The Character of Jurgid Rudkis in The Jungle
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."
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