1. What is Jurgis’s reaction to the news about Antanas? What does he think, and what does he do?
2. How is the image of cows on page 211 a stark contrast to the past three years of Jurgis’s life?
3. Describe the significance of Jurgis’s bath in the stream.
4. What was Jurgis’s demeanor when turned away by the farmer? What did he do? How has he developed this attitude?
5. Describe the importance of the food Jurgis eats at the farmhouse.
6. What “first” does Jurgis experience when the farmer offers to employ him?
7. Describe the life of migrant workers, both men and women.
8. What does Jurgis do with the large sum of money he earns? Why?
9. What experience does he have when he seeks shelter from the rain?
10. Jurgis considers himself vile. Do you see him this way? Explain.
2. How is the image of cows on page 211 a stark contrast to the past three years of Jurgis’s life?
ReplyDeleteWhen Jurgis leaves the city after his son dies, he starts seeing life again. The cows he sees now are alive and well taken care of instead of dead and slaughtered. The images are a real awakening for him since all he saw was death, disease, and filth until now, it's like a new out look.
6. What “first” does Jurgis experience when the farmer offers to employ him?
ReplyDeleteThe farmer offers Jurgis a job after dinner. Jurgis refuses and he does not want another job that is not year round. Another farmer is kind enough to sell Jurgis a dinner and let him sleep in the barn. He offers Jurgis work but, Jurgis asks if there is enough to last all winter. The farmer says that he can guarantee work only through November. The farmer asks why a strong man cannot find work in the cities in the winter. Jurgis explains that everyone thinks that there must be work in the city in the winter and that the cities therefore become overcrowded. As a result, many of these laborers end up having to steal and beg in order to survive. Jurgis turns down the farmer’s offer of work and continues on his way.
8. What does Jurgis do with the large sum of money he earns? Why?
Harvest season comes around. Jurgis finds plenty of work and plenty of money. Now he has nothing to spend it on and no reason to save. So, on a Saturday night, Jurgis goes into town and has a good time wasting his money on alcohol and women all in one night. He wakes up the next morning penniless and ashamed of himself. Jurgis walks out of town and tries to bottle up his guilt, but he cannot. He still feels that he has done the wrong thing by falling into this cycle of working hard and playing hard.
9. What experience does he have when he seeks shelter from the rain?
One night, there is a big storm. Jurgis shelters with a farmer and his family. This farmer is a new immigrant from Russia. He has a baby, a little boy about a year old. This baby has a rash all over his body and the baby is very healthy looking in spite of his red spots. Jurgis sees this happy child, enjoying life even though he is suffering. He hears the baby lisping Russian to his mother. Jurgis suddenly starts to cry. He is heartbroken that he has lost his family and he is ashamed of his own behavior after their deaths.
page 181: "professional tramps"--why is this an oxymoron??
Deletequestion 10: Perhaps more importantly WHY does Jurgis consider himself vile???
ReplyDeleteI feel it's because he couldn't be the man he was suppose to be for Ona and his son. he failed at everything even though he worked himself to death.
Delete1. What is Jurgis’s reaction to the news about Antanas? What does he think, and what does he do? This part of the book was absolutely heart wrenching for the reader as well as the main character. It was the only thing that made Jurgis happy and it was gone now too, so Jurgis’s reaction is that of a man who is on the brink of a complete mental breakdown. He can no longer fight so he chooses flight and leaves the horrible abyss of his life. Jurgis leaves the body of his son, the place where his wife died, the rest of his family and jumps on a train to “hobo it”.
ReplyDelete3. Describe the significance of Jurgis’s bath in the stream. The bath in the stream is an effort for Jurgis not to just clean himself physically but to do so emotionally, mentally, and to wash away all the bad that has happened to him since immigrating to the United States. He is unrecognizable to himself, a disgrace to himself and his family, and keeps plundering himself as he continues to run away from his problems. Jurgis is desperately trying to erase this from himself as well convincing himself that his wife and child are better off dead than to live the life they had to muster. He is essentially trying to clean his soul as well as his body in order to forget his deceased family so he isn’t in emotional turmoil.
4. What was Jurgis’s demeanor when turned away by the farmer? What did he do? How has he developed this attitude? Jurgis decides to retaliate and plucks all of his trees that the farmer had recently planted. He decided he was no longer to be mistreated and pushed around, no one could have the say over him any longer and he was going to fight back now. He has been hardened and wounded by his experiences in Packingtown and he is not going to make himself vulnerable to anyone for anything again, he perceives himself as the master of his own world now.