My ANtonia;

A detailed Summary of My ANtonia;

This remarkable piece of literature by Willa Cather is layered with its sense of place, connections between people and between people and places as well as visual, and surprisingly simple, descriptions of prairie life and events. The characters and the story are far more complex that at first appear. Even the simplistic tone of the narrative voice is deceptive in terms of the depth of feeling it ultimately reveals. Cather is the sort of author people read because they are told they "should" or that is "required." In that process, the reader discovers that Cather's writing, especially in "My Antonia" presents a clear and meaningful story for the common thinking person who daily deals with and conquers challenges every bit as fierce as those encountered by Antonia.

"My Antonia" recalls the life of Jim Burden and retells the compelling story of the Shimerdas, with a special focus on Antonia, the girl who works in the fields like a man. Antonia Shemerda is a Bohemian immigrant to the Great Plains of America and serves embodiment of the classic American myth of a century ago. She arrives with her family in the Nebraska prairie to carve better lives for themselves from the untouched land as thousands before and aft

Using Antonia as an example again, the reader sees her generosity when she offers Jim her ring for teaching her some English and enthusiastically praises his killing the snake. Her intelligence is illustrated by her quick learning, her constant questions, and the fact she has always, even as a young girl, had an option on virtually every topic. Her independence is highlight through her unwillingness to be intimidated by Mr. Harling, and she refuses to "hide" her first child. She copes with disasters such as her father's suicide and Donovan's betrayal, and manages to still encourage and support her husband throughout the years of bad farming. She works as hard as any man in the fields and vigorously strives to build up the Cuzak place. She is able to do all this while being a caring and supportive mother while keeping her house well run, training the older children to help the younger. She was, for that time and place, the quintessential "super woman." And yet, she shows her foolhardy nature when she goes to work for Wick Cutter. Then she refuses to listen to her friends who distrust Donovan.

"My Antonia" is, by no means, a variation on the age-old theme of boy meets girl and doesn't fall in love, as much as it is the story o mistrust and misconceptions, faith and fear, and above all else, a study of individual and always fragile human relationships. The devastating loneliness of Shimerda, his wife's whining and general unpleasantness, Ambrosch's sulky lack of courtesy, and even the painful shyness of Peter, all add to the already overwhelming odds stacked against the newcomers to the prairie. Nonetheless, many of them still succeed and that struggle and resulting success is what Cather holds up as their individual and collective great accomplishments.

Each of the primary characters and seveal of the lesser players are very carefully crafted this way. Cather was apparently determined to show that there is both something positive and negative in every person.

Throughout the novel, the narrative voice is one of pragmatic simplicity and clarity. The storis are told and the description presented as if they were standing under the harsh scrutiny of the Nebraska sun on an August afternoon. Parts of the novel are warm as a perfect summer evening as Jim's memories tell of the land and of Antonia, a girl who he describes as working the fields like a man but adds to the lyrical note that she also hears the songs of old Bohemian women in the cities of a cricket. The descriptions of the frontier are graceful while the characterizations are sharp and wild. The reader understands the love of the land expressed, as well as the deep involvement and interaction of the characters. It is all of one piece; the evolving land and community. Through the use of Jim Burden as narrator, Cather presents the viewpoint of both the friend and admirer of

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Approximate Word count = 1935
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English