The Jungle - Week 5

[Lori, Moderator]

With the "mod's choice" reads, there's always the chance that the mod is the only one interested in the book :-D

What was the “great adventure” of Jurgis’s life?

Jurgis ended up in prison again. How was his experience different this time?

What has he been up to in the criminal world?

And what about his political escapades? (I’m having a hard time understanding some of the “operations” here, honestly.)

What was Jurgis’s role in the Beef Strike?

What did Jurgis learn at the end of this section, and how did this news affect him?

[Nancy]

Actually, I’m hanging in there until what I’m sure will be the bitter end. I will post my comments about last week today, and later this week, I will post for this week. I would never call this a pleasant read, but it’s an important work and very wee -written.

[Lori, Moderator]

Good to know! I'm definitely glad I read it. Some of my favorite books weren't pleasant to read.

[Nancy]

There’s an old saying that goes: “If it weren’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all,” and a truer statement cannot be made about Jurgis. There was almost some comic relief in the chapter dealing with the very rich and very drunk Freddie, but that episode ends in the humiliation of being thrown out of the grand house, the theft of his $100 bill, and another stint in jail. While he is in jail, he re-unites with Jack Duane, and this leads Jurgis to a life of assaults and theft, but it also fills his belly and keeps him warm at night. Jurgis eventually ends up caught in the political machine, works as a “scab,” and then gets thrown out of the political arena when he is of no more use to the bosses. The section ends with Jurgis becoming a beggar again, then meeting up with Alena Jasaityte, who tells him where to find Marija. He learns that Marija is a prostitute, and she tells him of the sad fate of their former companions before they are carted off to jail.
Like you, I had difficulty following the section on the political machine. The one thing that stood out to me was that Jurgis changed from a basically kind and moral man into a hardened criminal who did whatever he had to do to survive. I can’t blame him for that - his instinct to survive took over, as it would with most of us. There is a flicker of the old Jurgis when Marija updates him on the other Lithuanians, but I doubt he can ever become whole again.
There is so much to this story. I’m looking forward to finishing it this week and making final comments.

[Nancy]

One more comment…I was also disturbed by the racial references used by Sinclair. Like you, I was unsure if the author was communicating his own feelings or those of Jurgis and the other white people.

[Lori, Moderator]

Thanks for your comments, Nancy. I'm also doubtful of whether it's possible to be whole again after all that. And it's sad to know that, even though this is fiction, there were and are people who have gone through similar life experiences.