The Jungle is the novel by Upton Sinclair that narrates the tragedy of Jurgis Rudkus and his family, Lithuanian immigrants who go to America to work in the meat packing plants of Chicago. It is a sad story of suffering and hardship. This family experiences considerable hardship ranging from appalling and unsafe working conditions, to poverty and hunger, as well as ruthless businessmen who extort money from them and dishonest politicians who generate laws that allow such scandal to exist. Furthermore, the narrative traces Jurgis's transformation as he encounters the new political and economic system of socialism. The novel also reveals, in one of its parts, the repugnant and disgusting methods of meat processing (Karolides 281). The story begins with Jurgis Rudkus and Ona Lukoszaite, a young couple who immigrated to Chicago from Lithuania, celebrating their wedding banquet in a saloon in a region of Chicago known as Packingtown. With the aim of securing a better life, the couple and some of their relatives came to Chicago; but Packingtown; the main destination for Lithuanian immigration and the center of Chicago's meat processing industry; it is a harsh, dangerous and dirty place where it is difficult to find work. After the party, Jurgis and Ona find themselves owing the saloon more than a hundred dollars. Lithuanian customs suggests that during the wedding banquet guests leave money as a sign of solidarity to cover expenses. However, things are different in America as most of the poor immigrants leave the party without contributing even the slightest cent. Jurgis, who firmly believes in the American dream, promises that he will work harder to provide more money (SparkNotes editors). Because... half of the paper... prostitute to help Teta Elzbieta and the children (Karolides 283). Jurgis descends into the deepest despair of his soul. Once he wanders the streets hoping to find a warm place to sit for a while. He comes across a socialist political demonstration. There he finds a speaker who gives a speech that attracts him and fills him with hope and motivation. Jurgis becomes a member of the Socialist Party and adopts its principle that workers should own factories and plants. Jurgis gets a job as a doorman at a hotel owned by a socialist and reunites with Teta Elzbieta (Karolides 284). At one of the socialist rallies, at which Jurgis is present, the speaker summarizes the new principles by arguing that, provided more people adopt socialism, the speaker announces, then "Chicago will be ours!" (Sinclair 373)