The Jungle · Chapter
II explained
Jurgis, young and strong, dismisses warnings about the brutal conditions in the Chicago stockyards, confident in his physical prowess.
What happens
Jurgis, young and strong, dismisses warnings about the brutal conditions in the Chicago stockyards, confident in his physical prowess. The chapter recounts his background in the Lithuanian forest, his meeting and courtship of Ona, and the family's decision to emigrate to America after Ona's father dies and leaves them destitute. They endure a difficult journey, are cheated by officials, and finally arrive in Chicago, where they are overwhelmed by the industrial landscape and the pervasive, pungent odor of the stockyards.
Themes in this chapter
Immigrant Struggle
The family's journey is marked by exploitation by officials and agents, their helplessness in a foreign land, and the daunting arrival in the industrial chaos of Chicago.
Illusion of the American Dream
Jurgis and his family believe America offers freedom and high wages, but the reality is a grim, polluted landscape and brutal labor conditions that foreshadow their disillusionment.
Poverty and Survival
The family's decision to emigrate is driven by destitution after Ona's father's death; they cling to their remaining money and endure hardships to survive.
Characters to notice
- Jurgis Rudkus
Young, strong, and confident; dismisses warnings about work in the stockyards; recalls his courtship of Ona and his labor on a railroad to earn passage to America.
- Ona Rudkus
Jurgis's beloved; a young girl whose father's death and family's poverty prompt the emigration to America.
- Antanas Rudkus
Jurgis's father; a peasant who lived in the Imperial Forest and decided to go with his son to America.
- Elzbieta Rudkus
Ona's stepmother, called Teta Elzbieta; she and her six children are part of the emigrant party.
- Jonas
Elzbieta's brother; a dried-up little man who suggests the family go to America where a friend got rich.
- Marija Berczynskas
A cousin of Ona's; an orphan who joins the party at the last moment after nearly killing her abusive employer.
Key passages
“Jurgis talked lightly about work, because he was young. They told him stories about the breaking down of men, there in the stockyards of Chicago, and of what had happened to them afterwards—stories to make your flesh creep, but Jurgis would only laugh.”
Jurgis dismissed warnings about the grueling and destructive nature of work in the Chicago stockyards, confident in his own youth and strength.
Highlights Jurgis's initial naivety and physical pride, setting up the contrast with later suffering.
“In that country, rich or poor, a man was free, it was said; he did not have to go into the army, he did not have to pay out his money to rascally officials—he might do as he pleased, and count himself as good as any other man.”
America was idealized as a land of freedom where a man could escape conscription, corruption, and class hierarchy.
Illustrates the myth of the American Dream that lured immigrants, soon to be shattered by reality.
“They were pitiable in their helplessness; above all things they stood in deadly terror of any sort of person in official uniform, and so whenever they saw a policeman they would cross the street and hurry by.”
The immigrants were so vulnerable and frightened that they avoided anyone in uniform, fearing further exploitation.
Emphasizes the powerlessness and fear experienced by newcomers in an unfamiliar and hostile environment.