When America entered World War II, there was a shortage of help on the railroads. Ella seized this opportunity to get Malcolm a job as a dishwasher in order to lure him away from Sophia. Ella’s scheme did not work; Malcolm and Sophia continued to see one another. But the job on the railroad introduced Malcolm to Harlem, which was to become his real home. Harlem was a new experience for him; it was as different from Roxbury as Roxbury had been from Lansing. Malcolm knew he could never be truly content living anywhere else.