Oil! | Upton Sinclair | Little Boston News

Oil! | Upton Sinclair | If you like early 20th century writers, this is your man.

books:

Oil!

	Oil! Upton Sinclair Penguin (Non-Classics), 2007 - 560 pages average customer review:based on 39 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Little Boston News

It's the year 2007. America is hastily at war over something it's politicians still won't answer too. Resources, religion, and patriotism are have woven together to form a toxic mix of cross-divisional nepotism. In short, not much has changed since the Harding Administration.
Who will decide the election of 2008 is the oil industry. You're either for it or against it. If the victor is someone like Barack Obama, and Iraq is (rightfully) abandoned, the immediate tied supply of oil to this country in the middle east will diminish, possibly forcing that giant military budget and expenditure to be transferred to progressive research of electrical engines and other reusable alternatives to maintain economy of life. If not, and the victor is John McCain or Rudy Guiliani, expect to be at war for another five years to maintain a fair cost of transportation (esp. for popular American vehicles such as trucks and sport-utility-vehicles). That's what happens when one powerful political faction is sponsored by the most profitable business in the world...and that business, in the next 20 years, may be depletable. It's oil vs. the cost of life...when you vote, you're inevitably chosing one.
Although first published in the 1920's (as "Oil!: There Will Be Blood") Upton Sinclair's novel plays out as a perfect metaphor for our time sprawled out in the southern California oil boom of the early 20th century. The story centers around a man named John Plainview, whose father purchases land near the Cali/Mexico border with the intention of making a profit during the intense southern California migration that occurred at this time. Instead, the man dies and Plainview, by accident, strikes oil on the land and becomes a small-scale prospector intent on making it rich. Soon bigger facets of the industry take notice (including mass-bully corporations that allude to real companies and oil barons like J.P. Morgan), and begin buying and setting up industry around Plainview's claim. All the while, the exponentially growing population becomes enthralled with religious revivalism in the form of the preacher Eli Sunday, who upon arrival, is befriended by Plainview and is seen as a surrogate son. As Plainview refuses to submit to taking the bribes offered by the encrouching companies for his land, Sunday must take a side.
The novel is very dense, and like other Sinclair works, such as "The Jungle" (the book for whom he's most known), strong socialist themes and sentiments run throughout. By the end, Plainview remains a man whose self-made dreams have been vanquished and beaten by capitalism. Up against those with limitless funds, there is no victory in sight...only a small, impending fall from grace.
Recently it was announced that this novel (which if you've read it, will instantly seem unadaptable) will be made into a movie. I groaned when I read it, but I also immediately plowed my way to [...] and typed in the title....and low and behold I was speechless. Daniel 'the greatest living actor' Day-Lewis as Plainview! Jack 'jackie-jack, mr. Spacek of "The New World" himself' Fisk as the film's production designer!! Photographed by Robert 'master-steadicamist and "Syriana" I-know-my-s#it cinematographer' Elswitt!!! Scored by the great Jon 'you-need-to-work-with-Aimee-again' Brion!!!! And written and directed by.. 'drum-roll please' PTA!!!!!
So yeah, no matter how much of the story is kept intact, the authenticity and timeliness will certainly be there. It's being done by the best. Set to be released Dec. 2007. Nine short months. I can't wait!

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If you like early 20th century writers, this is your man.

Sinclair's writing style is gregarious, repetitive. He hits you on the head with the 'poor working class stiff' schtick, but if you can get past it, what he's describing is actually quite interesting. Sinclair's book is a worthwhile read not only for its striking similarities to our own times, which many people have already stated. But his depictions of the early 20th century in southern California, the social mores, the living conditions, the locations -- are all his images, as he experienced them, or imagined them. They may not have been 'real' but they are certainly what we no longer experience. Los Angeles and Long Beach with derricks, dirt road travelling, working class lives, oak forests in places no longer existant, oil derrick explosions. It was incredibly interesting to read Sinclair's version of how derricks were built, maintained, and occasionally destroyed. Highly recommended for California early 20th century history buffs.

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Communism from a 1927 perspective

"Oil" may be the title of Upton Sinclair's expansive work of historical fiction first published in 1927, but the meat of the novel is about the incipient titanic struggle between Communism and Capitalism dating to the closing days of World War I. In Sinclair's view (one which has largely been censored from popular views of American history), Russian Bolsheviks quickly became the nemesis of American and European Capitalism. Efforts at "containment" started immediately after the war with the maintenance of a large American garrison in Vladivostok to protect the railway and munitions assets of J.P. Morgan that were securing a loan to the British government. According to Sinclair, the U.S. government also financed and encouraged multiple mercenary armies (most notably in Poland) along the Russian borders in an effort to neutralize the Communist takeover. This was all done at the behest of "big business" interests in the U.S. who expected that our armed forces would protect them and their assets anywhere in the world. This is one of the main threads that Sinclair continues to develop for the remainder of the novel. The author is remarkable in his ability delineate the opposing viewpoints in this monumental battle which has affected so many of the events of the past 70 years. Here's a prescient quote from 1927. "You really think there'll be another war, Paul?" "Paul answered that armaments produce wars automatically; the capitalists who make the armaments have to see that they are used, in order to get to make more. Bunny said that the idea of another war seemed too horrible to think about; and Paul replied, "So you don't think about it, and that makes it easy for the business men to get it ready" In view of our current involvement in the Middle East, one has to wonder when if ever we will be able to get onto a different path forward.

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its no wonder...

of course this book is being made into a movie!! considering that this novel is about a decade shy of being a century old, its relevance is absurd!! suffice it to say its as though a modern writer were taking todays political and economic climate and, for the sake of device, setting it in the early 1920's. this book, while heavily propagandizing the socialist/communist movement, should be a mandatory nominee for public and private history courses...proof that when you dont know your history, it will, indeed, repeat itself.

as a novel i would describe it as: 'to kill a mockingbird meets catcher in the rye' safe to say i am in love with this book. on all accounts. as both historical commentary and classic novel entertainment, this cant miss!!

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Oil and Reds!

I suppose Upton Sinclair can be described as the poor mans Steinbeck;no way does he come close to the depth of Steinbecks great social novels,but for all that 'Oil' is a vastly entertaining read with good insights to the real thinking,views and politics going on at that time.
Sinclair was a great social reform advocate,which leaves the novel a bit out of balance at times,but for priceless pieces of cynasism(..'she decided to buy only expensive food,leaving the lard,cabbage and potatoes for the poor'..)its worth the ride!
History has proved Sinclair hopelessly naive in his lauding of the Bolseviks in 'Oil'-and even ardent left wingers today would probably like to join the anti red thugs of that era in beating up Paul Watkins and giving Bunny a good slap-but many of the points are still relevent today,and theres enough left after sorting out the chaffe to still make you think about the issue.
The very naivity of Sinclairs characters over the leading social issues of their day,lead you to wonder how foolish we will all sound re todays issues 80 years from now.
A good book,for all its failings.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8

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