The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
There are many characters in The Jungle. These characters vary widely in their professions, social status, and economic status. The main character in the novel is a Lithuanian named Jurgis Rudkus. His wife is Ona Lukoszaite, also a Lithuanian. Their son is named Antanas. Mike Scully is a powerful political leader in Packingtown. Phil Connor is a foreman in Packingtown, "politically connected" (through Scully), 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 who 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
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading it. The other members of the family soon find jobs, except for the children. In the book, anyone who earned a living through honesty and hard work was trapped in poverty. Once reaching Packingtown, each hog had a chain fastened around its leg, was hoisted into the air, and carried into a room where its throat was slit. After reading The Jungle, a person would never expect the United States to survive as a Capitalist country. Ona is not permitted to take a holiday, even for her own wedding. He is forced to work at high speeds for long hours with low pay, and so is the rest of the family. They would still have to work though, or loose their job. The house they bought was a total fraud, full of hidden expenses. I am even more amazed that we did not all die from eating food made in such poor conditions. These animals would become "steerly", or covered with boils. Packingtown slaughtered, processed, packed, and shipped hundreds of thousands of cattle and hogs every day. Every member of the party was told about the "Socialist revolution", when the entire planet would become Socialist. The judge refuses to listen to Jurgis's story seriously.
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