My Antonia And My Antonia Comparison

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In the modern world, being different and not following social norms in considered odd. People who have different life values and lifestyles tend to be judged under the impression that they are different and consequently unhappy with their lives. This opinion, although predominant in today’s world, is just wrong and the works of Henry David Thoreau and Willa Cather show why. In Walden, Henry thrives on the idea of self-discovery through the connection with the nature. He disregards the values of a modern world and states that the pursuit of material things corrupts our mind. His outlook on life is unconventional, but he is certain of his value. Similarly, My Antonia by Willa Cather portrays the life of young immigrant girl, Antonia, …show more content…

He believes that in order to understand the purpose of our lives, we have to connect with the nature and understand our surrounding on a different level. In other words, we really have to view our surrounding with a different “ pair of eyes “ that enables us to disregard the materialistic values of our world and simply focus on what is around us, which is nature. David proposes that we should observe, study, and ponder the beauty of nature in an attempt to find the purpose of our lives and answer the classical life debates like what is a good life and what is a bad life? Likewise, Thoreau’s worship of nature corresponds with the idea of Individualism. The purpose of Walden is not only to tell the readers that the study of nature is the answers to all the problems, but also to inspire the need for critical reasoning and individual approach towards life choices. In other words, the purpose of Walden is also to tell us not to follow the social standards, but rather to always investigate, ponder, and pursue things individually before making a …show more content…

Unfortunately, the life in America is not as cheerful as Antonia taught it would be as she experiences lots of hostility, hardship, and misfortune. However, throughout all the predicaments and obstacles, Antonia preserves her beliefs and never succumbs to the values of a new, American culture in an attempt to shape her life. Antonia is a very positive, generous, hardworking, and exceptionally independent character. These innate traits of her personality follow her through the “thick and thin” as she swears by them under all the circumstances. For example, besides the language barrier and cultural differences, Antonia suffers the death of her father who committed suicide as the result of disappointment that he had experienced in America. Instead of scorning the meaning of life, she did whatever it took to provide for her family, which was experiencing an immense economics hardship. Everything that she earned, she gave to her family as she valued them over herself. Eventually, due to her wit and charm, Antonia got a job in the town where she found her passion for dance and made friends. Unfortunately, her passion for dance was viewed as inappropriate and her boss insisted that she chooses between her friends and the job. Unwilling to follow the orders and disappoint her friends, Antonia

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