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Dennis Ward
Jørgen is a Norwegian immigrant to the U.S. in the mid-1850s, and Nick Hoel’s ancestor. Jørgen marries Vi Powys in Brooklyn and moves West to Iowa, where they start a family and farm. Jørgen plants the Hoel chestnut tree from one of six seeds that he finds in his pocket.
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Jørgen Hoel Character Timeline in The Overstory
The timeline below shows where the character Jørgen Hoel appears in The Overstory. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Roots—Nicholas Hoel
All along the East Coast of the United States, it is “the time of chestnuts.” Jørgen Hoel, a recent Norwegian immigrant to Brooklyn, joins a group who are throwing stones at...
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Jørgen and Vi get married. Two months later, they become U.S. citizens, and soon they decide...
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The Hoels’ first child dies as a baby, but Jørgen and Vi go on to have many more children. Years pass, and Jørgen keeps fighting...
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...to the Union” is writing about “A leaf of grass,” though the narrator notes that Jørgen will never read his words. On the Hoel farm, the three surviving chestnut trees keep...
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...farm, buying a new tractor and becoming enthralled with “speed, progress, and machines.” In 1901, Jørgen lies dying in his bedroom, looking out the window at the last chestnut tree as...
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