Significance of Chicago

Chicago is where Helga Crane goes when she leaves Naxos. Chicago is windy, dirty and very busy. Helga feels lost and alone; she has trouble finding a job there, and the atmosphere is quite gray and depressing. She becomes deeply lonely before meeting Mrs. Hayes-Rore and is quite happy to leave Chicago for good, knowing that her Uncle Peter, who had helped her through school, was no longer available to her.