The Jungle · Character

Antanas Rudkus

Jurgis's aged father, who follows his son to Chicago and takes any yard work he can get, though his body is long past it.

supporting

Also known as Dede Antanas, old Antanas, Old Antanas

First appearance: i

As a supporting figure in The Jungle, Antanas Rudkus is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Jurgis's father; a peasant who lived in the Imperial Forest and decided to go with his son to America.

In the storyIIOpen this moment free

Dede Antanas left a small cleared farm in the Imperial Forest to make the journey with Jurgis, and in Packingtown he is the household's most vulnerable member — old, slow, and desperate to contribute. He scrapes for work in the yards, and his decline is one of the first signs that the city's promises do not extend to men like him. His presence forces Jurgis to see that strength and will are not the only things the yards consume.

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Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Antanas Rudkus sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Rudkus family and friends
Landlady and employer
Protagonist

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Jurgis’s desperate plea to Madame Haupt marks the story’s dramatic climax because it represents the absolute n…

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In the story

Antanas Rudkus appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II
Jurgis's father; a peasant who lived in the Imperial Forest and decided to go with his son to America.
V
Desperate for work, he bribes a boss for a job in the pickle-room, where he is assigned to clean out filthy traps, becoming embittered.
Chapter VII
Dies from tuberculosis and hemorrhages after a long illness; the family struggles to afford a proper funeral.
IX
Old Antanas is mentioned as having died from working in the pickle-rooms.
Chapter X
Mentioned as the newborn son of Jurgis and Ona; Jurgis is proud of him but has little time to see him.
Chapter XIV
Mentioned as having died from a cough similar to Ona's.
Chapter XVIII
Mentioned in Jurgis's thoughts as having died from the struggle to earn money for the house.
Chapter XXI
Now over a year and a half old, he is a lively, talkative child who brings Jurgis his only joy; loves looking at comic pictures in the Sunday paper and learning animal names.
XXII
Jurgis thinks of little Antanas, whom he will never see again.

Chapter companion notes

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See Antanas Rudkus in i

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