Jurgis Rudkus In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

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“It’s not… how many times you get knocked down that counts… it’s… how many times you get back up.” James Braddock was stating that no matter what happens in your life, or how bad it gets, it only matters if you get up and continue to do the best you can. James lived in the time of the Great Depression and has to overcome many difficult situations. The movie, Cinderella Man, which was based on the book, wrote by Jeremy Schaap, summarized the true story of James Braddock’s courageous life. However, Jurgis Rudkus had a contrasting overall moral. Jurgis Rudkus was a fictional character in the book, The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. This book, based on the time period of the early 1900’s, in Packingtown, Chicago. Although Jurgis Rudkus and James Braddock, …show more content…
In the start of the book, “There were twelve in all the party, five adults and six children– and Ona, who was a little of both” (Sinclair 28). The family started out looking for the “American Dream”. The whole family united and came to America. Throughout the story, Jurgis slowly started to lose his family. First he lost his father, “Dede Ananas continued to believe it, while three more hemorrhages came, and then at last one morning they found him stiff and cold” (Sinclair 81). Continuing on the family got smaller and smaller. In the middle, it was by far the hardest time for Jurgis’s family. “But it was all in vain- she faded from him, she slipped back and was gone” (Sinclair 189). This quote told about the minute Jurgis lost his wife, Ona. He knew he had to continue for the life of his son Antanas. Only to find out he would soon lose his son as well. “And old woman answered him weakly: ‘It’s Antanas. He’s dead. He was drowned out in the street!’ ” (Sinclair 209). The loss of his family puts a major stall on his life. Jurgis could not bear to continue. Yet he knew he must. Once he gathered himself, he found Marija, and began to help his family once again. “So she gave him a number on Clark Street, adding, ‘There’s no need to give you my address, because Marija knows it’ ” (Sinclair 283). In the beginning of the movie, James also had his family united as well. However, James family started wealthy and were able to have money for food. The family was happy and outgoing. Mae Braddock was acting as James loving wife. They had their three kids alongside them as well. Jay Braddock was their oldest son; Howard Braddock is their youngest son, as well as Rosemarie Braddock, who was their only daughter. Towards the middle of the movie the kids got sick, they began to get too cold at night, and they were starving. Mae made the decision to move her children
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