Upton Sinclair was born in 1878. His work as a writer, political activist and muckraker deemed him worthy of winning a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1943. Upton was an honest, hard-working man that pushed his way through distasteful territory, bringing both the working man’s and the industrialist’s perspective to the forefront. He was described as “a man with every gift except humor and silence”.
Born in Maryland, his parents were by no means wealthy. They came from British ancestry and both grandparents were Scottish. Most evenings, when bedtime came, Upton crawled upon the sofa to sleep, or would cautiously inch his way onto the foot of his parent’s bed, laying crossways. His mother’s side of the family did come from very prosperous means, and he would get the opportunity to stay with his grandparents on occasion, escaping the reality of his poor home life. This impacted his thinking at quite a young age; experiencing both spectrums of living.
His father was a liquor salesman and, as it seems, a relentless alcoholic. His mother was an Episcopalian and had a passionate distaste for alcohol, coffee and tea. His childhood was fairly chaotic, and the family would move often, implanting a feeling of discomfort and uncertainty that followed closely behind his every step. At five years old, he began reading incessantly and soaked in every book his mother owned. Upton didn’t start school until he was 10, leaving him playing a humiliating game of catch up in mathematics.
In 1888, the family moved to New York and his father sold shoes to support the family. At the age of 14, Upton started college in 1892. To pay for his tuition he wrote dime novels and magazine articles. His writing was well received and with the money he began making on the regular, he offered to move his parents into an apartment by the time he was 17.
Upton learned several languages and studied law at Columbia University (though he never graduated). Upton’s real passion remained with writing. He supported himself during this time by selling ideas to cartoonists and writing adventure stories for boys. After leaving school with no degree to hang on the wall, Upton wrote four books in the next four years; all of which were appraised positively.
Upton was known for unveiling hard truths and went undercover often. He spent several weeks in disguise, investigating Chicago’s meatpacking plants undercover. His novel, The Jungle was published as a result, revealing conditions in the plants, appalling cruelty to animals and unfair living conditions of the immigrants. Upton gained adequate riches (and scrutiny) from his publication and used much of the income running as a Socialist candidate.
At 22 years of age, Upton escaped to Quebec to work on a novel, renting a small cabin to dodge the noise of the real world. After three months in the cabin, Upton moved to a farmhouse and was reintroduced to Meta Fuller. Meta was an old friend from childhood, three years younger than Upton. She had a fervent curiosity about life and imagined herself in more than a motherly and wifely role. She had a drive to learn and experience adventure! Upton shared books with her and offered suggestions to help the walls widen to unaccustomed territory, offering a new view of life. The pair married in October 1900.
The young couple refrained from sex in efforts of avoiding getting pregnant. Alas, one can only hold out for so long. They became pregnant the following year. Meta tried to terminate the pregnancy on several occasions. Little David was thankfully born in December of 1901, despite the dreadful efforts Meta had taken. Meta encouraged Upton to find a real job and give up writing, but he couldn’t stop now.
Upton may have felt pressure and negativity during this new chapter of life. Despite being vocal that sex outside of marriage was not his manner, Upton began a love affair with a woman named, Anna. This affair was not based solely on sexual satisfaction, but on a different level of intimacy he hadn’t been familiar with prior. He wrote a novel called Love’s Progress but was hesitant to publish the revealing truths. Soon after, his wife followed his example, engaging in a love affair with a theology student from Memphis, resulting in another son for Meta.
Upton was married a total of three times. His second wife was a daughter of Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis. In 1913 Mary was attending one of his lectures featuring The Jungle and the sparks flew. She was also a writer and their visions aligned much into their later years. They married and moved to California, where they resided until her health steadily deteriorated after experiencing a stroke. Mary passed shortly after, in 1961. Two years later, Upton married his third wife, ironically also a “Mary”.
Upton found great passion in researching and unmasking injustices of capitalism and the bearings of poverty among the working class. The Jungle is one of many examples that prove how Upton’s sincere and blatant honesty implemented change. Due to this publication becoming a bestseller (and quite the controversy during this time), President Theodore Roosevelt invited Upton to the White House; initiating an inspection of the meatpacking industry. This inspection resulted in the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act passing.
In 1968, at the of 90, Upton passed away in a nursing home. Upton wrote more than 90 books, 30 plays and oodles upon oodles of journalism. His passion shone through his writing and his curiosity propelled him to reveal hard truths, no matter how harsh a reality they were. Upton felt a need to reveal how society was run and by whom. He wasn’t fearful of shaking things up and creating a buzz that resulted in controversy.
“I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit in the stomach.”
References:
Upton Sinclair – The Jungle, Books & Quotes (biography.com)
29 Timeless Upton Sinclair Quotes To Share (thefamouspeople.com)