The Jungle

The Jungle Summary | Chapter 1 Summary

The story begins by introducing a Lithuanian family en route to a family wedding reception being held in the Chicago stockyards (a wedding reception is called a veselija in Lithuania.) The character of Marija, who is in charge of details for her cousin's marriage, is introduced first. She is a tough woman, and as she scurries around making last-minute preparations, the sixteen year-old bride, Ona, makes her appearance. Ona has just married Jurgis, who is as tall and broad as Ona is small and delicate-boned.

This wedding reception is being held in the Chicago stockyards. Ona and her family do not have much money, but they hold fast to their Lithuanian tradition of a large wedding party. The food and music are plentiful and no one is denied entry to the reception. Ona's stepmother Elzbieta is there, and she is helping to serve food.

There is lively music by a three-person band, and the leader of this band is Tamoszius, an exceptionally talented violin player. Everyone seems to be exceedingly drunk and happy. The first few pages hint at nothing that could be a cause of worry for these people. It seems like a normal wedding reception.

The first hint of tragedy is told in the form of a story about two wedding guests, Jadvya and Mikolas. They have been engaged five years, but Mikolas has hurt himself working as a beef-boner. He keeps getting blood poisoning from his hazards at work, and so they have not been able to raise enough money for a marriage.

The wedding reception continues in a flurry of activity, and as the band winds down and starts again anew, Marija threatens them and bids them not to stop. There is a distinct feeling of "capturing the moment" at this reception, as if the people do not get to have this much fun very often.

A veselija comes with a sort of unwritten law in Lithuania. People are expected to chip in money to cover the expenses. This veselija is being held in America, however, and evidently, that means that all bets are off, including the payment tradition. The families of Ona and Jurgis do not receive enough money to pay for the wedding. Jurgis responds to this the way he responds to most hardships throughout the novel. He says that he will "work harder" to pay off the money.

The celebration goes on into the wee hours of the morning, even though no one has been allowed to take a day off work the next day. There are so many people willing to work in their places that people in the meatpacking district are viewed as expendable. If Ona had wanted to take a day off the day after she was married, she would return the next day to find her job gone.

The night ends, and Jurgis carries Ona home in his arms. She is exhausted, and he tells her that she does not have to go to work the next day. Ona refuses to accept this. She says that she cannot afford to miss work.