Labor Day is the day we honor the achievements of American workers, according to the Department of Labor.  In honor of that tradition, I will take a minute to discuss a labor-oriented noveland then we'll all participate in a Labor Day writing prompt.

Labor Day Writing Prompt

Labor Themed Novel: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

In 1906, Upton Sinclair published The JungleHis goal was expose the deplorable conditions at factories in Chicago and other American cities. The book was wildly successful.

But not for the reasons Sinclair intended.

Rather than being disgusted with the exploitation of the American worker, most people were just disgusted by the way their sausage was made at the meatpacking factory featured in the story.

I get the impression from Wikipedia that Sinclair was definitely annoyed, but at least it got people to read his book, right?

Does it matter that the public was drawn to The Jungle for a completely different reason than the author intended?  Are there other examples of this happening? Let us know in the comments section.

PRACTICE

Take fifteen minutes to write about an American worker.  Share in the comments section below!

Monica is a lawyer trying to knock out her first novel. She lives in D.C. but is still a New Yorker. You can follow her on her blog or on Twitter (@monicamclark).

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