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Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
funeral. The winter takes its toll on the family, they keep falling ill because of the sub-standard food milk and medicines they are forced to buy.
The family is finally blessed with some happy news at the blossoming love of Marija and Tamoszius Kuszleika, the violin player at Jurgis and Ona’s wedding. Jurgis also finds out about unions and the family soon joins. Jurgis finds a sort of brotherhood and is strengthened by the promises of the union. However, Marija’s place of employment closes and the family is surprised that the union can’t do anything about it. Jurgis begins to learn English and with his new knowledge he learns more and more about the corruption of the city.
The family finally learns the worst of their contract for the house and they realize that they couldn’t survive without Marija and her hopes to be married are dashed. Marija finally get her job back but is dismissed when she complains about not getting paid what she is owed. She gets another job as a meat trimmer and although the conditions are inhumane and the pay meager, she sticks with it. Ona discovers that the reason that her forelady doesn’t like her is that she is a decent respectable woman and that the forelady wishes she could get Ona to be a mistress for Phil Connor, the boss of the loading gang at Browns. Ona doesn’t tell Jurgis. Ona also gives birth to Little Antanas, their first son. She only stays away from work a week, and her health suffers. Jurgis learns that Packingtown is not a collection of firms, but one firm that fixes wages, working standards and prices throughout the industry. Marija rises in her job and starts hoping for wedding again. Jurgis injures himself at work and must be laid up for months. The family’s finances are once again in peril. The light of Jurgis’ life is his son.
Jonas disappears and the family cannot find him. It is assumed that he took to the road. With his income gone, two more of Teta Elzibetha’s children must work. They sell newspapers. Ona’s mental and emotional health is failing and she begins to doubt Jurgis’ love for her because he doesn’t seem to notice. Jurgis is finally able to return to work in April, but the company won’t hire him back because they don’t feel the accident was their fault, no longer young and healthy Jurgis has trouble finding a job. He finally gets a job at the fertilizer plant, the worst job in all of Packingtown. One of Elzbietha’s sons die, but the family has no money for a funeral. Ona is expecting again but she isn’t getting any emotional support from Jurgis at all. Ona suffers from nervous fits and periods of crying, but still she works fifteen and sixteen hours a day as the holidays approach again. Ona doesn’t return home one night and since her [next page]