From Ayn Rand's The Jungle: Is It Hard To Work?

In the beginning of The Jungle two immigrants named Ona and Jurgis move to Chicago, get married, and become a family. Throughout the novel the whole family goes through so much together. They were willing to do almost anything when it came down to money and living because they had already lost so much. In the novel The Jungle Jurgis and his family suffer and experience hardships the most traumatic areas were having the inability to provide for one another, poor living conditions, and horrible working conditions.

Jurgis and his family suffer and experience hardships one traumatic area was having the inability to provide for one another. When Jurgis and his family could not provide for each other it made it extremely difficult for them

The entire family worked and some had to work in worse or more dangerous working conditions than others. “‘ At the end of the week, he would carry home three dollars to his family, being his pay at the rate of five cents per hour just about his proper share of the total earnings of the million and three-quarters of children who are now engaged in earning their livings in the United States.’”(p.60). This quote shows how Stansislovas has to work in child labor to earn a living. Jurgis sprained his ankle during his job while he was working at the meat packing factory. Ona’s boss Phil Connor harassed and raped her against her own free will. Marija got her hand cut very badly by a dirty knife. The cut on her hand becomes infected and she almost loses her hand from doing her job and working in very unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Even little Stansislovas has no choice and has to get a job.They also have to do so much work and risk themselves getting hurt almost everyday just to be paid low wage. It is very common for the workers in packingtown to get hurt while working at their jobs. All of the families jobs are very unsafe and