The Jungle By Upton Sinclair

1. The JungleBy Upton Sinclair Power Point By: Jessica P

2. Upton Sinclair • He was born September 20, 1878 in Baltimore MD and died November 25, 1968 in a nursing home in NJ when he was 90 years old. • Wrote about 90 works including: • The Jungle (1906) • The Lanny Bud Series, which was comprised of 11 books (1940-1953) • Sylvia(1913) • The Spy (1920) • The Wet Parade (1931) • Time magazine called him “a man with every gift except humor and silence.” • In 1904 he spent 7 weeks in disguise, working undercover in Chicago's meatpacking plants doing research

3. Major Characters • Jurgis- the main character, young, strong, and family devoted. Has a few spouts that go against his beliefs and is married to Ona. • Ona- married to Jurgisand is young and beautiful. She is the opposite of Jurgis, fragile and weak minded and very feminine. She dies while giving birth to their second child at the age of 18. • Antanas- The son of Jurgis and Ona. He keeps Jurgis alive through a tough part in their lives by giving him something to live for. He then dies about a month after his mother by drowning in the street. • Jack Duane- a man that Jurgis met while in prison and got Jurgis into crime and politics • Phil Connor- The boss at Onas first job and the man that rapes Ona, and sends Jurgis to jail for the first and third time. • TetaElizabieta- Onas step mother that travels to America with the family. She has six living children that she brings with her and keeps the family together. She is the matriarch • Marija- A cousin of Onas that eventually comes to work in a whore house and tries to help Jurgis back to his feet after he returns to Chicago.

4. Literary Elements • Theme: the immigrant experience and the pursuit of the American dream • Tone: The working class deserves more and the oppressing bosses are in the wrong • Period written in: early 1900’s (1905-1906) • Language: English

5. Setting • Time: early 1900’s (1906) • Place: Packingtown, the meat packing section of Chicago. Then moves to the countryside outside of Chicago then back to Packingtown.

6. The Story…. Onas family decides to move to America after the death of her father. Jurgis and his father, DedeAntanas come along because Jurgis loves Ona. Once in America, Ona and Jurgis get married and search for work. Jurigs got a job working in the killing beds and Marija got a job too; as well as Jonas who is Marijas brother. The family signs an agreement to buy a house and uses all of their money from their savings to pay the down payment. They then find out about all of the hidden costs within the lease and realize that Ona and two of the children will have to get jobs too. DedeAntanas finds a job a short while later working in a pickling room but it kills him quickly. The seasons change and it’s now winter, which in their poorly built, but expensive, house they are freezing. Marijas factory that she works in closes down and she is forced into a depression.

7. Jurgis was worried about the well being of his family so he joined a union. While in the union he started to learn some of the politics of Packingtown and all the corruption in it. He decided to learn English because he wanted to understand more of what is being said and believes it will help him in the working world. Marijas’ factory opens back up but she is quickly fired because she complained about the pay. Ona becomes pregnant and with good timing because Miss Henderson, Onas boss, controls a prostitution ring and wanted her to join. Once the baby boy is born they named him Antanas after Jurgis’ father and Ona must return to work a week later. Jurgis gets hurt on the job right after Antanas was born and is bed ridden for 3 months during which time he was replaced at work. Jonas abandons the family in this time although some believe he was killed while at work. Jurgis heals after his accident but the factory would not give his job back to him and after a long search gets a job in the fertilizer mill; the worst place to work in Packingtown.

8. Ona becomes pregnant again and was raped by Phil Connor. When Jurgis finds out he beats Connor almost to death. Jurgis is arrested and sent to jail for a month. He makes a friend in prison named Jack Duane who knows all about the corruption and politics in Packingtown. When Jurgis gets out of prison he goes back to his home to find that his family was evicted and is renting a room in a very run down boarding house. When he gets to the boarding house he finds Ona in labor, 2 months premature, and leaves to find a doctor. When he returns, Ona is barely alive and dies in his arms, the unborn baby dies too. He goes on a drinking binge and then gets a job to support his son. He is doing well until one day he returns home to find the family crying and Antanas dead. Jurgis abandons the family and wanders into the countryside and lives off of his last $15 for the remainder of the season. Winter comes around again and he was forced to return to Chicago for shelter. He got another job, but again was hurt on the job and put into the hospital; like before they wouldn’t give him his job back and Jurgis becomes a beggar.

9. One night a wealthy man walks by and brings Jurgis home with him. He gives him a good meal and a $100 bill. Jurgis goes to a bartender who cheats him and only gives him 95 cents back as change for a 5 cent drink. He goes to jail again for fighting the bartender and meets Jack Duane in jail for a second time. They both get out at about the same time and Jack introduces Jurgis to the life of crime and politics. While on a binge one night Jurgis again sees Phil Connor and beats him. He goes to jail and when he gets out runs into an old family friend who tells him where to find Marija. Marija is working in a whorehouse and is addicted to morphine. One night Jurgis wanders into a socialist rally and believes what the orator is preaching. Jurgis joins the socialist party and gets a job at hotel as a porter. He is then reunited with TetaElzbieta and the remaining children. He attends another socialist rally and the orator ends by saying “if more people convert to socialism, the speaker declares, then “Chicago will be ours!”

10. My Thoughts • It was a good book and I would recommend it to other people. The book was a bit graphic about how things were being done in the meat factories but it was necessary to show the hardships and the terrible working conditions that the immigrants had to deal with. • P.S. The Jungle hit the national public so hard that it inspired the Pure Food And Drug Act of 1906