Carries Possession, So Jim's Tale

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This saga is an exquisite account of a life-long reverence for a women who Jim has known as a friend and companion since his childhood when he, an orphaned boy from Virginia, and she, a fourteen year old immigrant from Bohemia, travelled to the unsettled, unbroken plains of Nebraska at the turn of the century. The reader follows the mesmerizing tale of immigrant origins, hardships, as Jim celebrates the strength and the beauty of a heroine, Ántonia Shmirida, whose strength to overcome, has won both his love and soul. While Jim lives on his grandparent’s already successful farm, the immigrant family is forced to reside in a grass house carved into the side of a hill. The Bohemian immigrants struggle against nature to learn how to farm, to survive the hardship presented in this foreign, unaccepting land. Although her name is in the title, it is not truly her story. The preposition “my” in the title carries possession, so Jim’s story is his version. The subsequent story is his account, his perspective, of his first …show more content…

The way Cather describes the scenery and takes the time to paint a backdrop for the characters seems out of touch with the other Modernists who seem to focus on anything but cheer. Cather offers detailed description of lush nature, vibrant red grasses, wildflowers, and beautiful, bountiful wheat fields. But while Cather also focuses on the happy romantic ideas of the beauty of nature, she also offers a full view of the human experience on the Plains. She also displays hardship, loss, violence, and despair, especially with the suicide of Antonia’s father. She pairs utopia and civilization against the dystopia of prairie life. She highlights the dangers and violence in both types of society. She contrasts the struggle between old and young generations. She offers a panoramic view of life, personal fortitude, and the pioneer spirit. Cather pits the old world immigrants against the new American culture which is so strange and

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