What are four themes in The Jungle?

Four themes in The Jungle include
the American Dream, class conflict, crime, and
self-reliance.

The promise and
elusiveness of the American Dream is the central theme of
the book. The Rudkus family comes to the New World from Lithuania because they have been
led to believe that in America,

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"rich or poor, a man was free...he did not have
to go into the army, he did not have to pay out his money to public officials - he might
do as he pleased and count himself as good as any other
men."

Sadly, the Rudkus
family soon learns that they are not free at all in America because they must devote all
their energies to staying afloat financially. The full impact of the reality of the
Dream is brought to light when Ona Rudkus must work as a prostitute to ensure the
survival of her family.

As poor laborers, the Rudkus family
is constantly at odds with their employers, the ruling class which controls the wealth.
Life is a never-ending struggle between the "haves" and "have nots," and after reaching
the depths of poverty and desperation, Jurgis, the head of the Rudkus family, finally
decides that he will do what it takes to become a "winner" in the perpetual
class conflict that characterizes life in
America.

Jurgis starts on a life of
crime when he is himself a victim of a crime, a mugging.
Jurgis decends into the criminal world, becoming involved in activities of ever
increasing levels of immorality, including gambling and crooked politics. As his crimes
become less defined in depravity, Jurgis finds that he has joined the ranks of the
oppressors, almost without realizing what has happened to
him.

A large part of the philosophy of the American Dream
is self-reliance, the belief that the individual can
achieve anything if he only works hard enough. Sadly, this idea is as false as the Dream
itself, as illustrated by the experience of the Rudkus family; no matter how hard every
member of the family tried, they were not able to achieve the elusive American
Dream.