Willa Cather

In Willa Cather's novel My Antonia, Jim learns life lessons through the people he encounters. People today can benefit from the knowledge Jim learns. Jim Burden learns manners and respect from Mrs. Harling. Mr. Shimerda, a Bohemian immigrant, teaches Jim to be open hearted and giving even in the worst of times. Jim’s grandmother teaches him morals and life skills. Therefore in My Antonia Jim Burden’s personality is formed by the people he meets. Mrs. Harling is a woman of many things. One of…

In My Antonia, the prairie was used to represent many aspects in the novel. One of the aspects that the prairie represented was that when it came to immigrants, the prairie would symbolize a new beginning. The prairie would signify a new life as well as the fears and struggles that would come along in trying to create this new life in a different land. We could sense this symbolism in chapter one when the author writes: “There seemed to be nothing to see; no fences, no creeks or trees, no hills…

The novel “O Pioneers!” by Willa Cather takes a naturalistic view on the way of life while incorporating strong independent female aspects. This book contains a story about Alexandra Bergson growing up on a farm with many tough obstacles to overcome like death, loneliness, and heartbreak. Yet, like in every other book, she overcomes them and tells her story. I personally thought the book could have had a better ending, the ending didn’t really give the readers an edge that we all enjoy. Even…

In book one of My Antonia by Willa Cather, Jim Burden moves in with his Grandparents on their farm in Virginia. From Nebraska, he travels across the country because both of his parents had passed away within the same year. Jim takes a train with the help of one of his father’s friend, Jake Marpole, who was in charge of getting Jim to Virginia. As the two of them are approaching Virginia, a man by the name of Otto Fuchs calls for Jim and tells him that he is in charge of driving him to his…

My Antoniá is a book narrated in the eyes of Jim Burden. Jim recalls memories of his time with the Shimerdas, a Bohemian immigrant family. Jim, 10 years old, is sent to Nebraska to live with his grandparents because both of his parents had died within the last year. Accompanying Jim is Jake Marpole, a farmer that worked for Jims father. On their trip out west, they get their first glimpse of the Shimerdas. When Jim reaches his grandfathers farm, he discovers that the Shimerdas are farming…

Throughout My Antonia, Antonia undergoes many hardships, yet she perseveres. She never loses the “fire of life” as Jim calls it, and refuses to accept the problems in her life. Never asking for help or pity, Antonia faces her challenges head on. Her eventual success at the end of the book is a direct result of this. If we take success to mean happiness, it is clear that the way Antonia solves her problems has a direct relationship to her contentment and the end of the book. Antonia’s success…

In Willa Cather’s short story “Paul’s Case”, it is obvious to the reader that the main character, Paul, is a troubled young man. As you read an analyze the story it becomes clear that Paul’s life has not been easy, yet he inadvertently makes it that much harder on himself. Paul has a desire to join the upper class and an obsession with money, arts, and music along with a distaste for a mediocre life, which stems, in my belief, from his issues with sexuality and ultimately his depression.…

The book O Pioneers! written by Willa Cather, originally published by Hesperus Press in 1913. O Pioneers! has five parts, each part having their own chapter. It tells the struggles and successes of a Swedish-American farming family that moves to Hanover, Nebraska in the turn of the 20th century. In the five parts of the book, many things happen to the Bergson’s, the Swedish-American family that immigrated to Hanover, Nebraska in the 1800’s. One wintry January day, Alexandra Bergson and her five…

In the book O pioneers! By Willa Cather, there are many themes, from self-sacrifice to how horribly terrible relationships can go. However one of the themes relates most to U.S. history and that is how the book compares how the foreign characters were treated compared to that of real-life immigrants from the late 19th century to the early 20th. During the 19th century and the early 20th, there was a spike in the number of immigrants to America from all over the world. During this time, however,…

reality is, I can express myself through filtered forms. Whether it be art, writing, or music, it always feels easier and more natural for me to show my emotions through fro a non-blatant form. This is why I relate the the story Paul’s Case, by Willa Cather. We see the main character, Paul, struggle with…