He hops from saloon to saloon and one night, attends a religious revival to find shelter and heat. Jurgis is cynical of the sermons and the talk of sin and redemption. Jurgis wants to know what the preacher could possibly know about suffering. It is January 1904, and the country is on the verge of a depression. Factories shut down every day.
Sin is far down on the list of concerns among the people who are starving.
Jurgis begins begging to stay alive. Chapter 23, pg. Click for our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service .