The Jungle, Chapters 1-20 summary

The book begins with a Lithuanian family who moves from the homeland to the United States in hopes of starting a better and wealthier life. The family includes a married couple, their children, and some other close relatives. The main characters of the book, Jurgis and his wife Ona, have a veselija (wedding feast) in Packington. Some selfish guests don’t follow the custom of putting money into the hat to help pay for the celebration, leaving Jurgis and Ona in dept. Jurgis decides to find a job and work harder to help the family.
He gets a job at a slaughterhouse, where he sweeps the blood and guts of slaughtered cattle through a trap door. The pay is low and calls for very long hours, but it is the only job available to him. Ona also finds a job sowing, which helps ...