Essay/Term paper: The jungle by sinclair: a man of many colors

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Argumentative Essays

The Jungle by Sinclair: A Man of Many Colors


There are often many sides to a person's personality. Jurgis Rudkis of
Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle, is no exception. Rudkis is a very
determined and caring person. Conversely, he is also strickened with cupidity.
He has both good and evil coexisting within him.
Rudkis is a very determined and directed man. He is always eager to
work. He does not let anything stop him and is "confident in his ability to get
work for himself, unassisted by anyone(pg.35) ." Aware that he needed money,
Rudkis does anything and everything to achieve his goals. No matter what he
must endure, he always manages to keep his head high and keeps striving toward
his dreams. Rudkis's determination is also displayed when he tries to make a
good impression on his boss. He proves he is not lazy and "promptly reports for
work in the morning(pg.46) ."
Rudkis is also a caring man. His primary goal is to protect Ona, and
when he reaches America, he has every confidence he can do so. He works in
terrible conditions and endures many hardships merely to keep her happy. When
he lost his job, he earned mony immoraly. He does not do this for himself, but
for the welfare of Ona and the family. Eventhough he inevidably fails, he does
everything in his power to be an ideal husband.
Rudkis, like many other good-hearted people, had to circumb to the evil
powers of greed. He buys an expensive house that he could not afford. He could
settele for a house of lesser value that suits his needs just as well, but he
doesn't. Eventhough he is somewhat conned into buying it, his greed still
convinced him. Shortly after this, he is so eager to get more money, that he
starts to behave immoraly. After he lost his job due to an injury, he sinks
into a life of crime as a foe of society. He becomes a mugger and a grafter.
He dupes fellow workers as an undercover operative for the Democratic machine.
He helps break up a strike, then ends up in jail. He then became a homeless man.
His greedy side may have been the cause of his downfall.
People often behave differently at different times. Jurgid Rudkis was a
complex man with many different aspects to his personality. He was a determined,
caring, yet greedy person. He, like many, had both a "good side" and a "bad
side."