material gains provided one works hard, will elevate them from poverty. The conventional definition of a capitalist society as one that is premised on wealth is designed to disguise the structure of domination while incentivizing the poor to work and fulfill the ambitious economic goals of the rich (Rehbein 716). The wealth generated by the efforts of the working members of society ends up in rich people’s hands. Therefore, the rules governing capitalist societies are designed to disenfranchise the poor. Sinclair is determined to show that capitalism is the source of people’s suffering in a society that prioritizes the acquisition of wealth at the expense of everything else.
Capitalism is one of the world’s most efficient drivers of inequality. For instance, in 2018, 26 of the planet’s richest individuals owned as much wealth as half of the world’s poor population, which was estimated at approximately four billion people (Rehbein 696). The apparent efficiency of capitalism, which is believed to have originated in Europe, is a hoax, given the degree of suffering it has caused. Capitalism was inextricably linked to colonialism, which was the means through which Europe subjugated the rest of the world. The white settlers in North America disregarded the traditional forms of land ownership that were practiced by the indigenous population (Schäfer 131). Instead, they used force and legal systems to transform the land and assume ownership at the expense of the indigenous people who had protected the land for generations. Capitalism’s origins are evident in the fact that it promotes the expropriation of capital in the hands of a few rich individuals at the expense of the rest of society.
The perception that inequality is the denial of quantifiable economic gains to a segment of society is misleading, given that it promotes a one-dimensional view of the subject. Inequality is multifaceted and includes the unjust distribution of economic goods as well as other forms of resources. “The differential access to activities, positions, and goods that are valued by society” is the means through which inequality leads to the subjugation of segments of the population (Rehbein 698). The Lithuanian immigrants depicted in “The Jungle” travel to America with the hope of earning higher wages and leading a happy life. Instead, they encounter a society in which corruption and prejudice are the norms. They essentially become “bound into slavery by unseen chains” (Sinclair 373). The Jurgis family quickly learns that material success in America can only be achieved through theft and crime. Sinclair notes that “a huge army of the graft was necessary for the purpose of effecting” any sort of change (Sinclair 302). Despite their hard work, humility, and togetherness, the immigrant family in “The Jungle” fails to realize the American Dream.
Darrow is keen to point out that the resultant systems of power are an impediment to the poor, who are forced to seek out other non-conventional means to provide for their families. He notes that “the more that is taken from the poor by the rich” who have the power to amass large amounts of wealth, “the more poor people there are who are compelled” to adopt criminal activities as a means of survival (Darrow 227). The inequality Darrow aims to highlight is significant in view of the fact that its origin was orchestrated by generations of rich individuals in society. For instance, by the time women were eventually given the right to vote, men had already assumed leading roles in society, which gave them unfettered access to all the available capital. While the freeing of slaves should be lauded, the released individuals had no education, no respect, and no access to capital or meaningful forms of employment. Therefore, while the poor were allowed to participate in the market, they had no access to capital. The aforementioned subjugated groups were able to achieve minimal gains through struggles, but they never achieved true freedom or wealth. The struggles of the disenfranchised in society are emphasized in “The Jungle,” where capitalism has forced the poor to resort to unscrupulous tactics, such as the sale of unhealthy meat to the public, in an attempt to make a living. It is worth noting that rather than explore the psychology of capitalism, Sinclair presents the disparaging effects of capitalism on society.
The rich have used their immense power to limit poor people’s ability to gain access to real opportunities, resulting in an inevitable increase in crime as desperate individuals seek to make a living. A small fraction of the world’s population owns most of the available capital, which is often invested for the purpose of generating profit. Therefore, the rest of society must work at the behest of capitalists (Rehbein 712). Most of the world’s population is dependent on individuals who provide the capital required to create jobs that pay meager salaries. Darrow surmises that prisoners are victims of a system where the only feasible way to meet vital needs is to “break the rules of the game” (Darrow 229). The rich influence the law by employing the services of lawyers tasked with developing legal policies that include specific interests encoded in new laws adopted by legal institutions such as courts (Schäfer 126). The rich then exploit the state’s preference for and monopoly over the use of force to enforce the new policies designed to address the rich individuals’ interests.
The plight of the poor is further exemplified in “The Jungle,” which emphasizes the maliciousness of a capitalist society. The author chooses specific events to highlight the failures of the capitalist system, defined as an inhumane and unjust set of principles and institutions promoting violence and destruction. The inequity highlighted in “The Jungle” can be traced back to historical events that marked the origins of capitalist ideology. Medieval England was characterized by large parcels of agricultural land that was free or considered to be “the villagers’ alms” (Schäfer 129). However, members of the aristocracy decide to fence off large sections of the land for private use. The rich subsequently sought the services of lawyers who recorded land ownership laws which were invariably skewed to favor the rich. The local courts enforced the new regulations to the detriment of peasants and the local communities. Poor individuals lacked the means to gain capital, given that most of the arable land was progressively falling into the hand of influential aristocratic families.
It is vital to note that provided there is a system that facilitates the unequal distribution of power and resources, the pervasiveness of acts of crime will persist as a consequence of the created imbalance. Darrow insists that the only feasible way of eliminating delinquency is by creating a system of equality in which the creation of laws is not the preserve of the rich and all people’s interests are given equivalent weight. Sinclair is of the view that socialism is the most appropriate remedy for the challenges created by a capitalist economic system. “The Jungle” juxtaposes the evil of capitalism against the benefits of a socialist movement. Rather than facilitating the destruction of the majority for the benefit of the few, Sinclair introduces a system in which every individual’s needs are prioritized and addressed.
The severity with which capitalism has promoted inequality has led to the subjugation of a majority of the world’s population. Most of society’s wealth is under the control of a few individuals who use the power associated with riches to craft laws and influence institutions for the purpose of safeguarding specific interests. The poor are forced to engage in criminal acts in an attempt to earn a living and provide for their families. It is clear that capitalism is the means through which the rich subjugate the rest of the world’s population, evidenced by the pervasiveness of inequality in contemporary society.
Works Cited
Darrow, Clarence. “Address to the Prisoners in the Cook County Jail.” Before the Law: An Introduction to the Legal Process. Ed. John J. Bonsignore., et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. pp. 225-232.
Ranaldi, Marco, and Branko Milanović. “Capitalist Systems and Income Inequality.” Journal of Comparative Economics, vol. 50, no. 1, Elsevier Inc., 2022, pp. 20–32, doi:10.1016/j.jce.2021.07.005.
Rehbein, Boike. “Capitalism and Inequality.” Sociedade e Estado, vol. 35, no. 3, 2020, pp. 695–722, doi:10.1590/s0102-6992-202035030002.
Schäfer, Hans-Bernd. “National Wealth and Private Poverty through Civil Law? A Review of the Book ‘The Code of Capital’ by Katharina Pistor.” European Journal of Law and Economics, vol. 53, no. 1, Springer US, 2022, pp. 125–43, doi:10.1007/s10657-021-09710-9.
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, 1905.