Essay: My Antonia by Willa Cather

In her novel, My Antonia, Willa Cather captures the effect of the Nebraskan Prairie life on immigrants and natives in the late nineteenth century. She presents a theme of the diminishment of traditional American values. My Antonia follows a non-linear time plot to depict the nostalgia that the characters later experience. Jim Burden and Antonia make a deep connection with Nebraskan nature in their childhood. Therefore, Cather juxtaposes between the personal values of the city and those of the frontier by exemplifying their differences.
While residing on the prairie, the midwestern social values shape Jim’s and Antonia’s character. During this time, ironically, the women represent the brave and adventurous. For instance, Jim classifies Antonia as a “quick and eager person” (Cather 16). In other words, Jim symbolizes her as a person with intellectual vitality. Since Cather witnessed similar immigrant families in her childhood, she portrays the Shimerda family as the one that strives hard to sustain life in America. In the late nineteenth century, people view gender differently than people of future time periods. For example, Jim plays with Antonia and Yulka, rather than other boys. Moreover, Antonia enjoys working “out-of-doors than in the house” (Cather 87). By including individuals with non-traditional roles, Cather foreshadows the coming Progressive Era. Not only does Cather depict the societal values, but she also paints the harsh realities of the life on the frontier.
The Burden family manages to grasp an average life, but the Shimerda family undergoes a rough assimilation process into America. In a conversation, Antonia tells Jim that “things will be easy for [him], but …hard for her”(Cather ). During her childhood, Cather encounters many immigrants facing varying barriers, such as communication and occupation. People who immigrate to the midwest possess the financial capabilities to buy essential life goods. On the other hand, people who travel to industrial cities still experience a dismal life while working under arduous conditions. Although the Shimerda family purchase a plot of land, they do not live well compared to other families in the prairie. When Mrs. Shimerda arrives at the Burden’s house for the first time, she becomes envious because her family cannot afford the goods that the Burden family hold. When the Shimerda and Burden family migrate to the city, their values change accordingly.
When they move to city, it molds unique societal views into Jim and Antonia. For example, Jim begins to interact more frequently with men and Antonia becomes an ideal housewife. By including this transformation, Cather illustrates the impact that cities create philosophically on men and women. When Congress passes the 19th Amendment, women actually feel superior to men because of their ability to vote. Cather takes inspiration from this imperative turning point of women’s rights movement by elaborating on the enhancement of Antonia. Jim leaves Black Hawk and attends the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Although this decision represents an ambitious pursuit, it leaves him reminiscing about his prior life in the prairie. Cather includes this in her novel to outline the similar nostalgic feelings she experienced.
In her book, My Antonia, Willa Cather depicts the Nebraskan country life and defines her childhood values. The Shimerda family’s immigration compares to that of families today. For instance, immigrants face many assimilation roadblocks, such as communication and financial stability. Hence, the “American dream” misconception that drives them to America deteriorates as they witness the mere truth of America. Cather publishes My Antonia in the Progressive Era to fuel women in their pursuits of better occupations. During this period, women believed that men deprived them of their civil rights. By writing her book, Cather gives a glimpse of her dynamic youth in the Nebraska prairie.