My Antonia question #5

The novel "My Antonia" by Willa Cather reflects history, behavior, and social issues of the time period and setting very well. The setting of the book is Black Hawk, Nebraska and the time period is the 1880s-1910. During this time period there were a lot of immigrants coming to the states. This is reflected in the story very well. The main example of this would be Antonia Shimerda, one of the main characters, and her family. Antonia and her family move to Black Hawk, Nebraska all the way from Bohemia. They have a hard time adapting at first, but with the help from their neighbors, the Burdens, the adjustment is much easier. Not all of them adapted well though, and Antonia's father actually committed suicide because his homesickness was so severe. There were many other immigrants as well, including Lena Lingard, the three Marys, and also a Swedish girl. Other historical events reflected in this book was the gold rush. This happened in Alaska and one of Antonia's friends, Tiny Soderball actually makes a small fortune from it. I think the behavior of this time period depended on where you lived. I think this because there is a major difference between the way they lived and acted on the farm and then the way they lived in town. The book talked about how people looked down on Antonia because of her love to go to the dances. I think social issues of this time period and setting reflected in "My Antonia" by Willa Cather seemed to be finding a job and immigration. To me it seemed like it was harder to find work out on the farm and that is why they all moved to the town to find work. Immigration also seemed like a social issue just with the way they had to adapt to the new country. I think the book's symbolic significance would be friendship and the thematic significance would be the character's relationship with the past.

Cather, Willa. My Antonia. New York: Barns & Noble, 2003. Print.