O Pioneers! Literary Analysis

Alexandra Bergson is the main character of this story. At the beginning of the book, when her father dies, she takes over the farm with some help of three brothers. She is the mastermind to the plans on the farm and is the reason why their land is so plentiful and expanded. In some ways she is a traditional woman of the 1800s, but she is also very much like a modern woman.

She is a pioneer from Sweden and came to America when she was little on a boat. She is traditional in the sense of caring for her family and doing housework and not working in the fields as much. She also becomes like a mother figure after her parents die, which is what a traditional women would do in this day. As she gets older she hires servants to do her work for her, which is the normal in this era. She also falls in love like any woman, although it is at a later age.

She is also different from most women during this time because at a young age she learned how to do many things on the farm that most girls at her age never learned. She was a big helper to her dad, which is why when he died he felt comfortable leaving her the farm. Alexandra was very smart and knew exactly how to make the farm prosper. She was the head of her family, and although her brothers didn’t like it, they listened to her. Alexandra was very laid back and went with the flow, believing that everything would get better if you just wait it out.

Another way she is different is with her love. Alexandra and Carl were very good friends when they were young, so when he moved away she was devastated. Most women would get married in their early 20s at this time or maybe earlier. So, when Carl came back at when she was in her thirties it was unheard of for them to get married, which s...

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... other. It is said there blood stained the berries which is what makes them purple.

The two stories relate with how the two loves were forbidden and they found each other and both died peacefully side by side. Other authors use this story and add it to theirs as well. Some examples of this are “The Great Gatsby”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “West Side Story”, “Cinderella”, and “Avatar”. The authors used the “star crossed lovers” theme because it adds interest to the story and draws people into their love. It also normally is a shock when this happens, even though it is such a popular story line. These are effective because a lot of people like to read about a forbidden love because it adds secrets, mystery, romance, and suspense. It also has a big climatic ending, which is what most readers enjoy. Adding this story line definitely helps the authors sell their stories.