Jurgis’s attitude changes from hopeful determination to bitter disillusionment after his injury. At the beginning of The Jungle , he is confident, energetic, and believes that hard work will guarantee success in America, no matter how harsh the conditions are. After his injury, he can no longer work, and he realizes how little the company values him, since they take no responsibility and offer no real help to his family. This experience turns his optimism into anger and despair, as he sees that the system is stacked against workers like him and that effort alone cannot protect him from poverty and suffering.

In my opinion, this change makes Jurgis a more realistic but also more tragic character, because he loses his faith in the American Dream and starts to understand the cruelty of the world he lives in.