As I opened the cover of , I anticipated reading a tragic story about the cruelness inflicted upon a poor, working-class family. I had read an excerpt from the novel and had conversed with people who had read it; I thought the story was going to be solid, and perhaps even entertaining. I was incredibly wrong. The beginning of the story started out slow, as it was just another “American Dream” type story. Jurgis and family came to the States seeking a better life and freedom from their homeland’s injustices. The story had potential, but t ....