Character Analysis
Elzbieta
Although a minor character, Elzbieta is an important one, for she is the embodiment of the Old World. In Elzbieta, Sinclair creates a character who suffers in silence. She endures the loss of her family, especially her children, with a stoic acceptance. Like Ona, she desires to do what it takes to keep her family together. When necessary, she lies for her son, so Stanislovas is able to work when he is legally too young. She is a stay-at-home mom for as long as she can be, but when the situation calls for her to get a job, she does so. When she doesn't have enough money to bury her children, she is not above begging from neighbors to get what she needs. Elzbieta's strength of character is in her ability to endure; but enduring is not the same as living As a minor character, Elzbieta is the embodiment of this minor theme of The Jungle.