My Ántonia, Book 2: The Hired Girls, Chapter 1 summary
Book 2: The Hired Girls, Chapter 1 of 45 · 5 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 1, the narrator and his grandparents leave their farm for Black Hawk, where school, church, and visiting country neighbors shape their new life while Jake and Otto depart for the West. News of Ántonia’s heavy farm work prompts Grandmother to find her a job with the neighboring Harlings.
What happens
- Grandfather rents out the farm and buys a house in Black Hawk because farming grows difficult and the narrator needs school.
- Jake and Otto help establish the new household, then leave to seek work in the West.
- The family settles into town, and the narrator learns rougher habits at school while Mrs. Harling limits his behavior.
- Country neighbors frequently visit, but Ambrosch comes alone and gives little news of his family.
- Mrs. Steavens reports Ántonia’s demanding farm labor, and Grandmother finds Ántonia work with the Harlings instead of autumn corn husking.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The narrator measures town life against the freedom of the farm. The river offers a connection to the outdoor life he misses.
Quick check
How does Grandmother spare Ántonia another season of husking corn?
Cite this page
“My Ántonia, Book 2: The Hired Girls, Chapter 1 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/pages/my-ntonia-book-2-the-hired-girls-chapter-1-summary.
Library of Alexandria. (2026). My Ántonia, Book 2: The Hired Girls, Chapter 1 summary. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/my-ntonia-book-2-the-hired-girls-chapter-1-summary
“My Ántonia, Book 2: The Hired Girls, Chapter 1 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/my-ntonia-book-2-the-hired-girls-chapter-1-summary.
@misc{my_ntonia_book_2_the_hired_girls_chapter_1_summary_2026,
title = {My Ántonia, Book 2: The Hired Girls, Chapter 1 summary},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/my-ntonia-book-2-the-hired-girls-chapter-1-summary}
}
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