Similarities Between The Jungle And Cinderella Man

What is the difference between a boxer and a Lithuanian immigrant? No, I do not have a punch line to finish that joke, but rather a comparative essay over a novel and a movie. In the two stories, The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair and Cinderella Man, both of the main characters struggle to provide for both themselves, and their families. Jurgis Rudkus is a Lithuanian immigrant who moved to America with his family in search of a better life, and James Braddock is a boxer who lives in America and struggles after the start of the Great Depression. Although James and Jurgis have many similarities, in that they go through tough times, I feel that they handle their situations differently, and only one of them is able to maintain everything important

James and Jurgis both had to care for their families. However, James’ family was relatively small, and they already had a good foundation at the beginning of the movie. Jurgis’ family, however, was very large and had struggled from the start, “he found an unexpected state of affairs– for the girl’s father had died… There was Elzbieta Luokszaite, Teta, or Aunt, as they called her, Ona’s stepmother, and there were her six children, of all ages” (Sinclair 27). Jurgis was left with a larger burden at the beginning and could not keep up. The struggles for Jurgis do not stop either. Sinclair shows how the family is struggling by explaining how Antanas, although very sick and hungry, he is the best off in the family, “Yet all this was not really as cruel as it sounds, for, sick as he was, little Antanas was the least unfortunate member of the family” (140). This shows that, unlike James’ story, where the kids’ becoming ill was one of the lowest points, the whole family is suffering just trying to survive. Jim does struggle in his story as well. Mae, his wife sends away the kids because she fears they cannot provide for them and James had to sink to begging and felt lowly, “Jim had never understood how a proud man could sink so low. Now, with the money in his pocket to get his children back, Jim knew. He finally

While they were both hardworking, honest men, James and Jurgis both had different views on how to handle the struggles they faced. James’ values, I believe, left him better suited to face the hardships coming his way from the beginning. If I had to think of a defining quote for James, it would be, “It is not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up.” This is because James was able to overcome everything thrown at him, even when things were at their worst. Jurgis’ quote would probably have to be, “I will work harder” because he believes if he works hard he can be successful. When Jurgis realizes that he is not able to work his way out he seemingly gives up on doing what he used to believe in. These are the two main values I believe separate James and Jurgis. James’ quote shows in the beginning with show how he fights, in the middle with how hard he works to recover, and in the end to show why he went through with the fight against Baer. In the beginning he fought and provided for his family, “He made a lot of money in the 1920s as a successful boxer, and he and his family had everything they wanted” (Longman et al vi). Towards the middle, he worked to return the money he borrowed, “This great country of ours helps a man when he's in trouble. I've had some good luck, so I thought I'd return the money” (Longman et al 49).Finally, After the last fight, he was able to return home, “He