O Pioneers! Characters

Front 1

Alexandra

Back 1

As the eldest child of the Swedish immigrant John Bergson, she inherits his farm and makes it profitable. Particularly suited to the toil of prairie life, she is a prototype of the strong American pioneer

Front 2

Emil Bergson

Back 2

The youngest son of John Bergson, and the younger brother of Oscar, Lou, and Alexandra. ___ reaps the advantages of Alexandra's financial success: freed from the obligations of farm work, he is able to go to college and explore the world. Tragically, however, ___ falls in love with his flirtatious neighbor Marie Shabata; he is killed, along with her, by her husband, Frank.

Front 3

Carl Linstrum

Back 3

At the start of the novel, the Linstrums own the farm next to the Bergsons' homestead, and their teenage son, ___, establishes a special bond with Alexandra Bergson. When ___ returns to the Divide as an adult, his friendship with Alexandra evolves into a deeper attraction. At the novel's end, they resolve to marry. ___ is a withdrawn, gloomy, pensive man, self-conscious, sensitive, and intelligent.

Front 4

Marie Shabata

Back 4

The pretty, vivacious young Bohemian wife of Frank Shabata, and Emil Bergson's love interest. ___'s insistent cheer and friendly effervescence make her an easy friend for her neighbor Alexandra. But it also provokes the resentment of her husband, Frank, who seems determined to be unhappy. Near the novel's end, the jealous Frank kills both ___ and Emil.

Front 5

Frank Shabata

Back 5

Marie Shabata's jealous, unhappy husband. When he seduced Marie away from her family, ___ Shabata was a handsome, dashing young man. Gradually, ___ becomes resentful and melancholy, and his marriage to Marie begins to unravel, leading her to pursue a relationship with Emil Bergson.

Front 6

Lou Bergson

Back 6

The second son of John Bergson, and the brother of Alexandra, Oscar, and Emil. ___ is relatively intelligent, but he is also devious, small-minded, and vicious. He marries Annie Lee and settles into a life of scheming and small-time politics. He is less creative and flexible than Alexandra, and, like his older brother Oscar, he resents the relationship between Alexandra and Carl Linstrum.

Front 7

Oscar Bergson

Back 7

The oldest son of John Bergson, the younger brother of Alexandra, and the older brother of Lou and Emil. ___ is a hard worker, but mentally sluggish and uncreative. Like his smarter brother Lou, he resents Alexandra for her financial success, her unconventional ways, and her relationship with Carl Linstrum.

Front 8

John Bergson

Back 8

The patriarch of the Bergson clan, father of Alexandra, Oscar, Lou, and Emil. ___ Bergson had been a shipwright in Sweden, but became a farmer in the untamed, hardscrabble prairie lands of Nebraska. He recognizes the wisdom of his eldest child and leaves her as the caretaker of the farm he has fought so hard to cultivate out of the stubborn wilderness.

Front 9

Crazy Ivar

Back 9

___is a deeply religious and slightly imbalanced elderly man. He distrusts civilization and behaves bizarrely around people, but seems to have an innate understanding of nature and animals. He becomes Alexandra's trusted servant.

Front 10

Amedee Chevalier

Back 10

A French immigrant who is Emil Bergson's best friend. ___ is clever, mischievous, kind-hearted, and jovial. His marriage to Angelique and the birth of their son seem to promise happiness and success. But ___'s sudden death sets into motion the string of tragedies at the novel's end.

Front 11

Mrs. Bergson

Back 11

The matriarch of the Bergson clan, wife of John Bergson, and mother of Alexandra, Oscar, Lou, and Emil. ___ is fat and unimaginative, but "a good housewife." Little else is known about her other than that she is of a lower social class than her husband.

Front 12

Annie Lee

Back 12

Lou Bergson's wife. ___ is a sharp, aggressive, petty woman who is obsessed with appearances. She is as intent as her husband on securing Alexandra's farm as an inheritance for their children. She is the mother of the charming and decent Milly, who becomes Alexandra's favorite niece.

Front 13

Mrs. Lee

Back 13

Despite Alexandra's dislike for her sister-in-law, Annie Lee, she has great affection for Annie's elderly mother. ___ spends a long yearly visit in Alexandra's house, where she appreciates the reverence for old Swedish tradition.

Front 14

Angelique Chevalier

Back 14

Amedee Chevalier's beautiful, graceful bride. Amedee's death punctures the optimism that her marriage and the birth of her son foster.

Front 15

Milly Bergson

Back 15

The daughter of Lou and Annie Bergson, and Alexandra Bergson's favorite niece. ___ is intelligent and friendly, in contrast to her small-minded and devious parents.

Front 16

Signa

Back 16

Alexandra's girlish, effervescent, loyal maid, who takes care of her during the difficult months after Emil's death. ___ marries Nelse Jensen.

Front 17

Nelse Jensen

Back 17

A man who works for Alexandra and eventually marries her maid Signa. He is glum and laconic, and his marriage to the cheerful Signa seems ill-fated