Memorable Quotes:
1. Often, during the harsh migratory conditions of the time period, there were many misconceptions about how people could avoid the unfair and miserable treatment that they received, and Sinclair reveals this through Jurgis’s statement:
"Little one," he said, in a low voice, "do not worry – it will not matter to us. We will pay them all somehow. I will work harder." That was always what Jurgis said. Ona had grown used to it as the solution of all difficulties – "I will work harder!" He had said that in Lithuania when one official had taken his passport from him, and another had arrested him for being without it, and the two had divided a third of his belongings. He had said it again in New York, when the smooth-spoken agent …show more content…
Jurgis thinks that his self-confident nature and intelligent behavior will get him a job, but it is his large height and broad shoulders that makes him an easy target for employers, and coupled with his foreign background, he is easily taken advantage of. Sinclair illustrates that Jurgis is only wanted for one thing - his body, as his mind is of no use to the people hiring, a common trend with most of the other characters in the novel. All Jurgis’s boss desires is for his body to be intact and his work to get done, revealing a theme of dehumanization. If Jurgis were to suddenly disappear, there would be no search, no rescue, and no care - they would just replace Jurgis with the next person looking for work. Every person is the same to the companies - in fact, they have stopped viewing people as humans, as the new view is that they are machines, designed to obey work. With this dialogue exchange involving Jurgis, Sinclair demonstrates the harsh reality that Jurgis does not get work because he is a smart individual; he gets work because he is someone that can perform a given task with a functioning body, like a
1. Often, during the harsh migratory conditions of the time period, there were many misconceptions about how people could avoid the unfair and miserable treatment that they received, and Sinclair reveals this through Jurgis’s statement:
"Little one," he said, in a low voice, "do not worry – it will not matter to us. We will pay them all somehow. I will work harder." That was always what Jurgis said. Ona had grown used to it as the solution of all difficulties – "I will work harder!" He had said that in Lithuania when one official had taken his passport from him, and another had arrested him for being without it, and the two had divided a third of his belongings. He had said it again in New York, when the smooth-spoken agent …show more content…
Jurgis thinks that his self-confident nature and intelligent behavior will get him a job, but it is his large height and broad shoulders that makes him an easy target for employers, and coupled with his foreign background, he is easily taken advantage of. Sinclair illustrates that Jurgis is only wanted for one thing - his body, as his mind is of no use to the people hiring, a common trend with most of the other characters in the novel. All Jurgis’s boss desires is for his body to be intact and his work to get done, revealing a theme of dehumanization. If Jurgis were to suddenly disappear, there would be no search, no rescue, and no care - they would just replace Jurgis with the next person looking for work. Every person is the same to the companies - in fact, they have stopped viewing people as humans, as the new view is that they are machines, designed to obey work. With this dialogue exchange involving Jurgis, Sinclair demonstrates the harsh reality that Jurgis does not get work because he is a smart individual; he gets work because he is someone that can perform a given task with a functioning body, like a