1. What is Jurgis’s good fortune, and what difficulty does it present to him?
2. Describe the events in the saloon.
3. What is the end result of these events?
4. Describe the lifestyle to which Jack Duane introduced Jurgis.
5. What does Buck Halloran do for Jurgis?
6. What meaning of the word “pull” does Jurgis discover?
7. Although Jurgis has learned many things, he is still naive in some ways. What are some examples of this?
8. What other examples of corruption are given in this chapter?
2. Describe the events in the saloon.
ReplyDeleteJurgis was given a hundred dollar bill by this rich kid and wants to break it. The saloon keeper cheated him out of the hundred and called hte cops on him and said that he was drunk and looking for a fight. Jurgis was halled off to jail and latter found out the cop and the saloon keeper were friends.
I would never have trusted the salon man, but hey he didn't know better, i find it best not to trust anyone, he should of went to the bank.
Delete4. Describe the lifestyle to which Jack Duane introduced Jurgis.
ReplyDeleteThrough Duane, Jurgis becomes acquainted with Chicago’s criminal underground. On one outing, a guard catches Duane breaking a safe. A policeman allows him to escape, but it causes such a scandal that Duane’s criminal associates choose to sacrifice him. Duane then flees Chicago. After Jurgis is released from prison, he goes to Duane, who introduces Jurgis to the criminal world of Chicago and the inner workings of the illicit alliances among politicians, businessmen, and criminals. After Jurgis is released, he decides to go seek out Jack Duane to see if he can be of any help to Jack. He finds Jack Duane in the back room of a pawnbroker and a fence for stolen goods. Jack Duane is glad to see Jurgis because he needs Jurgis's help to start doing some mugging. The two wait at the side of the road for rich-looking guys to rob. They split the proceeds equally and make good money. Jurgis reads about the victim the next day and the guy's going to lose three fingers to frostbite after being knocked unconscious and Jurgis feels guilty. Jack Duane says it's either that guy or them, and he'd pick the other guy every time. In this rotten system, that guy is probably hurting someone else. He deserves what he gets. Jurgis gets up close and personal with Chicago's criminal world.
5. What does Buck Halloran do for Jurgis?
Buck Holloran, an acquaintance of Duane's, explains many of the inner workings of the corruption as he hires Jurgis to collect the wages of sundry city employees. After a series of illegal adventures with Duane, Jurgis meets up with Bush Harper, the man who helped Jurgis become a citizen, and eventually gets involved with politics. Jack Duane introduces Jurgis to a political operative named "Buck" Halloran. This guy sends Jurgis in to collect election bribes under a series of different names .Politicians are buying votes, and Jurgis is the frontman for this operation. Because Jurgis now associates with an important political machine, he suddenly has pull in court. This means that, when he appears on trial again on a drunk and disorderly charge, he has given a slap on the wrist and allowed to go. Jurgis and Jack Duane keep mugging people and making cash. They do this by bribing a bartender to look the other way while they track down drunken people coming in from out of town to rob. So, naturally, they become friendly with the bartender who they keep paying off. The bartender points them in the direction of a guy named Goldberger. Goldberger gives Jurgis and Jack Duane tips about who they should rob next (in other words, who no one in Chicago will step up to assist in court). Goldberger also lets them in on some sweet information about horse racing in New Orleans. Apparently, all these races are rigged, and Goldberger knows about them. Jurgis and Jack Duane get in on horse betting as well.