What Are Ántonia's Norms

Ántonia’s hair is wild, dark, and curly, her cheeks round with a full, dark colour. Her eyes are big, bright, and brown. She takes pride in her strength and what she is able to do. In contrast, Jim has blond, fine hair and blue eyes. He is not as strong as Ántonia but believes that he should be. However, they both break society's norms.

Both Jim and Ántonia have very strong emotions, but while Ántonia won't face them, Jim embraces them which, once again, defy society's norms. He is very indecisive about many things, but mostly about how he feels about Ántonia. He is passive but is also sensitive, and sensitivity is something that Ántonia can sometimes lack. One of Ántonia's defining characteristics is her strength, emotionally and mentally, while another is her independence. For example, when the Harlings gave her an ultimatum, she left instead of quitting the weekend dances. She is proud of her child that was born out of wedlock, while others would have hidden her. To compare, Jim, when he was beaten up by Mr. Cutter, was ashamed and embarrassed, even though he saved Ántonia. …show more content…
Ántonia, being an immigrant, had a very different opinion, but she doesn't seem to miss her homeland as much as her father. Near the middle, both Jim and Ántonia are living in Black Hawk, Jim with his grandparents, and Ántonia living with first the Harling family, then later with the Cutter couple. This is where Ántonia's independence flourish, and Jim's complicated feelings arise. Near the end, Jim's reluctance to visit Ántonia is very strong, but once he does visit her, he seems more relieved and less stressed. Ántonia lives with her husband and ten kids on their farm and is still as strong as ever, although she was beaten, she was not