Group+2

1. What was Sinclair’s intention in writing the Jungle? How was the impact different than he anticipated?

Sinclair had intended to argue for socialism rather have his book be an expose of the meat industry in Chicago. He did not want to overly describe the conditions; he just wanted to question the system and what it is like to be an individualist. The impact was different because the book had made him famous and also the readers thought of a different argument when they read it that what he wanted to convey.Sinclair wrote The Jungle in order to power the working class, to whom the book is dedicated. Sinclair said that people have always misread The Jungle and that he intended it to be “less of an exposé of the meat industry than as an argument for socialism” (vi). He “aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident hit it in the stomach” (vi). He meant to capture his audience’s heart, but instead, his detailed descriptions of the meat industry ended up affecting their stomachs.

2. Why is this called a “Protest novel” in the Introduction?

It is called a “protest novel” because it is an exposure of the conditions in Chicago and because it presents an argument that not all people would agree with and it offers little resistance.

3. What impact did the book have when it was released?

People were shocked to hear about the true conditions and the book is remembered as a “stomach-turning expose of unsanitary conditions and deceitful practices in the meat packing industry”. The book decreased America’s meat consumption after it was released.When Sinclair’s book was released, it had a “sensational” impact because of his “enormous dossier of irrefutable detail, straightforwardly presented and linked to an affecting human drama” (xv). His book conveys a lot of upfront information about the work process, about how the city was run and about the corruption and the working conditions and living conditions of the slums. It vividly describes how life changed when immigrants came to America and the formation of new urban cities.

4. What criticisms does the Introduction writer offer of the book?

The introduction author says that Sinclair over elaborates bad things and that he exaggerates the tragedies. He is also says that Sinclair is biased about socialism and that as soon as Jurgis discovers it everything becomes good and he describes Sinclair’s characters as “conceived” and “constricted”.

5. What was the ultimate importance of the book?

Sinclair’s point is that people who are “wage slaves” are not autonomous. He also states that these people had just as much freedom as black slaves before the Civil War.The book reveals exactly how the working and living conditions were at this period of time in our nation’s history and is very blunt and honest and does not spare the graphic details. It shows “how capitalism creates disintegrating pressures that undermine family life, cultural ties, and moral values” (xi). “Immigrants with peasant backgrounds and even migrants from America’s own rural regions are especially ill-equipped to survive in the urban jungle because of their stubborn individualism.” (xi).

6. ID the following: Mike Scully-Wealthy, Irish democrat who was the owner of the dump that Jurgis and Ona walked by on their first day in America, the brick factory, and all of the housing. He employed a lot of men who worked eight hours a day with the highest wages. Bubbly Creek- The place where all the waste and garbage from Packingtown was dumped. Packingtown-The Town where Jurgis and Ona work. It’s called Packingtown because of the meat packing industry. Dr. Schliemann- A socialist who talks about the benefits of socialism at a spokesperson for socialism. In chapter 31, he talks about socialism in full detail to a magazine editor who has written negatively about socialism. Tommy Hinds- Tommy Hinds owns a hotel in Chicago. He gives Jurgis a job after he converts to socialism. Madame Haupt-Helps out Jurgis, Ona, and the baby. She tells Jurgis that the baby is dead and Ona will die soon. She serves as a nurse for the lower class. Jack Duane- Jurgis meets Jack in prison. Jack shows Jurgis a place where he can easily get money. This is significant because Jurgis has never been able to easily obtain money in America, but with Jack’s knowledge, he is now able.

7. Why did Jurgis and Ona come to America? Jurgis and Ona came to America because after Ona’s father dies, he wanted to make a fortune and earn his right to Ona. Ona’s brother, Jonas, suggested that they all go to America because a friend of his had gotten rich there. Jurgis thought that the prices in America where the same as in Lithuania, but income was greater. Jurgis thought that “America was a place of which lovers and young people dreamed”

8. In what ways does Sinclair take capitalism to task in the process of Jurgis “buying” a house? Sinclair involves capitalism as he makes the house a rental until the family pays the complete amount of money. He also uses the agent to represent private ownership. He also uses the fact that the family has to rent to show how hard it is to privately own a property in a capitalist world.

9. How does Jurgis end up in jail? How does Sinclair compare the factory where Jurgis works with the cell where he spends his time? How long does he stay in jail? Why is he blacklisted? Jurgis ends up in jail for attacking Phil Connor. He attacks him because Connor tries to make Ona his mistress. The cell where Jurgis spends his time is small and dirty, terrible conditions, just like the factory he works at. He stays in jail for thirty days and is blacklisted for trying to kill a superior.

10. How is Jurgis injured on the job? What happens to him? Where does he work after that? Describe the conditions. Jurgis works in the fertilizer plant, which is the lowest stage in Packingtown. The conditions there are horrible because there is dust from the bones everywhere and a lot of fumes which both get caught in the lungs and skin of the workers in over a hundred degree temperature. After just one day of working there Jurgis is vomiting, has dust all over him, and smells horrible. When he goes home, he makes his family vomit also because of the smell.

11. What causes Jurgis to begin his life of wandering? What jobs does he have after returning from his wanderings? List them in order. Jurgis’ son, Antanas dies. When Jurgis views his body, he feels there is nothing else he can do but to wander. He wanders throughout the city. And eventually decides to take a train and go to the countryside. As he travels through the country and he is exposed to the fresh air, he starts to look for jobs on farms.

12. Why is Jurgis sometimes referred to as “Jack”? In what ways does he suffer dehumanization? How does the socialist meeting help him to rediscover himself? Jack is a term that Americans call all foreigners and unskilled men in Packingtown. The socialist meeting changes his views and he realizes that he is a supporter of the Socialist party. The meeting gave him confidence that he could do something in the world, which he had not had for a long time because of the treatment he had experienced since arriving in Chicago.

13. Why does Schliemann consider himself a “philosopher anarchist”? What was The Appeal? What important realization did Jurgis have as a result of his contact with socialism? He considers himself a philosopher anarchist because he says that a philosopher anarchist is someone who supports the separating of the law for the good purposes, which he considers himself to be a supporter or. The Appeal was a socialist newspaper. Jurgis’ important realization came to him after having contact with socialism. He realizes that he has a voice in the world and that even though he had a difficult struggle coming to America, there were other people that were being challenged just as much and that he was not the only one.

Chapter 2 Chapter Summary: • Jurgis and Ona’s pasts are explained. Jurgis comes from a poorer family than Ona’s. • Ona’s father dies, leaving her family very little money. • Jonas talks about a friend who went to America to make a fortune. • The “party” makes their journey (including Marija) to America and the chapter describes how they came through New York and ended up in Chicago. • Jonas runs into his friend who came to America only to find that he is suffering. • Jurgis sees that prices are more expensive in America. • They get directed to boarding house where the conditions are miserable. • Jurgis and Ona take a walk describing the awful smells and sights of Chicago. • The chapter ends with Jurgis saying he will get a job.

Questions Answered: #7 Why did Jurgis and Ona come to America? Jurgis and Ona came to America because after Ona’s father dies, he wanted to make a fortune and earn his right to Ona. Ona’s brother, Jonas, suggested that they all go to America because a friend of his had gotten rich there. Jurgis thought that the prices in America where the same as in Lithuania, but income was greater. Jurgis thought that “America was a place of which lovers and young people dreamed”

Characters in the Chapter: Jonas, Ona’s brother. Jokubas, Jonas’ friend who came to America, who now owns a delicatessen. Marija, Ona’s cousin.

Passages: “And along with the thickening…a voice shouted—“stockyards!” (26). As Ona and Jurgis are on their way to Chicago, the smell and sounds are described as getting greater and greater. It seems as though the place they are heading is the base of the smell and the noise. This also shows the poor living and working conditions that immigrants had to deal with.

Chapter 3

Chapter Summery Jurgis refuses Jokubas offer to get him a job Jurgis finds work at Brown’s meat packing company Jokubas takes Jurgis and the family on a tour of packing town They are horrified by what they see The suffering of the cattle, pigs, and sheep is particularly terrible Jurgis feels sorry for the hogs in particular Jokubas makes jokes about the sanitation signs Jokubas claims that government inspectors don’t do a complete job inspecting the meat Spoiled meat is painted up so that it can be scattered with the rest of the meat Characters: Jurgis: A strong self-reliant Lithuanian immigrant. He declines help from friends, and finds himself a job at Brown’s meet packing company. Despite the clear unsanitary conditions, and his sympathetic feelings, Jurgis feels proud and empowered that he got a job on his own. Jokubas: Jokubas is the man who shows Jurgis around packing town and Durham’s meet packing company. He regards health inspectors and sanitation as a cruel joke Important Quotes: "It was so businesslike that one...buried out of sight and memory." (Pg. 35)

Chapter 4

Summary

Jurgis begins his job as a sweeper who sweeps slaughtered cattle through doors. He is happy that earns two dollars an hour and so he does not mind doing the work. Both Jonas and Marija have good jobs as well and Jurgis refuses to let Ona and Teta to work. Jurgis wants all of his children to go to school but he is worried about Dede Antanas because he can’t get a job because of his age. The family gets excited when they see an advertisement for a new house. They go and meet the seller who can speak Lithuanian and they soon find that the house is not as nice as it was pictured in the advertisement. They decide to go through with buying the house and they meet up with the agent again and then they find out that the house is a rental until the full payment is made. Jurgis is mad and goes to meet a lawyer and soon discovers that he is a friend of the agent. Jurgis then returns home.

Characters

Jonas-Teta Elzbieta’s brother, who was the person who encouraged Jurgis and Ona to travel to America.

Marija - Ona’s cousin, who travels to America with the rest of the family.

Teta Elzbieta Lukoszaite - Ona’s stepmother

Dede Antanas Rudku - Jurgis’s father, who travels to America with the rest of the family

In what ways did Sinclair take capitalism to task in the process of Jurgis “buying” a house?

Sinclair involves capitalism as he makes the house a rental until the family pays the complete amount of money. He also uses the agent to represent private ownership. He also uses the fact that the family has to rent to show how hard it is to privately own a property in a capitalist world. Chapter 5

Summary: The family bought a house and started to live their lives. They can hardly believe they own it and so they get to work and start furnishing it, buying the necessary things needed. They get a job and Jurgis is working in a slaughter house, which he does not mind. Even though he likes his job, not everyone does. He is very surprised that not everyone likes their job, because for him it seems like an opportunity. So he refuses to understand and join unions. Then we get a glimpse of corruption when a man wants 1/3 of the Dede Antanas in exchange for a job, so he accepts for necessity.

Characters: Jurgis Marija Tamoszius Kuszleika Dede Antanas

Key Passages: "They were going to be married as soon as they could get everything settled, and a little spare money....would be theirs" (p. 55) "Jurgis would find out these things for himself, if he stayed there long enough; it was the men... in Packingtown by doing good work." (p. 59) "When he came home that night... at him for his faith in America." (p. 63)

“This was the first time in his life…every faculty of a man” (59) “Jurgis asked them what…when he got it” (60) “But Jurgis had no sympathy…good for anything” (61) “Jurgis had come there…throw him into the gutter” (63) “When he came home…his faith in America” (66)

Chapter 6

Chapter Summary:
 * Grandmother Majauszkiene, a wise Lithuanian neighbor, explains to the family that houses such as the one they have are a cheat.
 * She explains that the houses are more than fifteen years old and that they were built with the cheapest materials.
 * No one is able to buy the houses because if you miss even one payment, you are evicted and lose everything you have paid for the house.
 * The family is shocked to learn that they have to pay interest on their debt.
 * The companies take advantage of successful immigrant generations. It has passed through the Germans, Irish and the Slovaks.
 * By paying ten dollars to the forelady, Ona obtains a job sewing covers on hams in a cellar. Stanislovas lies about his age and obtains a job working a lard-canning machine.

Characters: Jurgis, Ona, Teta Elzbieta, Grandmother Majauszkiene, Marija, and Stanislovas.

Passages: "And for this she laughed at them. 'You are like all the rest,' she said; 'they trick you and eat you alive. They never sell the houses without interest. Get your deed and see'". (69) • They are being cheated on just like every other immigrant that has fallen in the same trap. Even though it says that interest will be paid if you miss payment, the agent usually won't tell you because that is how they steal and make their money.

"In the summer the stench of the warm lard would be nauseating… never know what the sun looked like on weekdays." (72) • This passage gives a strong sense of how miserable the working conditions were in the factories. It shows how it can affect a person physically, but emotionally as well without really seeing the sun too often.

Chapter 7 Summary: • Jurgis and Ona’s wedding left them over a hundred dollars in debt • When the city passed an ordinance requiring passengers to ask for a transfer, Ona, who was not one to speak up, did not ask for a transfer and had to walk home from there in the middle of winter resulting in her becoming very sick • Sickness was really bad, especially during the winter and the unsanitary conditions of their house that they did not know about • In many parts of this chapter it shows how people get cheated into buying things that either do not work or things that are sold for a much higher value than what they actually cost. • Antanas, Teta Elzbieta’s husband, gets very sick and is injured while working in a place where his feet were soaked in chemicals. He condition became worse and worse until he died. • Many people died with the bad conditions of the work place becoming even worse with the harsh winter, but these people were quickly replaced with others. • The cruel winter affected people both at home and at work, making health and survival very difficult Characters: Teta Elzbieta, Antanas-Jurgis’s father/Teta Elzbieta’s husband who dies, Durham-employer Passages: • “Things were not going well…in memories and grief.” Page 82 After Jurgis’s father dies, it shows that the family had no time to grieve over his loss, but they had to pay more attention to their financial situation and having a funeral. • “Just so it was in Packingtown…there was a chance for a new hand.” Page 83 People die off in hordes during the winter with the weather and working conditions but are quickly replaced by new men who are waiting to get a job there. • “On the killing beds…men slaughtered than cattle.” Page 85 This shows how bad the conditions in these factories were and how men were accidentally killed when their hands would become numb from the cold and wouldn’t be able to hold the knives in their hands.

Chapter 8 Chapter Summary: • In this chapter, Marija becomes involved with Tamoszius, a violin player. • Marija is invited to many of the events Tamoszius plays at, which is a new experience for her and her family. Marija’s stories help her family get through the horrible and miserable conditions. • Tamoszius proposes to Marija and she says yes. • Marija works in a canning factory, which shuts down and she loses her job. • She goes to great distances to find a new job. • The hard work and low wages are described in full detail in this chapter. • Jurgis becomes fed up with the conditions and begins to find members to join the Union.

Characters: Tamoszius, a violin player, who Marija falls in love with and they get engaged. Passages: • “Marija was really the capitalist…was vocal with her rejoicings” (90). I thought this passage was really interesting because it talks about how Marija was the capitalist of her family and how hard she worked and how good she was at painting cans. This passage comes right before the moment when Marija finds out her canning factory was shut down. It shows how much work means to the immigrants and how having no work is a life-changing event. • “All this was bad… ‘Now we’re working for the Church!’” (93). Chapter 9 In this passage, Jurgis talks about how the wages and income system works in the factories. He talks about how fifty minutes of work does not get paid for a portion of an hour. It’s either full pay or no pay. If you are a minute late, you will be docked and hour of pay and if you are earlier, you do not get paid extra for extra labor. This detailed description shows how harsh the rules were and how poor the working conditions and treatment of immigrants was during the Guilded Age. Chapter 9 Nick Young Chapter Summery Jurgis attends union meetings regularly He decides to learn English by attending a night school, and having the kids help him Jurgis gets talked into becoming a US citizen Then the same man talks Jurgis into voting Jurgis is shown how to vote, and who to vote for Jurgis was perplexed and bemused by the ordeal until a union worker explained he had been taken advantage of for his vote Jurgis learns a lot about Packing town In particular he learns about Mike Scully, a local Irish politician Jurgis finally understands how dishonest the meat companies are He notes how they can leftover scraps as "deviled ham". Also Bubbly Creek is introduced The creek has been polluted be all the grease, blood, sewage, etc. that gets dumped in it Characters: Jurgis- He begins to understand how terrible the meat packing business truly is. He not only losses his faith in the meat packing industry, but he also becomes disillusioned about American politics Mike Scully- Scully is a wealthy Irish politician. He owns a plant, a dump, the whole nine yards. He is ruthless and cunning. When a scandal arose that could have implicated Scully, he bribed some one to take the fall in his stead. Important Passages:

"Also the union made another great difference with him-it made him begin to pay attention to the country. It was the beginning of democracy with him." (Pg. 91) "Devyled ham was made...make it taste like something." (Pg.96-97)

Chapter 10

Summary

Jurgis is angry at all the extra expenses that the house is causing them. The agent tells them that they are going to have to pay extra money for money things. Marija regains her job but then loses two months later. This is hard on the family because Ona is pregnant again and they need the extra money. Marija gets another job and even though she is strong as a man, the company pays her a woman’s fee. Ona has a baby boy and they name it after Jurgis’ father. Jurgis barely sees his son because he is working so much and Ona returns back to work only a week after giving birth and her health is very bad.

Characters

Miss Henderson - The forelady in Ona’s factory. She is cruel and bitter.

Chapter 11

Summary: In this chapter, even though the workers have been working very hard, one of the main problems is that they wages have been cut off, since there is a bank problem. So Marija had an account in the bank, but then she discovers about the problem, so she tries to get withdraw her money. She waited a few days till her turn came to be able to withdraw her money, but then the real problem had been that a policemen had found drunkard on the a saloon by the bank who was making people crowd and leading to the misunderstanding of the bank run out. So as Marija takes her money, sews it in her clothes which add weight she fearing it will bring her down.

Main Characters: Marija

Key Passages: "On the contrary, the speeding-up seemed to be growing... medieval torture chamber." (p. 109) "The possession of wast wealth entails cares and responsibilities, however, as poor Marian found out." (p. 110) "However, one morning... police reserves arrived." (p. 111) "Elzbieta's only rescue in those times was little Antanas; indeed, it would be hard to say how they could have gotten along at all if it had not been for little Antanas." (p. 117)

“One of the girls had read somewhere that a red flag was the proper symbol for oppressed workers, and so they mounted one, and paraded all about the yards, yelling with rage” (116).

Chapter 12

Chapter Summary
 * Jurgis sprains his ankle and cannot return to work for almost three months. The frustration eats away at him and he becomes bitter with his family.
 * Stanislovas suffers frostbite in his hands, and the first joints on his fingers are permanently damaged. Jurgis beats him sometimes to go to work.
 * Jonas disappears, so the family sends Nikalojus and Vilimas, Teta Elzbieta’s ten- and eleven-year-old sons to work as newspaper sellers.
 * Jurgis cannot find a job and realizes that he is not as strong and confident as before. He is just like the others who are waiting for a job that could arrive in months.

Characters: Jurgis, Ona, Stanislovas, Nikalojus and Vilimas

Passages: "The peculiar bitterness of all this… and they did not want him."
 * Jurgis realizes that finding a job will be seemingly impossible, now that he is frail and injured. He has become like the others around him and can do very little except wait.

Chapter 13 Summary: • Kristoforas, Teta Elzbieta’s youngest son who was a cripple from birth dies in what they think is from a smoked sausage that he ate earlier. • Elzbieta would not be able to afford a funeral Kristoforas would have to be buried by the city with no funeral, but Elzbieta begs neighbors for money and is able to give him a proper funeral. • Jurgis, searching for work, is marked by his boss a likely man to work in the fertilizer plant-the lowest stage in Packingtown where they dried out the bones making them into different things. The dust from the bones and the ammonia fumes would get into the lungs of the workers making it very hard to breath • After one day of working, Jurgis is covered with the phosphate from the bones and it gets into his skin and lungs and soon making him vomit. When Jurgis goes home, the smell of him makes his entire family vomit. Jurgis then has decide whether he should keep working in the fertilizer plant in these conditions or quit. He eventually decides to stay. • Vilimas and Nikalojus start selling papers, but also start taking on the tone of their new environment-they swear, they start smoking cigars, they gambled, they knew all the houses of prostitution, they knew all of the saloons, and they were starting to not come home at night because they felt that there was no use to spend their money going home when they could sleep just as well under a truck. • Kotrina, who is only thirteen, has to take care of the baby, cook all of the meals, wash the dishes, clean the house, and have supper ready for the workers when they came home. • Elzbieta worked in the sausage room, where she would make sausages while rich men and women would come in and stare at her making them. Characters: Kristoforus-Elzbieta’s youngest son who dies, Kotrina-Elzbieta’s daughter who takes care of the household, Vilimas and Nikalojus-Jurgis’s sons who sell papers Passages: “Some time ago…became quite eloquent.” Page 134 • In order to have bodies to demonstrate on, the surgeon treated children of the poor. Shows how big of a difference there is between rich and poor. “To the part of the yards…within a certain definite time.” Page 135 • The conditions in the fertilizer plant were horrible, it was almost definite that all of them that worked there would end up dead from the poor conditions. “Presumably sausages…displaced by these inventions.” Page 141 • Machines replaced the work of people which led many people jobless during this time. Question 10: Jurgis works in the fertilizer plant, which is the lowest stage in Packingtown. The conditions there are horrible because there is dust from the bones everywhere and a lot of fumes which both get caught in the lungs and skin of the workers in over a hundred degree temperature. After just one day of working there Jurgis is vomiting, has dust all over him, and smells horrible. When he goes home, he makes his family vomit also because of the smell.

Chapter 14: Chapter Summary: • The meat and packing industry is described, talking about how rotten meat gets turned into sausage. • Ona and Jurgis along with all the other members of their family are suffering severely. • Jurgis and Ona become distant and Jurgis starts to drink a lot • Ona develops a bad cough and is not her normal self.

Key Passages: • “Ona, too, was falling into…when the food ran short” (144). • “For Ona was visibly going to pieces…target of unseen enemies” (148). These passages describe the change in Ona and how life in the factories has changed her. It is really sad to see her described as sick and miserable because they came to America to fulfill their false notion of the American Dream, and now Ona and her family are suffering. • “They had dreamed of freedom…it would never be” (144). This passage tells why Ona and Jurgis came to America, and what they thought it would be. It shows that they would never achieve the life they hoped to get by coming to America.

Chapter 15 Chapter Summery: Jurgis and his family come to know all of the dirty (no pun intended) secrets of the meat packing industry In particular they know about how most spoiled meat becomes sausage The families are quiet and depressed by their condition A distance begins to grow between Ona and Jurgis Jurgis begins to drink heavily Then the rush season begins and work increases Ona doesn’t come home to days in a row When Jurgis asked her about it she said that the snow stopped her from coming home so she stayed with Jadyga. The second time however, there is no snow, so Jurgis questions her harshly Ona tells him that Phil Connor is harassing her to be his mistress She goes on to tell him that Connor had raped her after all the workers had gone home Connor threatened to fire every single member of her family Connor had been forcing her to go to Miss Henderson’s brothel in the evenings for the last couple of months Jurgis, maddened to a point of near insanity, runs to the factory. Upon seeing Connor he commences one of the most savage beatings ever seen. He doesn’t even notice that his teeth began ripped skin off of Connor’s face. Jurgis is so incensed that he doesn’t even notice the workers that rip him off of Connor and carry him to jail. Characters Phil Connor: The factory superior who rapes Ona. He gets beaten mercilessly by Jurgis, because he threatened to fire Jurgiss’ family and he raped Ona. Questions: How does Jurgis end up in jail? He beats Phil Connor mercilessly Important passages: "He told me...have ruined us" (150) "His presence reeked...hanging in his mouth." (152)

Chapter 16

Summary

Jurgis is in jail with a variety of men. His trial date has been set and his bail is three hundred dollars. He is then moved to the county jail. He is made to strip and to walk down a hallway, where all the inmates are making fun of him. He is then put in a very small cell where there is only a dirty mattress. As he is lying there he hears the sounds of bells and realizes that it is Christmas Eve. He then remembers the previous Christmas and how he was walking with Ona and his children down an avenue and looked at the toys and food in the windows of the stores. He then starts to cry because Ona is sick and he has to spend Christmas away from his family.

Chapter 17

Summary:

Jurgis is sent to jail and while he is in there he has obligations to do like clean his cell and they are also let to do exercise for 3 hours. The jail is described, like how are it protected, and a place for visitors to come a visit. While Jurgis waits for somebody, no one comes to visit him. Jurgis hadn’t slept and smells like fertilizer, because he worked in stockyards. He becomes friends with a cell mate Jack Duane. He retells his story that a company lied to him and exploited him, leading for him to become how he is now. Jack wants to help Jurgis, so tells him to go to his wife and ask for help. While this happened when the time came for Jurgis trial, it goes bad. The judge did not believe the side of the story of Jurgis, when he tells them that his wife had been rapped by Connor, Ona fearing to loose her job, while Connor testifies that she had lost her job before, therefore that was the reason why Jurgis attacked him. Jurgis is sentenced to 30 days of jail.

Key Characters: Jack Duane –A man coming from the east who meets Jurgis in prison and seems to be well educated and experienced. His father committed suicide when his business failed.

Key passages

“This wasn’t a world in which a man had any business with a family…” (pg 174)

“Our friend had caught now and then a whiff from the sewers over which he lives, but this was the first time that he had ever been splashed by their filth. This jail was a Noah’s ark of the city’s crime… All life had turned to rottenness and stench in them- love was a beastliness, joy was a snare, and God was an imprecation” (pg 175).

"So little Stanislovas went on, sobbing as he talked; and Jurgis stood, gripping the table tightly, saying not a word, but feeling that his head would burst; it was like having weights piled upon him, one after another, crushing the life out of him. He struggled and fought within himself= as if in some terrible nightmare, in which a man suffers an agony, and cannot lift his hand, nor cry out, but feels that he is going mad, that his brain is bursting-" (157) Chapter 19 Summary: • As Ona and the baby are not doing well, Jurgis goes to Madame Haupt’s home to get her to help Ona and the baby, but Madame Haupt demands twenty-five dollars from him. Since he does not have that, she changes it to ten dollars, and then five, telling him that he can pay the rest in the next month. He tells her that all he has is a dollar and a quarter and after arguing with her for a while, Madame Haupt decides she does not want this woman to suffer so she agrees to take his money and let him pay the rest in the future. • When they get to Aniele’s house, Aniele tells him to leave, so Jurgis goes to a saloon where the saloonkeeper gives him food and drink and lets him stay for a while he is waiting. At four o’clock in the morning he goes back home. • When he returns to his house, Ona there was still no news of what was happening with Ona, but soon Madame Haupt comes down and tells him that the baby is dead and Ona will soon die to. As Jurgis here’s this, he runs up to Ona and sees that she is dying. He repeatedly calls for her and tries to wake her up, but she soon dies. • When Kotrina gets home from selling paper, Jurgis tells her to give him the money that she had earned. When she hands it to him, Jurgis takes it to the saloon down the street and gets drunk. Characters: Madame Haupt, Aniele, Marija, Passages: “Then she wiped her greasy hands…the need breath for that.” Page 196 This shows how big of a difference there is between the two classes of people at this time-Madame Haupt is a very fat woman, who always has food, and is not in a hurry to get anywhere, while Jurgis, being very poor, has not eaten in a day and is always in a big hurry to get where he is going. “The word rang through him…the soul that had fled.” Page 202 After Jurgis is taking in the fact that Ona is dead, he realizes it is going to be very hard to live with out her there “And she was only a girl…mangled, tortured to death!” Page 202 Ona was only eighteen when she died, she was very young and struggled so much throughout her life in America. Question 12: Jack is a term that Americans call all foreigners and unskilled men in Packingtown

Chapter 20 Chapter Summary: • Jurgis spends all his money on alcohol • Ona dies and the family does not have enough money to bury her so Elzbieta begs on the streets in order to have a mass for Ona. • Jurgis sets out for a job only to discover that he has been blacklisted and no one will give him a job. He is promised a job and when he comes back the next day, the man tells him that he cannot use him. • After a lot of searching, he eventually finds a job in a factory where machines are manufactured. • After days of working at the factory, he arrives one morning and sees that the factory is shut down until further notice. Characters: Antanas, Ona and Jurgis’ son. Key Passages: “He thought only of Ona;…floodgates of memory were lifted” (204). Jurgis thinks about Ona after she has died. He feels ashamed and never realized how much he loved Ona until she was gone. Ona had been starved and beaten to death and now Jurgis must live and remember the poor life he and Ona had together and how she was not strong enough to survive it. “Why, he stood as much chance of getting a job in Packingtown as of being chosen mayor of Chicago” (208). Jurgis describes the difficulty of getting a job as an immigrant in Chicago. Because, he has been blacklisted, no one can use him in the factories. Jurgis becomes so frustrated it seems impossible for him to get a job.

Chapter 21 Only the children’s wages keep Jurgiss’ family from dying of starvation Jurgis spends almost every waking hour trying to find a job Juozapas, Teta Elizbieta’s child goes to a local dump to scavenge for food Their he encounters a rich woman She is horrified by what she sees when she visits the boarding house She also says she will recommend Jurgis to her fiance’s steel mill The mill is very far away. Jurgis can only come home to the boarding house on weekends Jurgis loves his son, Antanas, and every time he attempts to speak it makes Jurgis laugh He begins to develop a routine and finally begins to feel a small amount of happiness Jurgis comes home one day and finds Antanas drowned in a mud puddle outside of the boarding house. Characters Juozapas: Teta Elizbieta’s crippled child who finds the family food by scavenging in the dump. He gets discovered by a wealthy family Jurgis: Spends a great amount of time looking for a job without success. Until the wealthy woman offers him a job at her fiance’s steel mill Antanas: Jurgiss’ son whom he loves with all his heart. Dies at the end of the chapter by drowning in a mud puddle outside the boarding house Important Quotes: "He was taken to...terror and beauty dwelled." (219)

Chapter 22

Summary

After Jurgis looks at Antanas’s dead body he moves and hides in a railway car. During his journey he reflects on all his troubles and how he believes that he is living in a nightmare. The train moves out into the country and he steps off. He goes over to the nearest stream and bathes. He tries to buy food in a store nearby but the farmer refuses him because he thinks he is a tramp. Jurgis goes over and picks peaches off a tree in retaliation. Another farmer gives Jurgis dinner and a place to sleep. He offers Jurgis work but says he can only work until November. The farmer is confused why Jurgis could not get work in the city. Jurgis then explains how the city is becoming overcrowded because everyone thinks that they can get a job there. Jurgis turns down the offer to work for the farmer and moves on. He works for other farmers and earns a small amount of money but he spends it all on alcohol and women.

Chapter 23

Summary:

Jurgis comes back to Chicago in the fall. He finds a job digging underground tunnels for railway freight. Jurgis lied when the foreman asks if he has ever worked in Chicago and says that he has not and that he is from Kansas City. The purpose of the tunnels is to break the power of the teamster’s union, though Jurgis remains unaware of this goal for a year. He spends his money on alcohol, thinking that his job will last the whole year. Unfortunately, however, he suffers an accident and breaks his arm and spends 3 weeks in there. He spends Christmas in the hospital. After two weeks, he is ushered out of the hospital, to his dismay. It is the dead of winter. He attends a religious revival with other bums just to stay warm. He despises the men preaching at the revival since he feels that they have no right to talk about saving souls when men like him only need a “decent existence for their bodies.” Jurgis does not take kindly to the preachers because the preachers are talking about saving souls while Jurgis does not care about that at all, he is just at a place where he, and most of the other men there just want a place to stay where they will not freeze to death.

Quotations:

“Jurgis spent his Christmas in this hospital, and it was the pleasantest Christmas he had had in America, Every year there were scandals and investigations in this institution, the newspapers charging the doctors were allowed to try fantastic experiments upon the patients; but Jurgis knew nothing of this- his only complaint was that they used to feed him upon tinned meat, which no man who had ever worked in Packingtown would feed to his dog.” (pg 226)

“This was one day, and the cold spell lasted for fourteen of them. At the end of six days every cent of Jurgis’ money was gone; and then he went out on the streets to beg for his life.” (pg 230)

Questions: How did Jurgis get hurt on the job? What happens to him? Where does he work after that? Describe the conditions: Jurgis is hit by an engine and a loaded car on his way out from the tunnels that knocked him against the wall and he passes out. He goes to the hospital and has a broken arm. After being releases from the hospital, Jurgis spends the last of his money and goes onto the street to beg because he can’t work with his arm issue

Chapter 25 Summary: • When Jurgis receives a hundred dollar bill off the street and needs to change it, goes to a saloon and asks the bartender to break it, buying a beer at the same time. When the bartender gives Jurgis his change, he only gives him ninety-five cents, and when Jurgis asks for his ninety nine dollars, the man doesn’t give it, so Jurgis attacks the man and gets in a fight with him. Then a police man comes in and arrests Jurgis. During Jurgis’s trial, no one believes that he had a hundred dollar bill, but that he is a drunk. • When Jurgis spends time in jail, he meets up with Jack Duane. When they get out of jail, Jurgis and Duane start mugging people off of the streets. They soon started going to the places where the higher-class people went and Jurgis got to see the real criminal world of Chicago where all the people become rich by cheating others out of their money. • Jurgis meets Buck Halloran, who teaches Jurgis a new, easier way to con money, where all he has to do is look like a workingman, and he could get money from the place where city laborers were getting paid • Jurgis and Halloran start gambling on horses, a sport that was also cheated-horses were trained so that they could fall at any moment. • Jurgis soon becomes involved in politics. The socialist party was rising and the republican one declining when the idea for a rich capitalist for their candidate was introduced. What they needed was a republican bum-Jurgis, who had been a union man and was known in the stockyards. So Jurgis went back to the stockyards and asked for a job, where he was given one trimming hogs. There, Jurgis helped to manage thins, distributing notices and posting placards and bringing out the crowds, and when the show was on he attended to the fireworks and beer. This resulted in them electing Scotty Doyle Characters: Jack Duane, Rosensteg, Marie, Connor, One-eyed Larry, Halloran, Goldberger, Harper, Scully, Doyle, Mr. Harmon Passages: “Yet he was in a plight…he had to change it.” Page 260 • He knows that he has to change this bill but he doesn’t know how or if he can “Jurgis had thought…it in the future.” Page 266 • Jurgis realizes that these men are a lot like him and that he wanted to be like these men in the future instead of struggling in order to survive. “And so Jurgis…at an hour’s notice.” Page 269-270 • All of the very rich, high-class people in Chicago were no different from what Jurgis was doing, they all cheated people in order to get their money. “He had not the same provocations…wine and women than he.” Page 272 • He is completely changed from the way that he used to be; now he is happy that he no longer has to struggle, but can do whatever he wanted. “It was Scully…he had ever met.” Page 278 • Jurgis thinks that this guy is the greatest man that he’s ever met, but it is because of this man that he had to work in such bad condition and why his family died.

Chapter 26 • Jurgis decides to keep his job after the elections. • A strike breaks out between the union and the packers • Jurgis decides to “lay low” during the strike and asks Mike Scully for a job • Jurgis becomes the boss of the killing beds and is compared to becoming an “american hero” • Things start to look up for Jurgis with the new job and he recieves a higher wage. • The packers and the union come up with an agreement, however, the packers break it and the strike continues. • Jurgis sees Connor and attacks him for what he did to Ona. • Jurgis gets put in jail and calls “Bush” Harper who gets his bail lowered. • The chapter ends with Jurgis traveling to the otherside of Chicago.

Characters: Connor- Ona’s boss in the factory who abused her and treated her with disrespect. He had sent Jurgis to prison. Key Passages: “He had some reason…his evenings in petty gambling” (281). This passage shows how different Jurgis’ life is. He talks about going downtown with his friends, going to theaters, and saloons. He alo talks about how his savings have gotten built up. Comparing this description to the beginning of the book, we see a big change in Jurgis’ lifestyle.

“Jurgis had often thought of Connor…head upon the stones” (296). Here, Jurgis talks about how Connor has always been in the back of his mind. Now was finally his chance to let out all of his anger because of what Connor had done to Ona. Jurgis’ mindset is described in detail and it shows how furious he was with Connor.

Chapter 27 Chapter summery Jurgis gets truly desperate and begins to beg for a job The strike ends His return to homelessness Jurgis hard A woman Jurgis used to know gives him an address where he can find marija. She urges him to find them Just as Jurgis enters the establishment, police raid it. Jurgis realizes it is a brothel Marija explains that Teta Elizbieta could support their families with legitimate jobs. She also adds that Stanilovas died Jurgis spends another night in jail haunted by what he had learned and seen Characters Jurgis Teta Elizbieta Marija Stanilovas Important passages: "She was as much surprised..." (305)

Chapter 28

Summary

The madam of the brothel pays Marija’s fine and sets all the prostitutes free. The judges let Jurgis go because they thought he was just visiting his sister. He gave a fake name when he was arrested so no one knew that he was Phil Connor’s attacker. Marija then admits that she is addicted to morphine and that all of the other prostitutes are addicted to drugs too. Marija wants Jurgis to live with Teta Elzbieta and her children but Jurgis does not want to because he doesn’t have a job and he feels guilty for leaving them after Antanas died. Jurgis then tries to find a job and then listens in on a political speech but he soon starts to go to sleep. A woman wakes him up and tells him to listen to the speech. He soon discovers it is a socialist political meeting. He is very happy that the leader is talking about how bad the conditions are for workers. Jurgis is happy that there is a party that supports him and not the wealthy.

Chapter 29

Summary:

After the meeting ends, Jurgis finds the speaker resting amid a crowd of people. He asks for more information about the party, and the speaker directs him to Ostrinski, a socialist who speaks Lithuanian. Ostrinski takes Jurgis to his home. They share their experiences in scraping out a miserable existence. Ostrinski explains that wage-earners have nothing but their labor to sell. None of them can obtain a price for it that is higher than what the most desperate worker will take.

Ostrinski explains that there are two economic classes: the small, privileged capitalist class and the large, impoverished proletariat. Because the capitalists are few in number, they can easily work together in favor of their own interests. The proletariat, on the other hand, is large and generally ignorant. Ostrinski explains that workers need to gain “class consciousness” so that they can organize in favor of their interests. In this way, they can avoid the merciless wage competition. Ostrinski calls the current system “wage slavery.” Although America claims to be the land of the free, Ostrinski explains that political freedom doesn’t alleviate the grinding misery of wage slavery. He adds that socialism is necessarily a worldwide movement: any one nation that achieves success will be crushed by the others around it. Ostrinski calls socialism the “new religion” of humanity. He adds that it could also be interpreted as the fulfillment of Christian values on Earth.

Characters: Jurgis: learns about Socialism, and becomes a man for himself as the speaker talks, he has found what he wants and is able to go back, put himself together and know where he came from why he is here and what he wants. Ostrinski: 50-year-old Pole, lived in Silesia, took part on proletarian movement in the early seventies, went to jail 2 times and his house was in the Ghetto district

Key passages: “he knew that in the mighty upheaval that had taken place in his soul, a new man had been born. He had been torn out of the jaws of destruction he had been delivered from the thralldom of despair; the whole world had been changed for him” (330)

“Every Socialist did his share and lived upon the vision of the “good time coming” (334) good description of Socialism, good time coming is a very important aspect of the movement

“so the Socialist movement was a world movement, and organization of all mankind to establish liberty and fraternity. It was the religion of humanity or you might say it was the fulfillment of the old religion…” (336)

“When Jurgis had made himself familiar with the Socialist literature, as he would very quickly, he would get glimpses of the Beef Trust from all sorts of aspects, and he would find it everywhere the same; it was the incarnation of blind and insensate Greed. It was a monster devouring with a thousand mouths, trampling with a thousand hoofs; it was the Great Butcher-it was the spirit of Capitalism made flesh.” (pg 316)

Chapter 31 Summary: • Jurgis, in search for a job goes to a Hotel where he asks a man for a job and is given the job as a porter. When Jurgis tells Ostrinski about it, they realize that the owner, Tommy Hinds, was a man who was a state organizer of the Socialist Pary and one of the best known speakers. Jurgis goes back the hotel and tells Hinds who he is, and “Jurgis” is turned into “Comrade Jurgis” • Hind’s hotel was a place of propaganda for socialism. Many people would come in and Hind’s would talk about socialism, or tell them about socialism. Jurgis was a part of this-he told what it was like to work in Packingtown and what he saw on the killingbeds. • While Jurgis lived and worked there, his education was completed which helped him with his knowledge and propaganda techniques for socialism. • Many who disagreed with socialism thought that it did not represent freedom and disagreed with it because they were individualists. • A socialist paper: “The Appeal to Reason” was established which was mainly for propaganda but also had many serious articles of what they believed needed to be changed in American society. • After just twelve months, Jurgis sees what a difference he and the socialist party had made in Packingtown. • Jurgis joins some of the socialist party leaders at a meeting, but during this meeting, Jurgis broke loose from some of his friends and tried to make a speech himself about how the Democratic Party was corrupt. Characters: Tommy Hinds, Amos Struver, Harry Adams Passages: “These revolutionists…and suffer for.” Page 345 • Though these people are depicted as such great people who want to make America better, they weren’t perfect. “Here were all…would be much greater?” Page 346 • Only a few capitalists owned everything in the city, and everything that the worker works for benefits these few capitalists even more. “The workers were simply…the most marvelous precision.” Page 349 • The workers had no choice but to join the socialist movement because without it they would continue to be nothing.