Compare Jurgis’s response after his injury to his earlier attitudes. How did his attitude change? Describe your opinion in at least four sentences.

Answer:

At the beginning of the story, Jurgis was full of hope and believed that hard work would always be rewarded. He often said he would simply work harder whenever problems arose and trusted that a strong man could succeed in America. After his injury at the packing plant, however, everything changed. The company refused to take any responsibility for the accident, he lost his job and wages, and his family suffered greatly. Jurgis became bitter, hopeless, and angry at the unfair system that discarded injured workers. His earlier confidence was replaced by despair and the realization that individual effort alone could not protect him from the dangers of industrial labor.