the image of antonia
"Since I've been away, I think of you more often than of anyone else in this part of the world. I'd have like to have you for a sweetheart, or a wife, or my mother or my sister - anything that a woman can be to man" (Cather 206). In Willa Cather's My Antonia, Jim Burden spoke those words to his life long love, Antonia Shimerda. Jim and Antonia were close friends, but were so far apart in other aspects; therefore, they never got a chance to be husband and wife. One reason Jim and Antonia never married was because they viewed the value of the land differently. Throughout the story, Antonia was a representation of a life very different from Jim's and her strong bond with the land shows us Jim's fascination with Antonia. She was his counterpart. Antonia represented an alternative to Jim's life. Unlike Jim, she was able to move away from all the stereotypes and boundaries of her class and gender. Antonia was a lot less inhibited than Jim and she listened to her heart more. In the end, Jim's decisions were made according to social thumbs up or thumbs down. As much as he loved Nebraska and the farmland, Jim was able to give it up for the city whereas Antonia was the happiest there and was content wi
Jim and Antonia were never exactly the same; they were always notably different socially and attitude wise. Her difference helped him to define himself. The story was titled My Antonia because Jim took in his image of her so much that it was a part of him. The "idea" was part of him. Antonia and Jim both represented their respective people, class and native wise. When one does not have much in life, money and status wise, one must take what life gives him and make that everything. The land was all Antonia had and the image of Antonia was all Jim had. Because they were so different, he was only able to have the "idea" of her. He was never able to marry his Antonia. Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Boston: Houghton Miffli While Antonia moved into adulthood, Jim stayed a child. Antonia was forced to mature, mentally and emotionally, quicker than Jim. As she became older, she became more independent. While Jim was in high school and still living with his grandparents, Antonia was on her own and working for the Harling family. The movement from a rural to an urban area made Antonia mature quicker so she would be able to survive in the city. Another reason Jim and Antonia never married was because Antonia was prematurely given adult responsibilities and expected to act like an adult. The first
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Approximate Word count = 885
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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