Jurgis is portrayed the idealistic portrait of the working poor in the United States. At the beginning of the novel, Jurgis is young, strong, optimistic, devoted to his family, and enthusiastic about his new start in America. The progress of Jurgis disillusionment in his quest for the American Dream is seen after Onas death in which he abandon his family and resorts to a life of crime and corruption.
Jurgis strongly believed in the American Dream in which hard work grants you rewards and material success. This belief, along with his love for Ona, had a profound effect on his desire to wwork hard he stated, "when he thought of her, he would clench his hands and fling himself at the task before him" (Sinclair 77). Jurgis was constantly compelled to bear the load. Whenever Jurgis was faced with difficulties he stated I will work harder (22). Jurgis was completely dedicated to Ona and strived to protect her from the daily horror he saw about him. He states that "He was all that she had to look to and if he failed she would be lost; he would wrap his arms around her, and try to hide her from the world" (77). This nurturing aspect of Jurgis portrayed him as a strong and convincing father figure: "He would not have Ona working-he was not that sort of man ...He would not even hear of letting the children go to work" (47). The birth of his and Onas child added to his protective tendencies in which he concentrated all his efforts to provide for Ona and their new infant.
Furthermore, Jurgis made an earnest effort not to steal, gamble, fight or drink excessively. Ona and his desire for a stable future prevented him from wasting precious pennies on alcohol. Jurgis lands a job sweeping the entrails of slaughtered cattle through trap door in Packingtown. After work Jurgis rushed home to help Ona and her step-brother and did not stop at the saloons. Jurgis dedication to achieving the American Dream prevented him from becoming addicted to alcohol and its power to forget lifes troubles while Ona was alive.
Onas presence had a profound effect on Jurgis, and her absence had even more. Onas death reveals the depths of Jurgis love for her. His reaction to her death is depicted as "An icy grip of horror seized him...He was inconsolable... He was gone away himself, stumbling through the shadows, and groping after the soul that had fled" (189). Onas death was also the death of Jurgis hopes and chances at the American Dream. Jurgis is transformed from the level-headed man filled with family values of hard work and dedication. He states her death is the death of his hope for happiness together, and the death, and feeling of defeat: "fearful yearning surged up in him hunger for her that was agony...tearing his heartstrings, torturing him" (189). Therefore, Onas death becomes a crucial turning point in Jurgis pursuit of the American Dream which in turn influences his character.
Furthermore, the effect of Onas death is seen the next day when Jurgis bullies Teta Elzbieta's daughter out of her day's wages and proceeds to spend the entire amount at the saloon getting drunk: "Three doors away was a saloon. 'Whiskey' he said, 'How much is the bottle...I want to get drunk'" (190). The death of Antanas drains Jurgis of his emotional reserves in which he unable to grieve the loss of his son. Instead, Jurgis is compelled to abandon his moral and social principles of loyalty and family. As a result, Jurgis cuts off any feelings of responsibility by leaving the rest of the family he had come to America with and resorts to corruption and crime as a source of income. In the end, Jurgis moves his family from Lithuania to Chicago expecting to achieve the American dream; instead, their life becomes a nightmare of toil, poverty, and death.
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