Summary Of Packingtown

Our story begins with the union of Ona Lukoszaite and Jurgis Rudkus, two Lithuanian immigrants that moved to Chicago. The wedding seemed to be going good until many of the guests begin taking advantage of the couple. The people leave the wedding without contributing money; they just eat all the food and drink. The bar men also claim that the guests had more alcohol than they really did so the costs of the wedding began to add up to much more than Ona and Jurgis had bargained for. Jurgis promises to make money by getting a job and working hard. The family takes a tour of their new home, Packingtown. Jurgis becomes puzzled by the suffering of animals that happens every day. He is also disgusted to learn that the health inspector lets some carcasses
She was lucky enough to make the full payment, but most people never do. The houses were built with the cheapest materials and were not at all what they were made out to be. Ona now got a job to help pay off the debt that Jurgis and she are in. Winter comes and makes things very hard. Many deaths occur in Packingtown and Antanas dies. Jurgis continues to work hard to support his family. Marija begins to have an interest in a musician, Tamoszius, and he helps to bring cheer back to the family. The couple never marries for they cannot afford
Jonas is stressed so he leaves the family and never says a word. Jurgis is forced to take a job at a fertilizer plant, which happens to be the worst place in all of Packingtown. Jurgis begins drinking to numb the pain of the life he is living. Ona becomes pregnant again and then starts not returning home after work. Jurgis learns that her boss is keeping Ona after work and forcing her to sleep with him. Jurgis attacks her boss and soon after is thrown into jail. Jurgis is given an unfair trial; they didn’t ask him many questions at all. He is sentenced to a month in jail. The family is barely getting by. Jurgis befriends a man in prison named Jack