The beginning of the book starts out at Jurgis and Onas wedding, or more specifically, the after party. This scene establishes how these two main characters look, and how they and the rest of the characters act. Jurgis is a big man with thick black hair that goes nearly to his eyes. He is very muscular and well built. Ona is a small woman; her whole body is able to disappear in Jurgiss arms. She is soft-spoken, little in appearance and in personality. Cousin Marija is a big woman; she is established in the first part of the book as a very pushy and loud person. At the after-ceremony of the weeding, there is much food, drink and fun. It is tradition that the family pays for all this food, drink and fun. The guests (and non-guests for that matter) are indulging themselves and taking advantage of the free situation. Tamoszius Kuszleika is the entertainer of the evening: a violinist. He is described as: an inspired man. Every inch of him is inspired. He stamps with his feet, he tosses his head, he sways and swings to and fro; he has a wizened-up little face, irresistibly comical, and, when he executes a turn or a flourish, his brows knit and his lips work and his eyelids wink and the very ends of his necktie bristle out. (Page 11)This might also describe the scene as very merry, and almost chaotic.The book then goes back in time and describes how Ona, Jurgis, and their families came to live in Packingtown. It is explained that they came from Lithuania with a substantial amount of money. They came to America to seek fortune in the Land of Opportunity. Like the tens of thousands of other immigrants, they were fooled. The book takes you through the trials of buying a house, walking to work, finding work, losing money, and being cheated by agents, lawyers, and political bosses. At the beginning, only Jurgis worked, he would not have Ona working. It was not l...
