Cather's Idea Of 'Realism In Prairie Spring'

As Cather found her way through life she found that the realistic, romantic, and naturalistic views of the world can very from person to person that not everyone views them the same. The world gave her a hard time but she found a way to show her opinion on all of the philosophies of life. She personally adheres to naturalistic philosophy. Cather shows her view of realism in the novel O' Pioneers with the relationships and loneliness through the characters. Alexandra like herself must choose between the affection of Carl or the loyalty to her brothers. The characters struggle through their relationships. The book teaches us that not everything will always have a fairytale ending because of what happened to Emil and Marie. We expected them to run away from Frank and get married but they ended up getting shot. The poem “Prairie Spring” in the beginning also shows realism by saying “ growing wheat, growing weeds, and tired men, heavy and black, full of strength and harshness.” Also through Alexanda, Cather expresses how guys treated her like a woman and not like a man who could run the farm. One man that walks out of the saloon even stopped and gazed at her and said “My God, girl, what a head of hair.” …show more content…
One of the most important romantic parts of O’ Pioneers happened when Emil and Marie got shot. Cather described it so beautify she said “they were lying there together under the white mulberry tree and there faces were pointed towards the sky.” Also the “Prairie Spring,” gives a sense of romanticisms by saying “flaming like the wild rose, singing like the larks over the plowed field.” We might think that the land had a naturalistic outlook but as we continued the book we saw that Alexandra hears and sees the beauty of it. The book describes what she saw and heard “staring at the pond she hears sounds of laughter and splashing, seeing the pond glittered like polished metal as if everything was