The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Detailed Chapter Notes

Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. Doubleday, Page & Company, 1906.

Marija and Tamoszius's Romance and Plans

Marija and Tamoszius's romance blossomed after Tamoszius expressed his feelings one Saturday night after a wedding. Marija shared the news with her friends and family the following day, expressing her immense happiness. Their love was innocent, spending hours together in the kitchen. They planned to marry in the spring and fix up the garret of the house to live in.

Marija's Role as the Capitalist and Her Work

Tamoszius earned good wages, and the family was gradually repaying their debt to Marija. Marija, an expert can-painter, earned fourteen cents for every hundred and ten cans and could paint more than two cans per minute. She used some of her earnings to buy essential items for her family. She felt in control of her life and was excited about her plans for the future.

The Canning Factory Shutdown and Its Impact

Marija's canning factory shut down unexpectedly, leaving her and many others jobless. No explanation or warning was provided, and the workers were simply informed that the factory would be closed for at least a month. The girls explained that the shutdown was due to the end of the holiday rush and that the factory might start up on half-time later, or it might remain closed for longer. Marija's dreams and plans were shattered, and her grief was immense.

Marija's Job Search and the Economic Slump

Marija searched for a job to fill the gap, but with most canning establishments closed and many girls seeking work, she was unsuccessful. She tried stores and saloons and even ventured into the wealthy areas near the lakefront, begging for work that could be done by someone who did not speak English.

The Impact on the Men in the Killing-Beds

The men on the killing-beds also felt the effects of the economic slump, but in a different way. The big packers did not close down but instead reduced working hours. The men were required to be ready for work at seven o'clock, but there was often no work until ten or eleven o'clock. During the slack season, they might not have any work until late in the afternoon, forcing them to loaf around in extremely cold temperatures. The merciless "speeding-up" would begin once the cattle arrived.

Jurgis's Experience with Reduced Hours and Pay

Jurgis experienced weeks where he worked only two hours, earning about thirty-five cents. There were days with less than half an hour of work or none at all. The average was six hours a day, earning him about six dollars a week. This work was done after standing on the killing-bed until one, three, or four o'clock in the afternoon. Sometimes a rush of cattle would come at the end of the day, requiring them to work until late at night without supper.

Exploitation and Unfair Practices in the Packinghouses

The men were at the mercy of the cattle, and the buyers would hold off for better prices. The cost of fodder in the yards was much higher than the market price, and workers were not allowed to bring their own. Cars often arrived late, and the packers would buy the cattle cheaper and enforce the rule that all cattle must be killed the same day. Workers were often paid for only part of their work. Being one minute late resulted in being docked an hour, while arriving early was not compensated. "Broken time" at the end of the day was also unpaid, leading to struggles between bosses and men.

"Working for the Church" and Jurgis's Frustration

To meet the standard the bosses would make the gang work awhile "for the church". The phrase alludes to Old man Jones being great on missions. The men would wink at each other and say, "Now we're working for the church!"

Jurgis's Embrace of Unionism

Jurgis began to understand the need to fight for their rights and joined the butcher-helpers' union. He saw the potential of combining to make a stand against the packers. The idea of a "free country" began to have meaning for him. He and his family joined the union, hopeful that it would end their troubles.

Marija's Disappointment with the Union

Marija's canning factory closed down soon after she joined the union, which left her staggered. At a union meeting, she passionately spoke out against the injustice of the situation, criticizing the packers and the world that allowed such things to happen.

Jurgis's Union Meeting Experience and Encounters

Jurgis attended a union meeting where he encountered Tommy Finnegan, a strange little Irishman who expounded his philosophical theories about the higher intelligences. Jurgis was frightened and embarrassed by the encounter. He never missed a meeting, however, and learned about the fight they were in and that they had brothers in affliction and allies. He understood that their one chance for life was in union.

Jurgis's Transformation into a Union Missionary

Jurgis became a zealous convert to the union cause, viewing it as a new religion. He sought to bring non-union Lithuanians into the fold, sometimes becoming impatient with their resistance. He forgot how he himself had been blind, a short time ago. But became someone spreading Brotherhood by force of arms.

Jurgis's Desire to Learn English and His Political Awakening

Jurgis wanted to learn English to participate in union meetings, so he began to pick up words from his children and a loaned book. He attended a night school to learn to read and speak English. The union made him pay attention to the country and become involved in politics. He saw the union as a miniature republic where every man had a say.

Jurgis's Initial Impression of America

Having come from Russia, where government was seen as an affliction, Jurgis initially thought America was the same. He had heard it was a free country but found that rich men owned everything and that hunger was the same.

Jurgis's Naturalization and Voting Experience

A night-watchman offered Jurgis the opportunity to become a citizen, which would get him half a day off with pay. He and other immigrants were taken on a tour of the city and given naturalization papers after taking an oath they did not understand. Later, he was shown how to mark a ballot and paid two dollars to vote. Jonas, however, offered to vote three times for four dollars.

Jurgis's Understanding of American Politics

Through the union, Jurgis learned that America was a democracy in form, but the officials were elected through graft. There were two rival sets of grafters, and the one that bought the most votes won. In the stockyards, the democratic party always won. The ruler of the district was Mike Scully, a wealthy Irishman who controlled everything in the stockyards.

Mike Scully's Corruption and Influence

Scully owned the dump, the brick factory, and the stagnant water hole nearby. He sold bricks to the city and ice from the hole. He hired someone to take the blame for a scandal involving the brick kiln. Scully had a note that was equal to a job at the packinghouses, and he employed many men at high wages for eight hours a day. These men belonged to the "War-Whoop League," which had prize-fights, cock-fights, and dog-fights. The police sold tickets for these fights.

Scully's Control over the Stockyards District

Scully controlled all the jobs in the fire department and other city graft in the stockyards district. Even the packers were in awe of him. He was seen as the people's man. Scully helped the packers get a bridge at Ashland Avenue and prevented the city from making them cover "Bubbly Creek."

Description of "Bubbly Creek"

"Bubbly Creek" is an arm of the Chicago River that forms the southern boundary of the yards. It is a great open sewer filled with grease and chemicals. Bubbles of carbonic acid gas rise to the surface. The grease and filth have caked solid, and chickens walk about on it. The surface would occasionally catch on fire, and the fire department would have to put it out. The packers gathered the filth and hairs from the creek.

Corruption and Swindles in the Packing Industry

The packers stole billions of gallons of the city's water through secret mains. The newspapers had reported this, but nobody had been punished. There was also the condemned meat industry. The government inspectors were paid by the United States government to certify that all the diseased meat was kept in the state. A physician who discovered that carcasses of steers condemned as tubercular were being sold in the city was ordered to resign. The packers compelled the mayor to abolish the whole bureau of inspection.

Illegal Practices and Double Standards

There was said to be two thousand dollars a week hush-money from the tubercular steers alone and as much again from the hogs which had died of cholera on the trains. These were loaded into box-cars and hauled away to a place in Indiana where they made a fancy grade of lard.

Horrifying Discoveries Within the Departments

Jurgis heard of these things from those who were obliged to perpetrate them. A Lithuanian cattle-butcher described the old, crippled, and diseased cattle that were canned. There were cattle fed on "whiskey-malt" that were covered with boils. This meat was used to make "embalmed beef" that killed many United States soldiers.

Deceptive Practices in Canned Goods

Jurgis learned about the Durham canned goods, which were a national institution. They advertised mushroom-catsup without knowing what a mushroom looked like. "Potted chicken" was made of tripe, pork fat, beef suet, beef hearts, and veal waste. "De-vyled" ham was made out of the waste ends of smoked beef, tripe, trimmings of hams and corned beef, potatoes, and cartilaginous gullets of beef. All of it was ground up and flavored with spices to make it taste like something.

Unethical Practices and Adulteration

They welcomed tuberculosis in the cattle they were feeding because it made them fatten more quickly. The old rancid butter was "oxidized" by a forced-air process and rechurned with skim-milk. It was sold in bricks in the cities. It was against the law to kill horses in Packingtown, but there were sharp-horned and shaggy-haired creatures running running with the sheep that would eventually become Lamb and Mutton when sold to the consumer.

Various Afflictions of the Workers

Each lesser industry within the packing plants was its own little inferno. The workers in each had their own diseases. The men in the pickle-rooms had sores from the acid. Butchers and floorsmen often had slashed thumbs. The hands of these men would be criss-crossed with cuts, missing finger nails etc. The workers in the cooking-rooms suffered from tuberculosis. The beef-luggers wore out quickly. The wool-pluckers had their hands eaten by acid. The fertilizer-men and those who served in the cooking-rooms often fell into the vats and were overlooked for days.