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The Jungle Book Review

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The Jungle Book Review
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: The Penguin Book, 1906 Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is the story of an immigrant who came to America for a new beginning involving a “great” job. The immigrant, Jurgis Rudkus, comes from a poor family in Lithuania and wants to now support his future wife, Ona Lukoszaite by working for a meatpacking factory in Chicago. Jurgis soon realizes that America and its’ people and opportunities are not all that he thought they would be. Sinclair exposes the horrors and disgust that goes on “behind the scenes” in meatpacking industries. Jurgis and Ona were madly in love and wishing and hoping that one day that could have a wedding of their own, as they sit and enjoy a traditional Lithuanian wedding. Jurgis decided that they would move to Chicago to “make his fortune in the world and earn his right to Ona” (Sinclair 23). The next summer they went to Chicago joined with Ona’s stepmother, her children, and Ona’s other cousins. When first arriving they meet up with Jokubas, who was a Lithuanian who had came to America and gotten very wealthy. Jokubas sets them all with an apartment they can all live in for the time being. As dirty and smelly the streets of Chicago are, Jurgis and Ona still see all the opportunities it offers. Jurgis sets off to get a job at Brown’s Meatpacking Industry and ends up getting the job. When Jurgis sees the hogs and the slaughterhouse he is very shocked, but that does not stop his interest or enthusiasm for his new job. The next day he will start work, 12 hour days for .17 a day. Jurgis doesn’t want Ona or the kids to have to work; he wants to be the main supporter. Jurgis, Ona, and the group see an ad in the paper for a big house and end up buying it. Jurgis is working a lot and very much enjoying his work in the slaughterhouse. But to his surprise, none of the other men like the work; they actually hate it. Tamoszius Kuszleika is a friend of Jurgis’ at work and he explains this to him. Jurgis is asked to
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