The Jungle Questions

What do you think of Jurgis's maxim, "I will work harder"? Do you think this is a good solution?

No, because he is already working hard enough.

What jungle metaphor describes Jurgis at the end of this chapter? How does this characterization of Jurgis contribute to the feeling that he is now a victim and no longer has control of his life?

"Helpless as a wounded animal, the target of unseen enemies." He is helpless because he lost his hope, faith, and nothing is going as he planned. He feels like he has no control over his life anymore, and that was why he liked to drink the alcohol because when he did drink it, it controlled him.

Describe the neighborhoods of Packingtown.

They were filthy and many people to a room and went over their occupancy codes.

By the end of the chapter, the family is in much anguish over their purchase. What are Jurgis's worries? And what are those of Ona and Elzbieta?

All of them were worried about how they were going to make the pay and Ona and Elzbieta were worried that they made the wrong decision.

Based on events in Chapter 2, what kind of person does Jurgis seem to be?

A very hard worker, optimistic

Why is Antanas having difficulty getting a job?

Because he is an old man, and the way owners see it as, it is better to hire a younger and more fitter man to work.

List all the adjectives on page 19 that describe the Chicago they saw. How is the quote "the color of things became dingier" symbolic of their experience thus far?

Dingy, bad odor, hideous, damp rancid; The quote symbolizes they are very disappointed, and they are very let down by it.

Why did Elzbieta go to work, and what was her job?

Elzbieta goes to work because they family needs more money to pay the bills since Jurgis is laid up for months. Her daughter is now old enough to stay at home and do all cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the young ones. Her job is to make smoked sausages.

Why was Elzbieta's insensibility (inability to feel something, especially to be moved emotionally) considered a gift?

Elzbieta's job was hard work. At her job she had to stand on her feet hours and hours each day. It left her "no time to think, no strength for anything" her job was energy consuming. If she was insensible it meant that she wouldn't feel the hardship of her work. That was a good thing because I don't think Elzbieta could have endured the pain.

Describe the winter in Packingtown and how it affects the people, at work and otherwise.

Even though there hands and feet freeze they still come to work. The streets where there friends have to walk on to get to work are unpaved and full of deep holes, and gullies. They couldn't afford warner clothes or blankets, and if they could they were made of cheap materials. Their heater doesn't work. It was hard for people to go to work because they would freeze.

Describe the reality of this statement: "the zeal of the people, to see that his health and happiness were provided for."

Everyone they knew in Packingtown were happy to see that Jurgis and his family were starting their new life together. There is something for everyone and everything for example if you could smoke cigars or find a cure for smoking cigars.

How well is a good work ethic rewarded at the packing plants? How are the strong, hard-working employees treated?

Good work ethic is not rewarded at the packing plants. The strong, hard-working employees are definitely deserve better positions and more money but the owners don't care. The owners only care about how they look and if they look old they will be replaced.

What is his reaction when Ona finally tells him the truth?

He beat the dog crap out of Ona's boss. He would've killed the boss if not for other people who interfered in the fight.

What effect does the union meeting have on Jurgis?

He becomes a strong advocate, makes it his mission to sign up all the Lithuanian community to the union cause. With the Lithuanians he will "labor and wrestle in prayer by trying to show them the right even though many of the lithuanians are not willing to accept his message.

What happens to Antanas and why?

He dies because where he worked was really cold and dark so his cough grew worse, he also worked in a place where his feet got soaked in chemicals so he got a foot infection where bumps showed up on his feet. He basically rotted away, and one day he coughed up blood, they payed for a doctor and the doctor said they couldn't do anything about it. Then three more hemorrhages came and one day they found him stiff and cold on his bed.

How does Tamoszius explain the packing order of the industry to Jurgis?

He explains the packing order of the industry to Jurgis by telling him that some of the bosses make deals where they hire a man only if they get a part of their salary. Only so the owner's get more money. When the supervisors find out, they make the bosses give part of the money they took from the lower class back to them in order to not get in trouble. Then it moves up the chain of command. The bosses like taking money and don't care who they hurt.

Describe the circumstances surrounding the death of Kristoforas.

He had a hard time walking because of his hip bone. He was very weak since he had to work all the time. Most of the time he was sick and the family had no money to take him to a doctor. So it was probably a good thing he died. His mom was very sad and wishes she could've done more.

ho is Mike Scully?

He is the ruler of the district, controls Chicago, leader of the War Whoop League, and the democratic boss. He was a guy you wanted on your side.

The soul of Jurgis "rose up in him like a sleeping lion." What is the essence of his soul?

He knows he needs to rise up and be the fatherly figure the family needs him to be to stay afloat.

How and why had Jurgis discovered drink? Describe his constant battle with it. What does he blame his difficulties on?

He started to drink to forget the pain. One day, he drank up all that he had in his packets. He is ashamed of himself what he drinks and realizes how much he spends on drinking but he's having trouble stopping. He gets mad when the family tries to stand in his way from drinking. He turns to the alcohol when he's frustrated and has a sense of defeat.

What is Jurgis's impression of the meat packing industry? What is yours?

He was awestruck about how quickly they dress the hog. My opinion is it sounds horrid.

What are Jurgis's expectations for his new job?

He was happy he got a job, thought it was going to be fun, make a lot of money, and it was the solution to all his problems.

Why was Jurgis more willing to join a union when he was approached a second time?

He was more willing to join the second time they asked because he now understood the bitterness and anger that the other workers have towards the factory. Jurgis also joined because he is starting to get paid less.

Stanislovas filled lard cans "till the end of his days." Predict what you think will happen to him.

He will work until he dies

Explain Jurgis's role in elections. Does he understand what he is taking part in? What exactly is he taking part in?

He's illegally voting because the Unions are forcing him and also paying him to do it. So he was participating in election fraud and didn't understand what he was doing wrong.

What is the purpose of the government inspector? Describe him.

He's supposed to check the hogs for tuberculosis and he doesn't care he just cares about his check.

What glimpses of poverty and desperation do we get in this chapter?

Her family is poor and immigrants, they get paid dirt cheap, their friends were giving them money for the dollar dance even though they didn't have it.

What is Ona's present state of mind? What does Jurgis think about her?

Her state of mind is not in a good place jurgis thought. Ona's eyes looked like the eyes of a hunted animal.

How are unions explained to Jurgis? What is his perception of the unions?

His perception of the unions are that he is a proud and persevering man, his job is luxury, and easy way to make money. The unions are explained to him as the men that were banned together, for the purpose of their rights.

How were the men "forced" to drink, and how does this further their demise?

If you were not intending to drink when you came into the bar, they would kick you out. And if you were slow about going you would get your head split open with a beer bottle in the bargain. It was so cold when people would walk home they would have to stop one or twice to warm up. There were hot things to eat in saloons, they might get home late or just not show up at all and then their wives would have to come look for them and then their wives would also get cold and she would have the kids with her so then they would also start drinking.

escribe the health issues outlined in this chapter. Do you think this was unique to Durham's? Explain.

No, it wasn't unique to Durhams. People were missing fingers, tuberculosis, rheumatism, and acid problems.

Explain the political system in Chicago at that time.

It is a democratic city and is run by the War Whoop Cafe, and the people that are a part of the War Whoop Cafe are the "indians" who run the city.

How does Jurgis feel about his job? How does it compare to how the other men feel about their work?

It saves him the necessity of flinging his arms about and fidgeting as he does it most work. He doesn't like thinking about the "flesh and blood" but otherwise he doesn't mind it, he rather enjoys it The other men hate their job, their bosses, and the owners. They also hated the whole city.

What does Grandmother Majauszkiene tell her neighbors about their house, the history of Packingtown, and work conditions at Packingtown?

It wasn't made very well, it was cheap, and they weren't the first people to live there. They sold the houses to families they knew couldn't afford them. Thus when they missed a payment they could resell it. In Packingtown new families would come to Durham in search of jobs and he would drop wages and the old ones would leave packing. Packingtown was a very poopy place, and corruption is everywhere.

What has happened to Jonas? What is the effect on the family?

Jonas disappeared and one Saturday he did not come home. His supervisor said he collected his week's pay and left. The family didn't know if it was true or not because the meatpacking plants will not tell the workers families the truth if one of their workers falls into the tanks and gets processed into lard and fertilizer. The effect on the family is they feel that Jonas has deserted them and gone on the road, seeking happiness.

What transformation is taking place in the family as they work and witness events around them? How is their "faith in America" slowly being shattered?

Jurgis and is family did not expect this in America. They only thought good things would come out of this. Everything is slowly being shattered because Jurgis didn't realize good things in Packington never happened. He thought he was going to rise and become such a skilled man but, things like that never happened in the factories or Packingtown. He is also realizing the bad things that go down in the factories. Him and his family are starting to get disappointed because they had this huge expectation of America and they are starting to realize what reality is really like.

What does Jurgis believe will happen to Connor?

Jurgis believes Connor will make his family pay for the attack.

What social class does Jurgis belong to? What criteria determine the class system?

Jurgis belongs to the lowest class. The criteria that determines the class system is how you work.

Whom does Jurgis blame for Ona's situation? What kind of person does Jurgis view Ona as? Is he correct in his assessment of her?

Jurgis blames himself for what happened to Ona. She will never be the same she will always be broken and weak forever. He doesn't believe she will be able to live without him. Yes.

How did Jurgis "understand at last all their bitterness"?

Jurgis finally understands that living in America is a lot harder than he originally thought because it is expensive. So when the unions asked him to join with them he does because all the people that stood around waiting for more cattle to come do not get paid.

What does Jurgis discover about Ona, and how does he come to discover it?

Jurgis has discovered that Ona's boss forced her to sleep on him. He learned that the boss wants her to stay there permanently and become a prostitute if she didn't the boss would fire them all. Jurgis forced Ona to tell the truth.

How does Jurgis justify his role in the elections? Do you agree with him?

Jurgis justify his role in elections by being bribed to vote. Even though his family was in financial trouble doesn't mean he should participate in voting fraud

What are Jurgis's plans for everyone in their new, relocated family?

Jurgis would work and Ona would not work. Marija was going to find a job and get paid $2 a day. Teta would stay home with Ona. The kids would go to school and be kids. Antanas would try to find a job as well.

Describe Jurgis's confinement. What is the irony of this, in contrast to Ona's return to work after childbirth?

Jurgis's confinement to this is since he had a twisted ankle there was no cure other than staying at home. Because of that Ona had to work harder so she could earn the money to help with the child even though she didn't earn as much as Jurgis does. In contrast to this after Ona's return to work after childbirth Jurgis didn't want her to worry about going to work because he was the man of the house and he wanted her to stay healthy and get to feeling better.

What is Jurgis's experience returning to work?

Jurgis's experience of returning to work wasn't a very good one because due to him being gone so long they were unable to hold his position. He then realizes he is like the other unemployed men on the streets and seeks out to the Union for their help. They too however are unable to find him and job and he is stuck to fend for himself

Who do you think will be the protagonists in this book?

Jurgis, Ona, Marija

Who has taken an interest in one another? Why is this important to the family?

Marija and Tamoszuis take and interest in one another and they start a love affair. T earns "a lot of money" by playing the violin in events in the community, so he is helping the family financially. This is very important for the family because part of the money T earns goes to the family, and they really need the money. He would also ask Marija to join him at his parties and when she would come back she would bring cake and sandwiches back for them all.

What fears does Marija have about the bank? How reasonable are these fears?

Marija fears she is going to lost all the money she deposited. She fears losing it because she feels her family has bad luck with financial situations. Her fears are really reasonable because the money was really hard to earn.

Why did Marija wait in line at the bank? How long did she wait? What did she do with her money?

Marija waited in line at the bank because she was afraid she would lose all of her money do to corruption. She waited in line half a day and all night and then some of the next morning. She sewed her money into her clothes so no one would steal it.

What is Jokubas Szedvilas's advice for the family in the purchase of real estate?

Not to buy it, it will be the death of you.

What is the hog-squeal of the universe?

Nothing is wasted they use every last bit of the pig. The hogs squeal was so loud that anyone in the universe could hear it and are in pain, but no one cares.

What financial difficulties is the family now facing?

Now that it is spring the family's financial situation has not gotten better than before. The canning factory reopened but Marija is fired. She finds another job but she is only paid half of what she used to get. The pipes in the house froze and then burst,then they had a flood in there house, so the family had to pay a lot for a plumber. When they went to pay for their rent the agent tells them that they must procure a new insurance policy on the house.

What happens in chapter one? Describe the atmosphere and mood in this chapter.

Ona and Jurgis get married and is everyone is happy and having a great time

Describe Ona at the end of the chapter.

Ona at the end of the chapter is developing a cough like the one that killed Dede Antanas, suffering from terrible headaches, cries uncontrollably for no reason, and sometimes she shudders and moans.

What effect did childbirth have on Ona?

Ona had to go to work a week after she gave birth to the baby boy. The quick return back to work gives her "womb-trouble," which all the women in Packingtown suffer from. Ona suffers from a lot of pain in her body all day long, and the only thing that cures her pain are alcohol based medicines.

What are Jurgis's worries about the family's present situation, and what does he consider to be the worst aspect of his position?

Ona will no longer have a job and he doesn't know how he will support his family since he is in jail. He can't go back and change what happened to Ona.

Why did Ona's boss and co-workers dislike her?

Ona's boss and co-workers dislike her becauause she did not give the forelady a present occasionally, she is a decent married women because the people she works with are basically prostitutes.

What do you believe were Ona's options, faced with her situation?

She had no other options than to listen to her boss because he threatened to take away her family and hers job.

How does Ona cause alarm in the house one night?

She did not come home one night after work.

How does Marija handle her money? Is this a positive or negative characteristic?

She earns a lot of money in the canning factory. She brings large sums of it with her home. I think it is a positive characteristic because she saves some of it but she also spends some of it on items for the family. So it's not like she isn't wasting her money

How does her money management affect her?

She loses her job because the canning factory closes. So she tries to go find another job but it is hard because there are so many other people are unemployed. When she was working at the canning factory she was making 12-14 dollars a week so it will be hard to find another job that will pay her that well. Her money management also allows her not to be selfish towards her family.

What does it mean, "Ona was to be confined before long"?

She would also lose her job before long, and Jurgis knew it too so he tried to save up as much money as possible before it happens.

Why did Jurgis's and Ona's family decide to go to America?

So Jurgis and Ona can be married, they can get more money and hopefully get rich someday, and they're also escaping their past life in Lithuania.

Describe "broken time."

So in a day if you worked fifty minutes and not a total hour you do not get paid for that day, and if you work an hour and fifty minutes you only get paid for that hour. If you were a minute late you got docked an hour. So basically broken time is them getting cheated out of money.

What food issues are described in this chapter?

Some hams would be found spoiled and some would smell so bad that a man could hardly bear to be in a room with them. Meat falls on the floor and is picked up and put into the grinding machine, spoiled meat is sold and sausages are filled with the urine from rats. There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms and the water from leaky roofs would drip over it and thousands of rats would race about on it. A man could also run his hand over the piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of dried dung of rats. Men would wash their hands in the water that was to be ladled into the sausage.

What are some of their health issues?

Stanislovas is ill from over indulgence in sausages and sarsaparilla. Antanas died of hemorrhage and coughing because he had a foot infection. Almost every child is sick because the milk they have drank was not pure.

Describe the work experience of Vilimas and Nikalojus. What values do they learn at their work? From whom do they learn the "ins and outs" of their trade?

The children had to leave drop out of school to go work to help support the family and bring in extra cash.The job they go was to sell newspapers. The work experience they had wasn't very good at first because a man took their money and didn't give them the newspapers in return.The next day they go again with more money and they sell the papers but have their stock stolen by a man. However, they covered the expenses that day. The next day they are begging to learn the tricks of newspaper trade. First, they found out that they can sneak into the trolley cars to avoid paying fare. They also learned who they should sell the newspapers to and what places to avoid.

According to Jurgis how is America the same as Russia?

The countries are the same because the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. They are basically the same except here it is a democracy.

Summarize the description of the demise (dying) of the working man

The demise of the working man is that he was once valuable and treated really well. He was once cared for and paid good to support his family. He was joyful and able to feel confident because of the job he did. Packingtown on the other hand was complete opposite of the working man. Working men were replaceable and cheap to come by. Their labor force was replaced all the time with stronger, faster, and cheap. The "working man" was every immigrant that came to the United States.

What differences does the union make in Jurgis?

The differences the unions made in Jurgis were pay attention to the country, talk politics, and learn to speak English.

What are the disadvantages of union membership?

The disadvantages of a union membership are the people that spy on the others and they don't treat the foreigners equal because they don't know how to speak english.

Describe Marija's disillusionment.

The factory she was originally working at reopened and she continued to work there but then she complained to her boss that she wasn't getting paid right and so she got fired. Then she could no longer provide for the family like she used to before she got fired.

Why did the family decide that the boys should return to school?

The family decided that the boys should return to school because they have picked up bad habits with their paperboy jobs. They started speaking english slang, and they were starting to get to know the Chicago's criminal world.

Describe the difficulties the family is encountering.

The family is encountering debt of a hundred dollars due to Ona and Jurgis wedding, their heater isn't working and it is cold, and a lot of them are getting sick. Everything they are buying has been doctored with. They don't have much money but they want Antanas to have a good funeral

What is the function of the Beef Trust?

The function of the beef trust is they would fix the pay of the beef on the hoof and the price of all the dressed meat in the country. At the Beef Trust every week the managers of it got together and compared notes, and there was one scale for all the workers in the yards, and for one standard of efficiency.

Describe the corruption presented in this chapter.

The government inspectors don't inspect like they're supposed to, you get a glimpse into how the machines run, how Mike Scully ran Chicago, and voting fraud.

What did Stanislovas witness and what effect did it have on him?

The little boy he worked with came to work an hour late, screaming with pain. They unwrapped him and a guy was vigorously rubbing his ears which were frozen stiff. It only took two or three rubs to break them off and Stanislovas was horrified that the cold was a mania. Every morning when it came time to start for the yards, he would cry and protest.

Explain the dichotomy (difference) of marriage and death in this chapter. How are these events juxtaposed (the same)?

The marriage in the chapter was all happy and the death was not. They were happy Antanas didn't have to suffer anymore.

This chapter begins the book's comparison of Packingtown to a jungle. Describe the metaphor at the end of the chapter.

The men were wild animals and it was all a competition to survive. It means that the men were always on the hunt to find jobs and hope that they didn't get laid off and other workers get to replace them.

How are the packinghouses like chattel slavery?

The packinghouses are like chattel slavery because they are mostly low class foreign people working them, they are always hanging on the verge of starvation, the bosses are rude and brutal, unspeakable things go down all the time at the packinghouses.

What are the working conditions in the fertilizer plant?

The place smells really bad, the workers breathe in dust, and are doomed to die. They get covered in animal byproducts and can barely stand at the end of the day. The fertilizer plant is not a healthy place to be at, it makes Jurgis weak and sick. Jurgis smells so bad like fertilizer that he makes his family vomit at the dinner table. He can't do anything about it though because his family needs the money.

How are the police characterized?

The police didn't care about any of the in mates lives. They were ruthless, and liars

What is the purpose of advertising today? How does it compare to the advertisements described

The purpose of advertising today is to sell to the products. Everything is much cheaper, and they were quick little liners that tried to pull you in and buy the product. Everywhere in packingtown there were advertisements.

What are the results of Stanislovas getting caught in the snow with Ona?

The results of Stanislovas getting caught in the snow with Ona were Stanislovas was screaming with pain, and his fingers were all frosted it seemed. So he spent most of the day in horrible agony. The consequences were Stans three little fingers were permanently disabled, and everytime he leaves to go to work he has to be beaten before he sets out for work.

What caused the "run"?

The run was caused by a scandal of a business in Packingtown. The rumor of the "run" was spread by the bank.

How do they first encounter dishonesty?

The scoundrel that tricked them into giving them a great amount of money.

What is the "trap" referred to on page 116 that Jurgis falls into? What are the implications of this situation for the family?

The trap referred to on page 116 is that Jurgis injured his ankle at work and is unable to go to work for a period of time. The bad thing is that he is a major contributor to the family's income and without him working hurts them.

How does the union disappoint the family?

The unions disappointed the family because when the canning industry closed the unions did not prevent that even though Marija was a part of them.

Describe graft

The way they described graft in the book is like this: Bosses make deals where they hire a man only if they get a part of their salary in order to put more money in their pockets. When the boss' supervisors find out, they make the bosses give part of the money they took from the lower class worked in order to stay out of trouble, and the whole scam moves up the chain of command. So basically the bosses just want to make money and they don't care how many people they hurt and who it is. They just pay the lower class workers less.

Explain the comparisons between nature and Packingtown

The winter is dreadful like working in packingtown. The branches of the trees battle for light, like workers battle for work, or a good day. Some of the tree branches will lose, die or even get weak, like workers in Packingtown do.

What difficult experiences did they have in Lithuania, and how did they expect them to improve in America? What are their expectations for their new life in America?

The workers that Jurgis worked with in Lithuania tried to kill him and they thought it would be better in America because they thought they would be free and make a bunch of money.

Describe the significance of the words "blood red" and "fire" in the final description of Chapter 2.

Their minds were elsewhere (daydreaming) about packingtown and their future not thinking about reality.

Describe the perils (hazards) are brought by the summertime and heat.

There are rains that turned their streets into mud. In the summer it's really hot and there are swarms of flies because of the garbage dumps. The workers can't stand the killing beds because of the heat. The odor is awful and it gets worse everyday. The heat is just awful in general.

Describe the imagery of cold as it appears at the end of this chapter. (7)

They could feel the cold as it krept through the cracks reaching out for them with its icy-deadlike fingers; and they would crouch and cower, and try to hide from it all in vain. The cold would come as a grizzly thing and they would all hide in terror from it. When they would try to cry for help there would be no mercy.

Describe the real estate agent. What is the family's perception of him? What is your perception of him?

They didn't really trust him but they didn't know how to speak to him because he talked to fast and they didn't know how to ask questions. I think the agent just wanted their money.

"They had played the game and they had lost." Explain this statement.

They had played a game they didn't even know the rules to or what to make of it. They paid their bills but, they feel like they were cheated on everything (which they were) they lost everything they were fighting for, lost it all. Such as respect, dignity, health, money, and of course life.

The family is learning about credit in America. Explain the system and how it compares to the process of making large purchases in our country today

They learned they could buy furniture and pay it off a little at a time. In america today you end up paying more.

Why is it so important to Elzbieta to have a religious symbol in their home?

To show that God was always watching out for them. It was meant to bring good things to their home.

Why does the family prefer to buy rather than rent?

You have a sense of ownership, it's better in the long run to rather buy than rent.

What are the "metaphors of human destiny" described on page 25? How is this metaphor continued?

You're going to work until you die. Packingtown is basically going to chew you up until you die.