"Cliff Notes - Jungle, The" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cliff Notes)

Released again, he returns to crime, tutored by a former
cellmate named Jack Duane. Jurgis learns how Chicago's criminal
underworld helps to corrupt the city's government. Through Buck
Halloran, a district leader, he learns how graft works, and he
learns about "pull."

Jurgis returns to the stockyards as an undercover operative
of the Democratic boss. He promotes the boss's choice for
alderman--the Republican candidate. Jurgis's man wins, and
Jurgis stays on in the stockyards. In June, the butcher's union
strikes. Jurgis gets a foreman's job, takes bribes from his
men, and beats up strikers for the packers. A second attack on
Phil Connor lands him in jail again. Jurgis posts bail and
flees.

He goes back to begging. He meets an old friend who gives
him Marija's address. When he tracks her down, he discovers she
is a prostitute and a drug addict. Stanislovas is dead, she
explains--eaten by rats. The others are alive, living mainly on
Marija's earnings.

That night he walks into a political rally to keep warm. An
emotional orator converts him to socialism, and his life takes a
new turn. He is given a job as porter in a hotel owned by a
socialist. He lives with Elzbieta and her children, but cannot
convince Marija to change her life. Jurgis throws himself into
socialism. The novel ends on election night in 1904. At a
Socialist party gathering, Jurgis learns that his party has made
a strong showing. A speaker exhorts the crowd to organize the
workers so that "Chicago will be ours!"

Sinclair populates The Jungle with characters from nearly
every walk of life and social class. He gives 60 of them names.
Dozens of others go nameless, although their actions help shape
the destinies of the major characters. Together, the men,
women, and children in The Jungle suggest the vibrant and varied
life of America during the early years of the 20th century.

The suggestion is intentional on Sinclair's part, since his
goal is to expose an entire social system--the ruthlessly
competitive capitalist democracy that is the chief villain of
his story. He seeks to prove that all who come into contact
with the system are brutalized and corrupted by it.

A brief analysis of some of the important characters follows.
The characters are listed in the order of their appearance.

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THE JUNGLE: MARIJA BERCZYNSKAS