The Jungle (Chapters 14-20)

This weeks blog post is dedicated to Chapters 14-20 of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Due to the fact that I had to miss class this week and wasn't there to be assigned to a group, I just chose one at random, I hope this is alright. Anyway, during these chapters the phrase "It couldn't possibly get worse than this" really gets proven wrong over and over again. To sum up these chapters, Jurgis fights alcoholism, is sent to jail for attacking his wife's rapist, misses Christmas because he's in jail, gets evicted, loses his unborn child, loses his wife Ona, is unable to find a job due to his wife's rapist and finally loses his son. One thing after another, Jurgis fights for the survival of his family and keeps losing. Fortunately, he is able to land a job working a little further from home and is able to start a comfortable routine. Obviously, this good fortune is ended quickly when his son drowns in the muddy water of the streets. Reading these chapters kept me very sad the entire time. When there was hope it was dashed away as fast as it was presented.

Something I found interesting was in the beginning of these chapters. Jurgis explained the conditions of the food company he worked for and how the most spoiled meat was used for sausage. This relates to our discussions on the food industry and how quality is not something most places seem to care about. Makes me wonder how our food is prepared and handled.