Answer: Writing Assignment #1:
1.) My Ántonia written by Willa Cather is overflowing with symbolization, from land to animals to pieces of furniture. There are three though that have deep roots and meaning, both in the book and in the reader's interpretation of the scenario surrounding it.
The first being Mr. Shimerda’s grave. After Mr. Shimerda commits suicide, he is buried in the prairie on what later becomes a crossroads. Jim expresses how "in all that country [the gravesite] was the spot most dear to me"(pg.115). His reasoning is that even though “the red grass had been plowed under...until it had almost disappeared”(pg.114) had been plowed for farming, Mr. Shimerda’s grave is the only place where the tall prairie grass still grows,
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There was many thing Áantonia already knew. Jim even acknowledged how Ántonia had “a superior tone that she sometimes took with [him]”(pg.63). After all she was four years older and was far more cultured. The lessons that Ántonia taught Jim though were far more important. She gave him real life lessons. From when she exclaimed “you are so brave Jim...you is just like big man”(pg.65), after he has killed a monstrous sized snake. Showing him that bravery comes from within, not from age or stature. Then as Jim was in the heart of his teen years, and his decisions became questionable, and his actions became more embolden. However when Jim tries to give more than a simple kiss to Ántonia, he was in shock and awe when she scold him for his craziness. She explains to him then that even though other boys act that way, he can’t, because “[he’s] not going to sit around here and whittle store-boxes and tell stories all [his] life. [He’s] going away to school and make something of [himself]”(pg.190). Finally towards the end of the novel, as Jim sees Ántonia for the first time in over 12 years. He notices that for a women with such a tough and labour filled life, both physically and emotionally, a woman whose skin, “so brown and hardened, had not that look of flabbiness”(pg. 264), and she “had not lost the fire of life”(pg. 264). At this moment Ántonia
It’s not often that throughout their lifetime, a person stays the same. As humans, most of us tend to grow and learn from influences that surround us, whether it be family, friends, or strangers, and when this happens, often times our judgement and our opinions are changed. I say “most”, because in Willa Cather’s My Antonia, Jim Burden doesn’t quite show these changes. Jim is the narrator and main character in the book and he portrays a static character, who seems very advanced as a child, and his thoughts on the world never seem to change. While Jim’s physical appearance changes, his intellectuality never seems to stray from what he believes when he first moves to the Nebraskan countryside as a 10 year old boy.
Jim tries to model himself after a man who is crushed by the yoke of caring for his family. Since he has no paternal figure in his life, Jim is unable to decipher the emotional pain of Mr. Shimerda. At this point, Jim first starts to contemplate his romanticized view on life. The irony of this is when Mr. Shimerda promises to give Jim his gun after he becomes a real man. Antonia translates it into, “My tatinek say when you are big boy, he give you his gun” (Cather 32). Mr. Shimerda defines being a real man as being able to provide for your family, which he has been unable to do since they migrated to Nebraska. This causes a chain reaction in Jim and Antonia. Mr. Shimerda's death causes Jim and Antonia to sort of diverge paths with their decision making, and as Antonia begins to age. She takes on the parental role, or catalyst, that Jim needs to develop as a character.
My Antonia took place in the late 19th century. Jim Burden narrated his recollections of Antonia's life and their childhood together, after a twenty-year absence. The novel began when the ten-year-old orphaned narrator moved from Virginia to the plains of Nebraska to live with his grandparents. He spent his childhood alongside his grandparents and a neighbor Bohemian on the prairies. This Russian girl, new to America, was Antonia. Jim and Antonia spent endless afternoons together. He taught her English and about America. Her lessons were of life and strength. His daily life on the farm changed when he moved with his grandparents into the nearest town, Black Hawk. Antonia found a job as a house hand in town, even though her family was still on a farm. Their adolescent years were occupied with dances and picnics. Jim went on to college after graduation. Antonia, never able to go to school, was courted but left with a child out of wedlock. However, soon after, she was married to a fellow Bohemian and they had eleven children. This book is the moving story of his friendship with Antonia, his Antonia.
Jim was also impacted by the death of Mr. Shimerda. He was not so much impacted emotionally but he was impacted in a way that he felt he had to keep an eye on Antonia and make sure she didn’t lose her way. Jim is in possession of Mr. Shimerdas gun and in a way this hold Jim responsible to keeping the memory of him alive in Antonia. Jim didn’t want Antonia to stray from the gentle teachings of her father. He begins to see this when she starts working with Ambrosch and even worries that she is becoming like her mother. A boastful and insistent
Willa Cather’s 1918 novel My Ántonia is often celebrated for its complimentary depiction of the immigrants that flocked to America at the turn of the twentieth century and hailed for its progressive approach to the ever-relevant immigrant debate. Despite the novel’s superficial benevolence towards foreigners, Janis Stout questions the authenticity of the book’s (and, by extension, Cather’s) kindnesses in her critical article “Coming to America/Escaping to Europe.” Stout argues that Cather’s ethnic characters (or lack thereof) reflect the popular, discriminatory views of her time, and extracts evidence from both the novel and the author’s personal life to buttress this claim. Stout’s criticism inspired my own interpretation-- that Cather’s treatment
He is apprehensive about seeing Antonia, fearing that she will no longer be the idealized person who exists in his memory. Jim is not let down when they meet, as even though she is now a “battered woman … but she still had that something that fires the imagination, could stop one’s breath for a moment” (226). Age has not dampened the spirit that Jim was drawn to throughout his youth and now his adulthood. He speaks about her through a lens of true love and respect, telling her children that he “couldn’t stand it if you boys were inconsiderate [towards Antonia] … I was very much in love with your mother once, and I know there’s nobody like her” (222). Jim refers to Antonia as a “rich mine of life,” and it is clear that Antonia’s type of richness is more valuable in Jim’s eyes. Through her, he is able to realize that tangible fiscal wealth is far less precious than the impalpable beauty of emotional connection and
... what the town saw as amenable. As he says, "Disapprobation hurt me, I found-- even that of people whom I did not admire." (174). Jim hides behind the shadow of his dream, never fearless enough to accomplish his own goals. As Antonia faces the world with a dauntless face, Jim shrinks back at its hand. And as she cherishes her own family, Jim settles for his. He may be accepted by society but he'll never reach his own expectations.
When she was done at the bar, she went back to the motel and passed out on the floor. So when Antonia got home, nobody was there. About half an hour later, her brother called and said that their mom had passed out and that they were at a motel. Her brother didn't know the name of the motel, so he looked around and remembered the bar. He told his sister the name of the bar that their mom had gone to, and then she knew right where they were.
Mrs. Cather's carefully drawn parallels in the story that build up to Antonia and Jim's separation was a truly effective method of pointing out its tragedy. However she also used other tools, such as imagery and short anecdotes to further convey her message. All together these elements, plus a good story and plot make My Antonia an excellent all around book, worthy of being called a classic.
Cather mends a special relationship between Jim and Antonia that is formed and broken throughout her novel My Antonia. The two characters meet at young age and begin to develop a ------- friendship. Jim teaches Antonia the language and culture of America while Antonia shares her culture and morals. Soon their respective friendship turns into a brother-sister relationship, an ardent love but not intimate.
The landscape and the environment in Willa Cather's, My Ántonia, plays several roles. It creates both a character and protagonist, while it also reflects Cather's main characters, Jim and Ántonia, as well as forming the structure of the novel. Additionally, it evokes several themes that existed on the prairie during the time in which the story takes place. Some of these themes that directly relate to the novel, which are worth exploring, are endurance, hardship, and spirituality. Additionally, the symbolism of the "hot and cold" climate will be examined, revealing the significance it has on the novel in an overall manner. The analyses will further explain Cather's construction of the novel, which is based on three cycles: the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of life and physical development and lastly, the cultural cycle.
As Jim attends school with other children of his social stature, Antonia is forced to manually work in the fields. A division between the two characters is immediately created. Antonia develops resentment towards Jim; "I ain't got time to learn. I can work like mans now. My mother can't say no more Ambrosch do all and nobody to help him.
In “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,” symbols are used to fulfill the quest of happiness and love. This love story has many symbols, which show hidden meaning. One can fully understand a story, if one can point out certain symbols. Symbols create ideas and images for the reader to better understand the story. (Symbol)Mabel, one of the two main characters in this story, is depressed and suicidal. After her mother died, she feels like there is nothing to live for. Her mother was the love and joy in her life; without her, she is lost. All she has left is her house, which she is extremely proud of, and her brother, which she seems not to care for. She decides to release herself from her troubles by drowning herself in a pond. The other main character, Dr. Fergusson, sees her and tries to save her life. This pond is a strong symbol with many meanings. It is a start of a new experience, and a change of two people’s lives.
Dreams are nothing but our innermost desires. We are made to pursue these dreams and have them be the driving force in all we do. Jim Burden is no different; like everyone, he has dreams, and he does his best to pursue them and fulfill them. Or does he? Jim writes the story of Antonia through his own life. He is plagued with the disease of romanticism. He cannot move on; though time will move, Jim's thoughts and emotions are rooted in the past. Frances Harling said it right when she said, "the trouble with you, Jim, is that you're romantic." Jim is a romantic, a dreamer who never acts. Many things contribute to Jim's romanticism, his experiences, his emotions, and his actions; however as no one could suspect, it helped him mature and appreciate loves lost.
[but then] …he tried to kiss her… and [she] slapped him” (155). This incident is critical in Antonia’s life because for the first time she is experiencing how her sense of freedom has gone too far, however, instead she only blames the mistake on Harry Paine. Still, she does not understand that she also partakes in the incident because she gave him space to walk her home although he is to marry another woman. Not obeying rules of the workplace is another consequence that becomes the result of freedom. In this case, Antonia pays no heed to Mr. Harling’s decision on her going to the dances, which is either to “…quit going to [the] dances, or… hunt another place…”