The Jungle
In the novel "The Jungle" there are many interesting characters. These unique characters seem to vary widely in their professions, social status, and economic status. I believe that this concept created by the author gives this novel a unique point of view to deliver to its audience. The Jungle revolves in part around the main character Jurgis Rudkus who is a Lithuanian man who immigrated to America. This is his first time in the new country, and this story revolves around him along with his wife Ona Lukoszaite, who is also Lithuanian. Together they have a son named Antanas, who moves to America with the couple. Early in the novel a character named Mike Scully is introduced to the readers. He is the most powerful man in "Packingtown" that the Ruckus's meet. When meeting Scully they are also introduced to a man named Phil Connor who works as a foreman in Packingtown, he is very "politically connected" (through Scully), and appears to be a man who later in the novel will cause much trouble for Jurgis. Jack Duane is introduced as a character who is an experienced and educated criminal who is also "politically connected" through Scully. A man called Ostrinski is a half-blind tailor who teaches Jurgis about Socialism. This is ext
Jurgis knows that with the conditions that his family is in (his children having to leave school, working many hours a day for little to no money) they will never receive the education that is needed to rise above the "class" that they are presently in, and he worries that his babies' babies will be working in Packingtown as well. After living in America for such a short time Jurgis, and Ona are still planning their wedding, and want to get married as quickly as possible, however there is one minor glitch in their plan, Ona's boss will not allow her to leave for "holiday" even though it is going to be her wedding day. Later in the novel matters become increasingly worse, Jurgis is sent to jail for beating Ona's boss for sexual misconduct with a co-worker, Ona is pregnant again, and the children are still working to support the family. Jurgis and Ona begin to re-think their decision to come to America. Due to these drastic times, Ona is forced to move the family to a new (even poorer class neighborhood) while Jurgis is still in Jail. But to the surprise of the reader at that very moment Ona goes into labor. Two Months Early. All of these situations are too taxing on Jurgis and he hops aboard a passing train, He left his family. To Jurgis, it is the best thing that he could have done. He believes that they family will survive better and easier without him. While Jurgis was away from the family, he turned to a life of crime and learns about the connections between criminals, police, politics, and big business. He becomes a member of this complex network and moves into politics. Later Jurgis runs into Connor again, and beats him to a pulp a second time. Connor's political connections cause Jurgis to lose all his acquired profit, leaving Jurgis wander the streets. throat was slit. When the cattle reached Packingtown, they were stunned by electric shock, and dropped onto a conveyor belt, where a man with a sledgehammer pierced their skulls. These animals existed in very poor conditions, especially the "steerly" cattle that developed boils. Despite the cruel conditions, the anti-American sentiment, and the one-sided views, the novel was well written. Upton Sinclair did an excellent job of describing the massive organization and efficiency of Packingtown. It is clear that he despised Packingtown, for being a center of Capitalism and for its working conditions, but he was impressed with it. Packingtown slaughtered, processed, packed, and shipped hundreds of thousands of cattle and hogs every day. It ran twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and never stopped. Even during holidays and during union strikes, Packingtown still ran at full speed. This story "The Jungle" opens with the feast at Jurgis and Ona's wedding in America. Soon after however we are taken back to the time before the couple moves from Lithuania. The story is told how Jurgis met Ona at a horse fair, and immediately fell in love with her. Unfortunately for the young couple, they were too poor to have a wedding. Ona's father had just
Some common words found in the essay are:
Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Socialist, Jurgis Jail, America Soon, America Jurgis, Socialism Socialist, Beef Trust, Jurgis Ona, America Packingtown, Packingtown Packingtown, upton sinclair, rest family, jungle page, children leave school, required gifts, children leave, ona's boss, leave school, forced move, ona's family, meat packing industry, politically connected scully, scully introduced,
Approximate Word count = 2215
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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