Analyzing the Text
Although one will not find out about these horrors right away, gradually it is possible to piece together what is going on at the factory. These sentences serve to introduce the readers to the expose that follows.
The imagery is disgusting and horrifying, revealing that Sinclair is appalled that such an esteemed brand has been getting away with such practices.
He means that they were always mixing up some new concoction, rather like alchemists or today’s chemists do, only with assorted animal parts rather than chemicals or elements.
This point of view seems detached and is not overwhelmed by any emotion or opinion on the part of the character. Rather, the story is simply presented as it is and it is up to the reader to draw a conclusion from the information provided.
His topic is the maltreatment of the workers. He communicates, through vivid detail, their tragic fates, as no worker escapes maiming or even death.
They were likely more concerned with what they themselves were eating than with the plight of people who were poor, uneducated, and most likely immigrants. Through writing this book, Sinclair aimed to draw attention not only to the unsanitary conditions for food but the impact those conditions had upon the workers that produced that food.
If he had named a real company and real people, he would have encountered legal trouble. This was a way to expose what was really happening without being sued.