The Jungle: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis

Back out in the cold, Jurgis realizes that changing his hundred-dollar bill will prove difficult. He knows that the bill will arouse suspicion in the hands of a "bum" like him, and he fears getting robbed or arrested because of it. In spite of these concerns, Jurgis tries to get change at a saloon. The dubious bartender makes Jurgis buy a five-cent beer first, and gives Jurgis only ninety-five cents in change for his hundred-dollar bill. Jurgis is furious, and assaults the swindler, but the bartender knocks him down. The police arrive, and Jurgis is taken in to custody.

Jurgis stands trial. The bartender gives his version of events, which depicts Jurgis as a delirious, violent drunk. The haggard Jurgis then tells his story, which the judge finds preposterous. Jurgis is dismissed as a lying alcoholic and sentenced to ten days in prison, plus the costs of his jailing. It is later revealed that the saloon owner regularly bribes the police, and that the bartender is a crooked henchman of a Democratic party leader.

At Bridewell prison for the second time, Jurgis reunites with Jack Duane by chance. After talking with the other prisoners, Jurgis decides to support himself through crime. When he is released from prison, Jurgis seeks out Duane. The two team up and mug an insurance salesman; Jurgis nets fifty-five dollars for himself. Later, Jack and Jurgis read about their crime in the newspaper: their victim suffered a concussion, lay in the freezing cold all night, and may lose three fingers to frostbite. Jurgis is remorseful, but Duane convinces him not to feel bad.

Jurgis's partnership with Jack Duane gives him a glimpse into the big-time Chicago underworld. Chicago is controlled by crooked businessmen, and millions of dollars change hands to rig elections and bribe functionaries. This so-called "graft" system governs the interactions between law enforcement and criminals—who are often one and the same. Jurgis is taken aback by how freely money flows in this criminal underground, and quickly builds a name for himself as a trustworthy and dependable accomplice. These connections allow him to circumvent the criminal justice system in the same way as crooks like Phil Connor did. In the meantime, Jack Duane is caught breaking into a safe. A crooked policeman lets Duane escape from prison, but the escape is such an outrage that Duane's associates sell him out in order to protect themselves, and Duane is forced to leave town.

Over time, Jurgis becomes more and more unscrupulous, and learns the ins and outs of Chicago's criminal underbelly—in particular the corrupt political system. A double-dealing union spy named "Bush" Harper introduces Jurgis to a Democratic boss named Mike Scully. Through Harper and Scully, Jurgis gets involved in a plot to benefit in the long term by rigging an election in the Republicans' favor. Scully's plan is to have Jurgis go to the stockyards and proclaim his support for the Republican party.

Scully arranges a hog-trimming job for Jurgis. Now, Jurgis earns a salary and also collects illegal kickbacks, and he adopts a more confident air. Jurgis oversees the rapid expansion of the "Doyle Republican Association," and works diligently to ensure that the Republican will prevail. He is so committed that he doesn't think to save some of the graft money for himself, which riles his colleagues; Jurgis soon learns to tap into "the extra bungholes of the campaign barrel."

When the election rolls around, Jurgis spearheads voter fraud efforts. The Republican is elected in a landslide, and Jurgis earns hundreds of dollars for himself. He indulges in a tremendous drinking bender while the rest of Packingtown celebrates the election results, sardonically described by the narrator as the "crushing defeat of an arrogant plutocrat by the power of the common people."