The Gist: Good afternoon, and welcome to the last week of our discussion of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Next week we will be reading a much lighter book, Animal Camp by Kathy Stevens. I think it will give us a chance to have more positive discussions, as it's about rescued animals. But first, let's finish our conversation about The Jungle!Where we left off, Jurgis is back to working in Packingtown where he has helped a Republican candidate, Mike Scully, win office. After the win, Jurgis remains working as a hog trimmer. A strike breaks out due to a conflict between the packers and the unions. Scully talks Jurgis into staying on the job during the strike, which is known as being a "scab." He makes considerably better pay, and the strike lasts for some time. However, one night Jurgis is out and comes across Connor, who had abused Ona in the past, and Jurgis cannot control himself and attacks him viciously. He returns to jail and searches for help to be released, but finds out that Connor is one of Scully's favorites, and that he will be unable to be helped. He is advised to pay his bail and skip town, which he does, leaving him poor once again.
Back on the streets, Jurgis is unable to find a job, and one day he comes by a woman that he knew in his first year in Chicago, and although she is unable to help him, she tells him where Marija is working and says that she is well off. He goes to the house and realizes that it's a brothel. Once there, the police raid it, and Jurgis is only able to speak to Marija for a few minutes, in which he finds out that Stanislovas has died by being killed by rats, and that Marija has found that prostitution is the only job that pays enough for her to live and support the rest of the family. She understands why Jurgis left, and tells him to go back to the house. However, Jurgis does not want to go back to Teta Elzbieta until he has found a job, so he sets out to do so. During this time, he stumbles upon a political meeting, which turns out to be socialist. The man who speaks touches Jurgis very deeply, and he becomes an instant convert to socialism.
The rest of the book is about Jurgis learning more about the socialist movement and working to help it grow. He finds a job in a hotel run by a socialist leader, and is treated well while working there. The book ends with elections taking place, and the socialists win great victories, by increasing their numbers across the country.
The Discussion: I hope you guys enjoyed this book as much as I did. I leave you with two last discussion questions, and I look forward to your thoughts.
1. How do you feel about socialism? The term is still very common, but is often not seen in the most positive light. If you were in Jurgis' position at that time, would you have joined the movement?
2. What were you emotions when finishing this book? Did it leave you hopeful, or pessimistic?
The Assignment: Please read the preface to page 45 of Animal Camp for our discussion on Monday, September 28.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
