Webber 2

Makenzie Webber
Mrs. Spurlock
AP English Composition
12 January 2017
Prometheus and Jurgis
The characters Prometheus and Jurgis share similarities in their storylines. Both of the
characters can relate to each others situations, they each struggle with the decisions they have
made in their life and are forced to live out the consequences of these actions.
The Greek myth telling Prometheus story told of a man who went against Zeus and was
punished everyday for his actions. A giant vulture would visit him on the rock he was chained
down to daily, he would pick at his stomach and slowly pick him apart for scraps. Once the
vulture was done, Prometheus would be left to heal during the night and the process would
repeat itself over and over. When Jurgis states he is, The victim of ravenous vultures that had
torn into his vitals and devoured him (Sinclair 177) he is alluding to Prometheus misfortune.
Jurgis story is much like Prometheus in the sense that both of the men live through tragic
events that occur daily in their lives. Jurgis vulture of misfortune is much different from
Prometheus though, this vulture seems to attack Jurgis after he finds out about Onas rape and
job in a brothel. After going to prison for attacking Onas rapist things at home are spiraling out
of control without his help,Ona is very sick Marija cut her hand! And we cant pay the rent
and interest on the house (Sinclair 169). Jurgis, much like Prometheus, can only sit in his jail
cell suffering knowing that his family is struggling without him and all he can say is,I - cant help you (Sinclair 169). At this point Jurgis and Prometheus are almost in the same situations,

Webber 2
theyre chained down in their prisons, unable to do anything to help themselves and the people
around them.
After Jurgis is released from prison any hope he finds in his life is crushed in a matter of
time, tragedy always seems to be waiting at his doorstep and now these events are occurring
almost daily for him; Now it [his home] was fixed! Jurgis leaps out of joy seeing his house in
better condition, his hopes on the rise that things got better after Stanislovas visited him,
however, once he reaches the door, The boy answers I live here (Sinclair 175). He then finds
out that his home no longer belongs to him, but an Irish family and his family is at the boarding
house in which they first lived in when they came to Packingtown. Once he reaches where his
family is staying another event awaits for him, immediately the midwife attending to his wife
approaches him, Her hands and arms were smeared with blood, and blood was splashed upon
her clothing and face (Sinclair 188). All of that blood is from Ona going into labor prematurely,
the baby is already gone, and Ona is soon to follow. Jurgis never catches a break from his terrible
luck and is only hit again and again with more blows of tragic events. His vulture visits him
daily just like Prometheus.
Both men are constantly beaten down after gaining any spark of hope, they never are
released from their chains of misfortune. Jurgis has to live his life watching the people around
him suffer without him being able to do much of anything about it, at this point he can hardly
take care of himself, let alone an entire family that is quickly shrinking. We know how
Prometheus story ends, will Jurgiss have light at the end of it unlike Prometheuss?