Mitchell Cranmer

Bleck

English 101

5-3-2010

Main Points Chapters 18-24

Chapter 18

Jurgis is freed from jail 3 days later than he anticipated to pay for court costs.
He asks for directions home, but is fooled by a young boy who points him in the wrong direction.
Once he arrives at his house, it has been redecorated and a new family lives there.
He despairs at the fact of losing his home and wonders what happened to his family.
He finds his family staying at Aniele's house.
He hears Ona screaming upstairs in premature labor.
Jurgis wants a doctor, so the women pitch in and give him $1.25.

Chapter 19

Jurgis seeks a midwife in the stockyards
He finds Madame Haupt, a fat midwife
They negotiate over the price to be paid upfront, and she grudgingly agrees to go with him.
She agrees to accept the $1.25 up front and the rest of $25 to be paid within the month.
While she is working, the women kick Jurgis out until she is done.
Jurgis gets some free drink and food, stays in a tavern.
He finds out the baby died and Ona dies soon after.
Jurgis takes the newspaper children's money and gets drunk.

Chapter 20

Jurgis returns home after drinking.
He mourns the passing of his wife.
Teta attempts to collect money for a mass.
Jurgis attempts to find work again to provide for his child.
He finds out he has been blacklisted in the stockyards.
He decides to go downtown to look for work.
Eventually finds a friend who gets him work in a machine shop.
The job treats their employees well, Jurgis starts to make plans for the future.
The shop closes down, Jurgis is jobless again.

Chapter 21

Jurgis searches for work again downtown.
He fails but returns home to good news.
While collecting food in a nearby dump, one of the children befriends a lady who hears their story.
The lady comes to the house, and Teta tells more of the story, the lady is sympathetic.
She promises Jurgis a job in a mill, and gives a letter to prove her intent.
Jurgis goes to the steel mill, and begins work on railroad steel.
He witnesses injuries to others before hurting his hand.
He is injured and laid up for 8 days without pay.
He spends time with his son and really admires his son's spirit.
Antanas, Jurgis' son falls off the sidewalk and drowns suddenly.

Chapter 22

Jurgis, grieving for his son, hops on a train and vows to forget Packingtown.
He starts traveling the countryside, stopping at farms for meals.
He feels better after time on the road in the countryside.
He learns about the life of the tramps, and makes acquaintances.
He works the harvest and blows his money on drink and prostitutes.
Jurgis visits with a family and freaks out when he see their baby, reminding him of his own.

Chapter 23

Jurgis goes back to Chicago and seeks a winter job.
He gets a job in digging tunnels, learns about political scandal associated with them.
Jurgis hurts his arm and spends two weeks in a hospital.
He looks for employment again but is unsuccessful.
He goes from bar to bar attempting to stay warm.
He attempts to beg for money, but finds tough competition, as several others have much more polished grits.

Chapter 24

While attempting to beg, Jurgis meets a drunk who offers him a place to stay.
Freddy the drunkard, explains much about his life in a drunken stammer.
He pulls a lot of money from his pocket for a cab, and Jurgis contemplates robbing him.
Freddy hands him a $100 bill to pay for the cab.
They arrive at Freddy's house, which is a large mansion, owned by one of Jurgis' former employers.
Jurgis is treated to a meal and drink provided by Freddy's wait staff.
Once Freddy passed out, the butler kicks Jurgis out, literally.

Chapter 25

Jurgis attempts to change his $100 bill in a saloon, but the bartender short changes him.
He attacks the bartender, but gets beaten up and thrown in jail.
In jail, he meets up with Jack Duane again, the two exchange stories.
Jurgis decides to be a crook with Jack, and they mug people.
Jurgis learns about the criminal underbelly of Chicago, how everyone is connected in a giant criminal conspiracy.
He starts doing odd jobs for politicians and the like.
Gets some gambling tips, and makes some money on the horses, after learning how that system works.
He gets placed by Scully to drum up “support” for a republican candidate, as part of a backroom deal.
Jurgis returns to packingtown, gets a job cutting hogs, and works in the evening to get Doyle elected.
He gets Doyle elected after a lot of voter fraud.