Chapter 23-26 Reaction

While reading chapter twenty three, I felt excited for Jurgis because he found a job in Chicago digging underground tunnels for railway freight. I felt like Jurgis was happy with where he was in his life and excited that his job was going to last all winter long. However, everything went wrong when Jurgis broke his arm from an accident on his job. I felt horrible for Jurgis because he couldn't go back to work. Jurgis ended up going to the hospital and spending Christmas there. I felt bad for Jurgis because he couldn't spend Christmas with his family. When he gets out of the hospital, he has no where to go to and it is really cold outside. I felt sad for Jurgis because he was all alone in the cold. Jurgis finally gets a hint to go to a religious revival because he could stay warm. I think that this helps Jurgis out because it gets him inside and out of the cold for a little bit.

During chapter twenty four, I felt horrible for Jurgis because work in Chicago was really hard to find and Jurgis had very little money to survive. I felt like Jurgis got lucky when he was begging as he ran across a man named Freddie Jones. Jones invites Jurgis to his house for a meal and offers to pay for the cab ride there which is very generous of Freddie. I felt like Freddie was very kind when he handed Jurgis the hundred dollar bill and told him to pay for the cab ride and keep the rest. I felt like it was a privilege for Jurgis to go to Freddie's house because it was so fancy. I felt like it was a coincidence that Freddie's father was the owner of the meat packing plant that Jurgis worked for in Packingtown. I felt like Freddie treated Jurgis very nicely since he treated Jurgis to a meal. I felt sad for Jurgis when he got kicked out of Freddie's house by the butler when Freddie fell asleep. Luckily, Jurgis got to keep the hundred dollars that Freddie gave him.

In chapter twenty six, I felt like Jurgis wasn't smart when he went to change his hundred dollar bill at the saloon. Jurgis told the bartender that he wanted to buy a drink and change the hundred dollar bill. I felt like the bartender was rude when he only gave Jurgis ninety five cents in change. I felt like Jurgis defended himself when he attacked the bartender. The police came and took Jurgis to jail. Unfortunately, Jurgis got sentenced to ten days in jail plus costs. Jurgis encounters Jack Duane in jail and Jurgis agrees to see Jack when he gets out of jail. After listening to the others Jurgis decides that a life of crime is the way to go. I felt like Jurgis made a bad decision by meeting Jack at a pawnshop. Jack ended up taking Jurgis on his first mugging. I felt bad for the man they mugged because they stole his wallet and his jewelry. Also, the man suffered a concussion and nearly froze to death. I felt like all Jurgis cared about was the fifty dollars he earned. I felt like Jurgis was heading down the wrong path when he decided to join Chicago's criminal underground. I think that by Jack getting caught, it taught Jurgis how careful he had to be if he wanted to be associated with these guys. I think that Jurgis became desperate for money when Jurgis wants to take part in the election schemes because Harper told him to. Jurgis became a hog trimmer for which he receives regular pay. I felt like Jurgis was being taken advantage of when Mike Scully told Jurgis to join the union and support a Republican candidate. In the end, I felt like Jurgis had to do something to make money and this was it. The Republican candidate ended up winning and Jurgis became three hundred dollars richer.