The Jungle Relationships

What would you do if you were an immigrant coming to the United State for the promises of a better life, only to receive harsh working/living conditions and no support from others? The Jungle a novel by Upton Sinclair and Cinderella Man a movie by Cliff Hollingsworth shows the lives of two men Jim Braddock and Jurgis Rurkus during the early 1900s, they tell about the life style conditions and exploited lives of immigrants coming to the United States. Both men’s physical appearances, emotional characteristics, and relationships will change throughout their experiences in America.
The physical appearances of the two men are comparable throughout the stories, even though their paths may vary throughout their journeys. The narrator writes, “Jurgis

had great black eyes with beetling brows and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears” (Sinclair 8). He also states, “He with the mighty shoulders and the giant hands” (Sinclair 8). Both of these statements describe Jurgis’s strong dark physical appearance. Jim is very comparable to Jurgis, he is strong/tall, and has dark features. As they go along their journey’s they both face physical barriers holding them back. While at work a steer escapes and Jurgis has to dodge out of the way while doing this he states, “There was a twinge of pain he tried not to pay attention to but the next day when he awoke in the morning his ankle was swollen to nearly double its size” (Sinclair 117). This accident causes him to lose his job, which puts many demands on the family who is already struggling. Now Jim during one of his fights breaks his right hand; they call it a no contest fight and provoke his fighting license. His fighting is his family’s main source of income without fighting, he has to find work on the docks, but with a broken hand, this is not an easy task. At the end of the stories, the characters’ change once again; they have both overcome many obstacles. Jurgis says, “I’m an honest man, and I’m strong and willing-“(Sinclair 313). Jurgis is once again happy and ambitious to help others. He learns alone, it would not be easy, but as a group, you can accomplish much more. Now Jim Braddock a much stronger version than his young fighting self has accomplished many things by having faith and not giving up. Both these men have faced and been through a lot, even though their lives may have been different they are both stronger now than they were at the beginning.
When comparing Jurgis and Jim’s relationships with their families they start fairly the same, but by the end of the stories there are some changes.

Jurgis is just starting a family the narrator states, “The scene of the wedding feast and the joy-transfiguration of the little Ona” (Sinclair 8). This is only the beginning of Jurgis experiences with his own little family. Jim already married to his wife May, with their three children, have their family started. Both men have families and are happily married. In the middle of the stories, both couples’ relationships are struggling. The narrator states, “She was getting paler every day, it pained her that Jurgis did not notice” (Sinclair 124). Jurgis being out of work is getting in a bad habit of not doing much with his days; he has even stopped noticing the little things in his relationship with Ona and his son Antanus. While Jim and Mays relationship is struggling too, Jim never gives up as Jurgis has started to do. He does whatever it takes to save his family, even if that means getting money from the relief agency, this was really hard for him to do because he is one to never ask for the help of others. By the end of the book Jurgis and Jim’s relationship have taken way different paths. Jurgis family is falling apart, “He clutched her hands, he shook her, he caught her in his arms and pressed her to him; but she lay cold and still-she was gone-she was gone” (Sinclair 189). Jurgis losing both his wife and stillborn baby is a

depressed mess. While Jim and May’s relationship grew stronger, though the movie, they are now happier and more in love than ever. The relationships of Jurgis and Jim’s families are the biggest differentiating factor when comparing these two men.
The emotional aspects of these two men start off the same, they are both going to work hard and do whatever it take to make a good life for their families.

Jurgis says, “I will work Harder” (Sinclair 22). He is determined, with just starting a family, to give Ona the life she deserves. As for Jim, he has been working hard to give his family a good life, both men’s lives are headed in the right direction, as far as they know. Until, they come upon some unexpected bumps in the road. One day while Jurgis is working an accident happens; this leaves him unable to work. The doctor tells him, “He would have to lie quiet for two months, and if he went to work he could be lame for life” (Sinclair 121). The news is upsetting to him, he feels like he is letting his family down. Just as Jurgis had his accident, so did Jim with breaking his hand in a fight. With having no source of steady income, Jim becomes fretful that he cannot support his family and keep them together. The turning point for the characters emotions in the end of the stories describes them being proud and feeling accomplished. The narrator writes, “The socialist party was really a Democratic political organization-it was controlled absolutely by its own membership, and had no bosses” (Sinclair 310). Being a part of a group helped Jurgis to want to fight for something again; this helped him to strive to be a better person again. Jim has his feet back under him. He is making money for his family, and is able to support

their needs. These two men’s thoughts on life have changed for the better they know that without the support of others life is a lot harder.
When comparing and contrasting Jurgis and Jim you learn that their physical appearance and emotional characteristics are comparable thought the stories; but you can contrast their relationships with their families. Both men’s lives are looking up from where they were in the middle of the stories, with also bright looking futures ahead of them. I believe this is a very meaningful topic in America’s history that many people should know about; many people faced hard challenges during the Great Depression that changed their lives, not just these two families. Would you have been able to hold your family together as these two men tried to do?