The twin emigration sagas of Ferreira de Castro (1898-1974), "Emigrantes" (1928) and "A Selva" (1930) embody what has been described as the primary driving forces of emigration: hunger and injustice. The main protagonists of "Emigrantes" and "A Selva," Manuel and Alberto, illustrate these forces. Manuel, a middle-aged Portuguese farmer decides to improve his and his family's lot by going to Brazil. Alberto is a young, university-educated son of a prominent Portuguese family who is forced to leave his homeland due to political forces. The protagonists' early limitations of character, their experiences and disillusionments in the New World, and finally their role as victims of the process of emigration is examined in this paper. From disillusionment emerges redemption and new insight; enlightenment comes through human relationships experienced in the New World. (NL)