Summary: Chapter 3
Jokubas takes the family on a tour of Packingtown. They
are amazed to see pens packed with tens of thousands of cattle,
pigs, and sheep. The suffering of the animals, which will all be
killed by the end of the day, daunts even Jurgis’s optimism. But
the flurry of human activity fills Jurgis with wonder. Jokubas notes
sarcastically the signs regarding the sanitation rules. The government
inspector who checks the slaughtered pigs for signs of tuberculosis
often lets several carcasses go unchecked. Spoiled meat is specially
doctored in secret before it is scattered among the rest of the
meat in preparation for canning and packing.
Summary: Chapter 4
Jurgis begins his job of sweeping the entrails of slaughtered
cattle through trap doors. Despite the stench, he is filled with
optimism because he earns a little over two dollars for twelve hours
of labor. There are more encouraging signs: Jonas has a lead on
a job, and Marija obtains a job painting labels on cans for nearly
two dollars a day. Jurgis refuses to allow Teta Elzbieta,
Ona, or the children to work. He wants the children to go to school,
especially thirteen-year-old Stanislovas. Dede Antanas has no luck
finding a job because of his advanced age, and he begins to worry
that he is a burden.
The family finds a paper advertising the sale of four-room
homes for fifteen hundred dollars. Buyers need only pay three hundred
dollars down and the monthly payment is twelve dollars. Ona, Marija, and
Teta Elzbieta visit the real estate agent, a slick, well-dressed
man who speaks Lithuanian. He tells them that the houses
are going fast and that they must move quickly. Later, Ona quickly
figures their budget, and it seems that they can make the payments.
The entire family makes a trip to see the house. To their disappointment,
it doesn’t look as new or big as the one in the advertisement. The
basement and the attic aren’t completely finished. None of the other
houses appear occupied. Jokubas later tells them the entire deal
is probably a swindle.
Ona and Teta Elzbieta, accompanied by Jokubas, meet the
agent to close the deal. Jokubas reads the contract and notices
that it refers to the house as a “rental.” They get a lawyer but
are dismayed to find that he is the agent’s friend. He tells them
that everything is in order. Ona and Teta Elzbieta close the deal.
Jurgis falls into a frenzy when he returns from work and hears the
details. He grabs the deed and storms out to find a lawyer, who
explains that the house is merely a rental until the purchase price
is paid; the house is called a rental to make it easier to evict
people who fail to make the monthly payments. Pacified, Jurgis returns
home.
Summary: Chapter 5
The family purchases household necessities and settles
happily into their home. The pace of work in the slaughterhouse
is demanding, but Jurgis doesn’t mind; he even enjoys it. He is
surprised to find that everyone else hates their jobs and their
bosses. Jurgis thinks that they are merely lazy and refuses to join
the union, which is lobbying for a reduction in the pace of work.
One man promises Dede Antanas a job in exchange for one-third of
his wages. Jurgis speaks to a friend and coworker, Tamoszius Kuszleika,
about this practice. Tamoszius explains that corruption exists everywhere
in Packingtown. From the top to bottom in the chain of power, people
take advantage of one another. It is impossible to move ahead without
taking part in the web of graft and corruption. Despite having to
sacrifice a third of his wages, Antanas takes the job. He informs
the family that he helps pack filthy meat for human consumption.
