My Ántonia Book 2, Chapter 5 Summary

  • Now that Lena is in town, Jim sees her a lot down at the stores. He often walks her home and she talks with him about what's going on in town.
  • The other immigrant girl named Tiny Soderball works at the hotel in town, where all the commercial travelers stay. On Saturday nights there's usually music and singing there, and Lena and Tiny like to listen from the other room. Lena wants to be a travelling businessman when she grows up.
  • The travelling men like Tiny and they always give her gifts.
  • In the week before Christmas Jim finds Lena and her little brother Chris at the drugstore window. Chris came into town to do Christmas shopping for the family, and Lena is helping him pick out gifts. Jim joins them.
  • In the store Lena helps Chris pick out inexpensive gifts for each of their family members. Afterwards, Lena expresses her homesickness for her family and her farm.