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The Jungle

The Jungle

by Upton Sinclair



If you are or you know someone that is an immigrant to this country, then you



know the struggles and hardships that one must face. Forget the language barrier,



problems such as no money, no food or shelter, even no job are all brutal circumstances.



All these problems are tough to surpass, and doing so is a task in itself. In The Jungle



Upton Sinclair portrays all the problems that a Lithuanian family must encounter to



survive. This novel reflects the time period, the conflicts around the country, and the



conflicts of a family struggling to survive. A truly great novel in my opinion, The Jungle



should be read by everyone for enjoyment, and even for knowledge.



The main characters in this novel are a immigrant family from Lithuania. The



family consisting of Jurgis and Antanas Rudkus, Ona and Elizabeth Lukoszaite (with all



six of her children), and many personal friends and enemies of the family. The Lukoszaite



family have come to America to gain wealth after their recent death of their father. Jurgis



who is madly in love with Ona comes along with his father to America. A family from the



poor roots of Lithuania come oversees to seek great wealth and success in the United



States, escaping the slums of their native country. The setting is in Chicago, in the town



of Packingtown.



Escaping poverty in their native country, with a heartbreaking loss of a family



member, the entire group packs up and heads for the highway so to speak to achieve



wealth in America. The novel begins with a lovely wedding between Ona and Jurgis. The



reception followed tradition, but the younger generation didn't participate in the usual



customs of a wedding. This just went to show how different the two countries really are.



Struggling to pay the cost of the reception, everyone must leave early to go to work the



next morning, including the wife and groom. Of all the...