Phil Connor is a foreman in Packingtown, "politically connected", and a man who causes much trouble for Jurgis. Jack Duane is an experienced and educated criminal who is also "politically connected". A man called Ostrinski is a half-blind tailor who teaches Jurgis about Socialism. There are also the members of Ona's family, each of whom play minor roles in the story.

The story opens with the feast at Jurgis and Ona's wedding in America, but soon flashes back to the time before they left Lithuania. Jurgis met Ona at a horse fair, and fell in love with her. Unfortunately, they were too poor to have a wedding, since Ona's father just died. In the hopes of finding freedom and fortune, they left for America, bringing many members of Ona's family with them.

After arriving in America, they are taken to Packingtown to find work. Packingtown is a section of Chicago where the me

After beating Connor up, Jurgis is sent to jail for thirty days. The judge refuses to listen to Jurgis' story seriously. When Jurgis is released, he finds that his family has moved to an even poorer neighborhood, and Ona is in labor at that very moment. Neither the baby, nor Ona, who went into labor two months early, survive. Jurgis pulls himself together for the sake of Antanas and gets a job. When Antanas drowns in the mud-filled street, Jurgis gives up on Packingtown and his family. He hops aboard a passing train, and leaves Chicago.

at packing industry is centralized. They take a tour of the plant, and see the unbelievable efficiency and speed att which hogs and cattle are butchered, cooked, packed, and shipped. In Packingtown, no part of the animal is wasted. The tour guide specifically says, "They use everything about the hog except the squeal."

toes and eventually entire legs. The butchers would be forced to move at a blinding pace, often cutting themselves and others. They would still have to work though, or loose their job. Often, the wounds would become infected, and the butcher would die of blood poisoning.

Jurgis enjoys a "hobo" life, wandering across the country. When winter comes, he is forced to return to Chicago. He gets into a fight in a bar and is sent to jail. In jail, he meets Jack Duane, an experienced criminal. After being freed from jail, Jurgis and Duane team up in a luxurious, but risky life of crime. Jurgis learns about the connections between criminals, police, politics, and big business. He becomes a member of this complex network and moves into politics. He runs into Connor again, and beats him up again. Connor's political connections cause

Jurgis and his family moved from Lithuania to America, expecting a better life. Instead of telling a story about their success through hard work and dedication, Upton Sinclair tells a story about how they were cheated before they even got off the boat. During the passage to america, an agent appeared to be helping them but was really cheating them. After arriving, they were constantly cheated out of their money. The house they bought was a total fraud, full of hidden expenses. Many members of the family were able to get jobs only through bribery. Ona was exploited by Connor, who threatened to have her, Jurgis, and the

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1557
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)