My Antonia: A Gender Study

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I've chosen to write about the gender statement in Cather's "My Antonia." I'd like to first start out by saying that I don't believe that she was trying to make a statement about the men in this work. I think each of the men in this story are very different and take an important role in the story. I'd like to go through and give a little information on a choice few characters.

I'd like to start with Jim; he was the main male character (obviously) in this story. Jim had many good qualities about him. He was kind, adventurous, romantic and of course, in love with Antonia. All through the course of the story you could tell that Jim was in love with Antonia, even though he never came out and said it. Anytime another male was mentioned as having anything to do with Antonia, especially romantically, there was a certain way that Jim responded to it, making you think that he thought of her as his own.

The kind of behavior that Jim shows is in my opinion showing his "jealousy" of any other men, hence the name of the book; My Antonia, because he took possession of her in a manner of speaking. I think Jim, even though younger than her, thought himself as Antonia's protector. He would never have let any harm come to her, whether physical, mental or emotional. He also seemed putting off by news that Lena Lingard gave him about Antonia getting married. He was happy for Antonia but at the same time you could tell that he wished he were the one Antonia was going to marry. At least that's what I felt when I read that part. It was also said that he had fantasies about Lena, but wished that he could have them about Antonia, that never happened though. One of the things that I really admire in Jim's character is the fact that even though he could be completely in love with Antonia, he wanted the best to happen to her even though it may not be ending up with him. At the end of the book when he goes back to Nebraska and visits Antonia and her family, I think he treated Antonia's husband very nicely and even offered to take the older boys for a trip the following year. He was a genuinely kind hearted man and wanted Antonia to be happy no matter what.

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