The Jungle Lesson Plan

Are there any acts of kindness, selflessness, or even altruism in this section, or are all acts of kindness shallow in the end? What function do these interactions with minor characters serve in the characters' lives and in the overall message of the novel?

Students should discuss or even debate the intentions of some of the characters in this section. Note how difficult it was to get the midwife to help Ona. Jurgis finds work first through an old friend from his union days and then because of the lady who finds Juozapas searching for food in the trash. Later, Jurgis is not even allowed to linger in a bar to keep warm, and he has both good and bad luck in the country with...