Review of My Antonia

"My Antonia" by Willa Cather was a very well written book, in my opinion. I enjoyed it for several reasons. One of the first reasons was because of the characters. My favorite character in this book was Antonia Shimerda. I liked her a lot because of her characteristics. Antonia is a very independent, optimistic, hard working, adventurous woman and I think she is very admirable for that. I also liked that she was from Bohemia and I found the immigration parts of the book to be very interesting. My favorite part of the book about her was probably the way she handled herself when her fiance, Larry Donovan left her pregnant with his child. She was so strong in this situation and I loved that she kept the baby and loved it all the same. She was shameless even though she had a reason to simply give it up. "She loved it from the first as dearly as if she'd had a ring on her finger, and was never ashamed of it. It's a year and eight months old now, and no baby was ever better cared-for" (Cather, 190). Another character I enjoyed reading about was Jim Burden. I thought he was a likable character and I was pleased with the story being told from his point of view and seeing his thoughts. His relationship with Antonia was probably what I enjoyed the most. Their friendship was so honest and real that you could not help, but love it. It was encouraging to see that no about of distance between Jim and Antonia could shake their life-long friendship and sincere love for each other. This book reminded me a lot about "The Little House on the Prairie" series. These were some of my favorite books while growing up and it was nice reading something with a similar theme. The only thing I did not enjoy about this book was probably the length, which is not a big deal. It was very detailed and wordy, but I guess without it, it would not be the same book. "My Antonia" was definitely my favorite of the four books I read.

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

My Antonia question #8

"My Antonia" by Willa Cather reflects events in history very well. I think the author did a good job describing events and you could really picture what it was like back then. One of the main reasons the events are reflected so well is because of the amount of detail put into this book. Willa is very specific about the setting and describes the environment very well so it is easy to picture in your head while reading. One of the main historical events I picked out was the gold rush in Alaska. This was very exciting for the people of this time and the author reflected that well. One of the girls from the book, Tiny Soderball actually makes a small fortune from it. Other events reflected was when dancing became popular and the different dances that came to town. Antonia loved them and was a natural dancer. I think overall events in history were reflected well. As far as responsibilities Cather believed existed between various groups in society, I think the town workers and farm workers were one of them. I think this just because of the completely different lifestyles the two groups lived and how manual labor for a woman was looked down upon. On the farm, Antonia worked in the fields like the men, but when she came in town to work she had to present herself as a lady. If Antonia had come to town looking like she did on the farm, she would be judged more than she already was. Another set of responsibilities I think Cather believed in could have existed between different groups in society was between men and women. Now I do not think there was a huge difference, but it did seem like the women were meant to work in the home while the men had job. When Antonia was forced to work in the fields, it was not common. Examples of the men having real jobs would be Antonia's ex-fiance, Larry Donovan, who was a railroad conductor, and also Jim Burden, who became a lawyer. The jobs the women had in this book consisted of littler occupations like dress making or a laundry service. I think Willa Cather was probably influenced by the Alaskan gold rush and new immigrants to the country.

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

My Antonia question #7

Willa Cather uses several techniques while writing "My Antonia" to engage the audience and make the story effective. Some of the techniques used would be tragedy, betrayal, and love. Like I said, tragedy is one of the first techniques used in this story. An example of this would be the death of Mr.Shimerda in the first section of the book. Mr.Shimerda and his family had just moved to Black Hawk, Nebraska and he struggled with the move a lot harder than the others. Mr.Shimerda was extremely homesick and was not happy in this new country. He missed it so much that he thought the only solution was to take his own life. This was a very tragic event and both the Shimerda family and Burden family were devastated. "Old Mr. Shimerda is dead, and his family are in great distress. Ambrosch came over here in the middle of the night, and you must not bother them with questions" (Cather, 61). This event, although tragic, really brought everyone closer together. Another technique used in this book was betrayal. This was farther in the book towards the end. Antonia Shimerda was going to be married to Larry Donovan. When Larry loss his job, however, he no longer had intentions on marrying her. He stayed with her until she ran out of money and then he walked out of her life. He deserted her and left her pregnant with his child. Antonia was heart broken and yet she still tried to make the best of the situation. She loved the baby and was a wonderful mother. In the end of the book, she ends up having ten children. One last technique used I think was love. I do not mean this in the way between husband and wife love or anything but simply the loving friendship between Antonia Shimerda and Jim Burden. Their friendship was encouraging and it was enjoyable to read how they overcame their separation and maintained their friendship for life. All of these techniques used really added to the book and made it that much more interesting to read.

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

My Antonia question #6

I think there are many reasons that we still read the book "My Antonia" by Willa Cather today. These reasons would be the message, characters, and lessons taught from reading this book. The plot of this story is all about friendship and the past. In this book, Jim Burden and Antonia Shimerda have a life-long friendship that is tested in several ways including separation. The past is involved because of the perspective, which is Jim Burden looking back at his life as an adult. I would say the message of their story would be how friendships and relationships  effect a person's life. An example of this would be when Antonia and her family first move to Black Hawk, Nebraska. Being immigrants, they are foreign to farm life and the Burdens really help them to adapt. Also, Jim and Antonia's friendship was very influential on both of them in the way that Jim taught Antonia English, and then the way Jim lit up when Antonia was around. Another reason we can still enjoy this book today is because of the timeless characters. One of my favorite characters is Antonia and she can be very relatable to a large range of readers. One way she is relatable is because she is a very independent and strong woman. This is very admirable, and being a woman myself, I enjoyed these character traits in her. Antonia is also relatable in the way that she had to stay at home and work to support her family. This is something that people today still are faced with and a lot of families have to deal with things of this nature. She is relatable in the way that her husband deserted her with a baby as well. Unfortunately this is quite common in our society today, but it was also admirable how she was unashamed of her baby and loved it all the same. "I replied that grandmother had written me how Antonia went away to marry Larry Donovan at some place where he was working; that he had deserted her, and that there was now a baby" (Cather, 179). One last reason for why we still read this book today is because of the lesson. From this book, one can learn that hard work pays off and that no amount of distance can break true friendship.

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

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.

My Antonia question #4

The hero in the book "My Antonia" by Willa Cather is of course Antonia Shimerda. Antonia is described as being very generous, optimistic, kind, hard working, adventurous, and full of life. She always makes the best out of a situation and can never see the bad in someone that she loves. She has a great love for children as well and ends up having ten of her own. She is also a natural dancer and never misses the dances when they are in town. Physically, Antonia is very attractive and pretty. In the book it talks about how beautiful she looks all dressed up when she comes to town and Jim Burden sees her for the first time since he had left. She is very favorable among the men in town and has several dates to the dances where everyone wants a turn with her. Antonia Shimerda accomplishes much in this book because she is such a hard worker. In order to adapt to the farm life after moving to Black Hawk, Nebraska from Bohemia, and support her family, she is put to work in manual labor. She works hard though and works as hard the guys do. Antonia eventually moves to town to work and stays with the Harlings at first and then moves in with the Cutters when she is told she is no longer allowed to attend the dances that she looks forward to so much. Later in the book she is planning on marrying Larry Donovan, when he loses his job and leaves her in the dust when her money runs out. Antonia is left pregnant with his child and she has no other choice but to move back to the farm. There she works again, and without anyone knowing about her baby, gives birth to it in her room. She moves on to marry a Bohemian man named Cuzek and raises a large family with ten children. Her relationship with Jim is tested through all of this and the separation is hard for both of them, but in the end Jim visits her and finds her spirit to be the same. "She was there, in the full vigour of her personality, battered but not diminished, looking at me, speaking to me in the husky, breathy voice I remembered so well" (Cather, 199). The friendship between the two is definitely one for life. I think Antonia can easily represent the abstract idea of goodness.

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

My Antonia question #3

The book, "My Antonia" by Willa Cather addresses several universal themes. I think the main themes would be hard work, family, and friendship. Hard work is something that is present through out the entire story. The setting of this book takes place for the majority, in Black Hawk, Nebraska on a farm. Hard work is necessary for farm life and without it, you could not survive out there. One person who I really think had the trait of a hard worker and dedication was Antonia Shimerda. Antonia and her family had just moved to Black Hawk, Nebraska all the way from Bohemia and they had a lot to learn about farm life. With the help of their neighbors, the Burdens however, they are able to adapt easier. Antonia, even though a girl, really stepped up for her family and worked hard to help with the manual labor on the farm. She was very strong and the book says that she could work just as well as the boys. This was a trait that she kept her whole life. Jim Burden also was a hard worker. He worked hard in his education rather than manual labor though. Jim was able to better himself through school and went off to become a lawyer. Another theme in "My Antonia" is family. Family is very important to both the Shimerda and Burden family and this is what the plot of the story revolves around for the most part. An event that really brought both families together was the death of Antonia's father, Mr.Shimerda. This was a tragic event for both families, but in a way made them even closer. One last theme would be friendship. The friendship and struggles between Jim Burden and Antonia Shimerda is what makes up the plot. Their friendship is tested several times though, especially through separation. When life's demands causes them to physically be a part, it had no effect on their friendships itself. They always ended up making their way back to each other and remain life-long friends. I think Willa Cather understands how positive family relationships and friendships can effect a humans life.

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