Chapter+2

Jurgis does not believe the stories about Chicago. He believed that because he is a big and strong man, he would fit in in the industrial world just fine, and he would be climbing up the social ladder in no time. So he decides to go there with Ona because he thinks that if he turns into a rich man, he would finally be good enough for Ona, whose father was wealthy in Lithuania. Jurgis wanted to go to America because he saw a land of opportunity there; he had heard that his friend had become rich, so he wanted to get a taste of that as well. Jurgis also thought that if he went there, he would finally be a free man to do whatever he wanted to do. He did not have to pay the army a large amount of money to get away from being a soldier. When the party is set to go to America, they encounter a number of things--bad things. They were forced to give up much of the money they have saved in Lithuania; once they were trapped and forced to pay the officials a big fee, and in New York they were taken to a hotel and had to pay a lot of money for the services. When Jurgis and his group reached Chicago, they noticed that the environment did not seem friendly at all. Everything they saw was dull and uninteresting. The air was filthy and it smelled strange; the group did not know what to say of the smell because they did not know what a good smell or a bad smell was. There were so many children in the area and no school to be seen. Piles of garbage seemed to be infinite, and the flies surrounding them never went away. Despite all of these disturbing images, Jurgis had high hopes for the future.
 * Brief description of the plot:**

Jurgis, Ona, Teta Elzbieta, Marija Berczynskas, Jonas, Jokubas Szedvilas, Widow Jukniene
 * Characters in the Chapter:**

"It was Jonas who suggested that they all go to America...he could count his troubles at an end." (23) "There were twelve in all the party, five adults and six children--and Ona, who was a little of both." (24) "A full hour before the party reached the city...the grass seemed to grow less green." (25) "The most uncanny thing about this neighborhood was...could a horse and buggy move faster than a walk!" (29) "They stood there while the sun went down...which they could see so plainly in the distance." (31)
 * Notable passages (including page number):**