The Jungle

Tamoszius, a small man who works on the killing lines by day and teaches himself violin at night, is also “an inspired man.” He stamps his feet and moves his entire body while he goads his companions into following him in his music. The band’s other two members are not as enthusiastic as Tamoszius but they dutifully play their parts “from four o’clock in the afternoon until nearly the same hour next morning,” while each earns a dollar an hour. I think that Tamoszius represents the juxtaposition between the violent sickening reality of the meat packing industry (he must endure) with the rich cultural life of his people. He tries to extract every bit of happiness in a reality that is full of poverty and pain.