The Jungle characters

Appears from the start

A powerful young Lithuanian immigrant newly arrived in Chicago and celebrating his marriage to Ona. Confident that strength and hard work will secure a future for their family, he eagerly enters the stockyards, where industrial labor soon tests that belief.

Appears from the start

Jurgis's young wife and the center of the wedding feast that opens the novel. Gentle and devoted to her family, she shares Jurgis's hope that work in Chicago will let their extended household prosper.

Appears from the start

Ona's stepmother and the practical maternal head of the immigrant household. She cares for a large group of children and relatives and works to hold the family together as their resources shrink.

Appears from the start

Jurgis's aging father, who has emigrated with the family and insists on contributing to its support. His age makes finding and surviving stockyard work especially difficult.

Appears from the start

Ona's cousin, a strong-willed young woman whose savings help the family establish itself in Chicago. She finds skilled work painting cans and takes pride in her wages and independence.

Appears from the start

One of Teta Elzbieta's sons and an early wage earner for the household. Still a child, he is small and vulnerable in a system that expects his earnings while offering little protection.

Appears from the start

Teta Elzbieta's brother, who joins the family's shared household and seeks work in Packingtown. His contribution is important because the family's home depends on every adult wage.

Appears from the start

A violinist who plays at Jurgis and Ona's wedding feast and hopes to marry Marija. His music and courtship bring warmth to the immigrant community even as insecure work repeatedly delays their plans.

Appears from the start

The Lithuanian delicatessen owner who first helps the family understand Packingtown. Familiar with the neighborhood's industries and deceptions, he warns them that apparent opportunities often conceal exploitation.

First appears in chapter 15

A foreman who uses his workplace power to pursue Ona. When Jurgis learns of his coercion, Connor becomes the immediate target of his rage.

First appears in chapter 24

A polished young man from a wealthy Chicago family whom Jurgis meets by chance while begging. Drunk and impulsively generous, he brings Jurgis into his family's mansion for one night without changing the poverty awaiting him outside.

First appears in chapter 25

A criminal Jurgis first meets in jail and later joins in theft and political graft. Confident and experienced, he teaches Jurgis how Chicago's underworld connects street crime to supposedly respectable institutions.

First appears in chapter 30

A Lithuanian socialist and skilled worker who takes Jurgis into his home. He patiently explains how wage labor concentrates wealth and why collective political action offers an alternative to the system that has destroyed Jurgis's family.