The Jungle Chapter 31

I am so glad to finally have finished that book. I was so annoyed with it by the end. It was just so annoying to keep read about socialism over and over and over and over again. It just seems to go on and on by the end. I believe that even the author became annoyed with it too; he just drops the storyline for the most part, and argues unrentlessly for socialism. He seems to have become tired of writing it, so it shows in his tiredness of writing his novel. I was quite literally falling asleep while I was reading this. I really don’t think that it was a good idea for Sinclair to introduce us to new characters again at the end. I mean, I am glad that he doesn’t include too much description on these new people at that house that they travelled to. I do not quite understand the ending; “CHICAGO WILL BE OURS!” It could mean a many different number of things. It could mean that Packing town workers will rise. It could mean the fall of the capitalistic society painted as the scene. While I was reading, I was thinking about how it will end for the characters. Teta is dying, so I would not expect her to survive. Marija is a prostitute, and is addicted to drugs of some kind. The boys would probably not survive for very long on their own. I still think that Jurgis would survive. He might not be so happy without his family, but at least he would survive.

The Jungle Chapters 29-30

I find it really neat that Jurgis, looking like a tramp, managed to speak to the speaker. Of course, Upton Sinclair would say that his speech was about socialism. I also would not be surprised if Mr. J expected that to occur. I liked how after Jurgis talks to the speaker he is introduced to another socialist, that brought him to his home, so since Jurgis had no home and was okay with sleeping on the kitchen floor. Of course, after they go on talking for hours about socialism, whcih would make me really tired. I am glad that I wouldn't have to sit through that; also, that those immigrants suffered through this so that I would not have to. I wonder why he sat there, well laid there, for an hour afterward. He probably did because he had so many thoughts going through his head about socialism. I am glad that he received a job. It is really neat, to me, that when he goes to that one guy's house and informs him about his job at this hotel where every single worker is a socialist. I really did not like Chapter 30. It was not very fun to read because of the way it was continously agruing about socialism. I felt like I was about to fall asleep reading it. I agree with part of the discussion we had last class about how he could have agrued for socialism more periodically throughout the novel instead of just at the end.

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The Jungle Chaptes 27-28

The beginning of the first chapter we read seemed a little odd to start. How? I am not too sure, but I find these two chapters, either full of tragedy or neutral. It starts off on a such a sad note and the worst part to me was the simile at the beginning of Chapter 27, comparing him to a wild animal. It is so bad for him, because he became so used to such a high standard. I don’t know how I could have been able to survive after earning all those things and suddenly having them taken violently away from me. It was really nice of that one lady to feed him. I really like her. I am so glad that he finally decides to try and find his remaining family. It seems like a really odd coincidence that he meets up with this one lady to beg for food to help him survive and realizes that he knows her. It seems so odd and unusual. It is so neat that Jurgis finally meets up with Marija. That is probably one of the two happiest parts of these two chapters. The other happiest part of these chapters would be after everybody goes to be tried and Jurgis gets off free, while all Marija has to do is pay $5. I don’t really like the way that Marija has resorted to selling her body in order to survive. I also kind of like the way that Jurgis goes into the same place the following night to sit and think. It is sad that he almost falls asleep again. I kind of liked reading about when he actually started to listen to the speaker. The guy was a very good speaker, in my opinion.

The Jungle Chapters 26

I don't quite understand why Jurgis would keep his job after he ran away so that he could be his own master. I also don’t quite understand how the way somebody dresses could affect their pay. Then again, it kind of makes since after all, because most of the people that work in the meat packing industry in Packingtown are so poor that they can hardly dress themselves properly in Winter. It does work however though because for a reason that I don’t know. It could work because if they can dress nice then they should deserve better pay. I have no clue I am just rambling on about it now. The first strike is pretty bad for the meat industry. The demand is high and the workers are going on strike, which means that there is no workers. If there are no workers, then how will the demand be met. It won’t. I cannot imagine how the CEO’s will react without all the profit that they make from the worker’s strike. I am impartial to if the strike continues or not. I however thought that Jurgis knew math, but apparently not; “Jurgis would receive five dollars a day during the strike, and twenty-five a week after it was settled.” It is good that the strike ends but I kind of feel sorry for the union leaders. They cannot become employed again. I guess it is a good thing for the CEO’s of the companies because then the union will probably dissolve. I cannot decide if it is a good thing or not that the unions might die out. Too bad that won’t happen. I am very happy that Jurgis will probably go back to the country. It is sad though that he is forced to go back because he almost kills Conner again. I simply don’t get were he stored that anger. He had to have stored it somewhere and buried it very deep, deeper than he buried Ona or Antanas.

The Jungle Chapters 23-26

It is very depressing that Jurgis finally finds a job and then is injured on the job. I find that the companies are terrible because Jurgis should have been able to sue but no he couldn't, for one reason. The company didn't tell him. Why should they anyways? It would only mean a loss of money to the company and probably lower wages for the workers. I find the last part of Chapter 23 to be very descriptive and disturbing. Where it is talking about the woman being dragged away by the police to the Detention Hospital. I love the imagery here. It says, “ You might see them, herded together in a miniature inferno, with hideous, beastly faces, bloated and leprous with disease, laughing, shouting, screaming in all stages of drunkenness, barking like dogs, gibbering like apes, raving and tearing themselves in delirium.” In this part of the novel it is also giving the reader another preview as to why the book is called The Jungle. I believe that it is named so because of the way everybody in Packingtown is dragged down to the bare minimum of living that their inner beast is dragged out. The town has turned from civilized immigrants to a pit of mindless beasts equivalent to living in a jungle. What does Aladdin have to do with anything? I don’t believe that Aladdin’s story was out yet. Yeah, the book was published in 1906 and Aladdin didn’t come out until 1992. I still don’t get the point of including it in the book.

The Jungle Chapters 20-23

These three chapters vary from very sad to at least decent. It seems like every time that something good is happening or could happen then some sort of tragedy comes along. Jurgis goes out and tries to get drunk because he want to forget about his wife's death. He comes back and the rest of his remaining family is scared of him. He goes out for a few weeks at a time with the children to try and find a job. It did not help that he beat up his wife's boss. He was put on the black list, so when he possibly found a job, he could not be hired. He trudged sadly home after a few weeks of searching, and I would to if I was in his position. Finally, he finds work and another tragedy strikes. The work is closed because there are too many produced and there is no longer a demand for it. Jurgis wanders around in hope of work. While, little Juozapas, one legged, goes to the dump and is asked to hobble over to this beautiful lady. This lady comes by to give his family food and Juozapas a crutch instead of a broom. She also provides Jurgis with a job after Elzbieta tells her their story. Also, two of the children selling newspaper were frightened out of it. Then after some time, there is a nice arrangement in which most are happy, until another tragic death, Antanas. When Jurgis finds out, he is so upset. He sets out and doesn't stop until nightfall. I like the life that he is living. It seems nice. It is almost like a slave escaping from his master and then they were their own masters.