He was only 4 months old, he was young and very lively
Author: Upton Sinclair
Translation: Imran-ul- Haq Chauhan
Episode: 10
Introduction of Jurgis:
Jurgis always spoke carelessly about work because he was young. People would tell him about the plight of the workers in the Chicago stockyards and what happened to them later. Hearing these stories would have made anyone cringe, but Jurgis would have burst into laughter. He had only been here for 4 months, he was young and very lively. He was bursting with youth. He did not understand how anyone could be helpless and give up. "These are the expressions of humble individuals like you," he would answer, "My back is a lot more extensive than yours."
Jurgis was a boy. A boy from the village. Seeing him, the factory owner wanted to employ him. When he was asked to go somewhere, he would run away. Even when he had nothing to do, he always jumped at something.
Motive of Jurgis:
The strength inside him did not allow him to sit down. If he was doing a job where he had to stand in a line of men, he would feel that the line was moving very slowly and the onlooker would recognize him from a distance because of his restlessness and impatience. It was for this reason that he was singled out on a special occasion. It was only his second day in Chicago, and he had been standing outside Brown & Company's "Central Time Station" for half an hour when one of the officers beckoned him. He felt very proud of himself and laughed at the sycophants. People said that in the crowd from which he was chosen, some people had been standing for many months. Yes, yes, have you seen these people? Merrill, low-stress and idle people. He would answer, "The individuals who blow all their profit on wine, and afterward go to work so they can drink once more. You don't want to convince me that with these arms." He clenched his fists. He would raise his arms and show his arms." Will someone let me die of hunger here?
Reason of strength;
"The reason for your strength," he would answer him, "is that you come from a village and from far away." And this was true, for Jurgishad never before gone out into the world to earn money and obtain Ona. Never saw a city, not even a town. His father, his father's father, and before him as far as family history went, lived in an area of Lithuania known as Brelovitch, the Royal Forest. It covered millions of acres. But there was a vast area which was reserved only for hunting nobles. There were very few peasants who had their own land from ancient times. Among them was Antanas Ruddx. He raised himself and his children on an area of about 12 acres in this forest. Apart from Yurgas, he had a son and a daughter. The son was forced into the army and was not heard from for ten years. The daughter was married and when old Antanas decided to move in with the son, the land was bought by his son-in-law.
A year and a half ago, Jurgis met Ona at a horse fair about 100 miles from home. Jurgis had never imagined marriage. He thought it a foolish trap to ensnare men, but there, without speaking to Ona, after five or six times of exchanging smiles, red-faced, panic-stricken and afraid, he replaced the 2 horses which He was brought to sell, asked Una's parents for Una's hand. Una's father was stone heart. The girl was still very young. He himself was a very rich man and was not willing to hand over his daughter to anyone like this. Jurgis returned home with a heavy heart and spent the spring and summer trying to forget it. Reached Una's house.
The conditions he saw were very unexpected. The girl's father had died and his estate was in debt. At the thought that the prize was now within his reach, Jurgis felt a wave of joy in his heart. In the house was Ona's stepmother Aunt Elizabeth and her 6 children. Besides her brother Yunus. A dry rot aadmi who looked after the property. These people seemed very important and happy to the Jurgis, newly emerged from the forest. Ona was able to read and write and many other things that she did not know. Their land was sold and the family was displaced. Their total savings was 700 rubles, which was worth half in dollars. They could have got 3 times that amount but the case went to court and the judge ruled against them and the cost of overturning the decision was too high. ( to be continued )
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