Review of Willa Cather’s My Antonia

My Antonia shows us that it takes m to in truth un dwell everyvirtuosos true per male child, and that a takes cover r arly does the writing whatsoever justice. I also found that the lonely(prenominal) Plough represents a mistake that troopsy of us often take chances ourselves making. But for myself, the biggest learning curve from this book would be that vitality croup at times pass by slowly and seem windy and mundane, but before one k instanters it life changes, and one is left wondering, how the heck did I get here?Jim Burdens life changes drastically at the age of 10, when he is forced to travel cross-country by subscribe to go through on the Nebraska frontier with his grandparents later the death of his parents. Jim was attach to by his fathers former growhand Jake. On that identical train headed to Nebraska, there is a Bohemian family headed to the same place. ? Jims grandparents are ingenuous yet kind people with generous natures. He begins to enjoy the round -eyed open spaces of the frontier. Soon aft(prenominal)(prenominal) his arrival, the Burdens go to meet their new neighbors, the Shimerdas. Jim meets Mr.Shimerda, an am displace musician, Mrs. Shimerda a shrewish wo reality who gains across as demanding, the firstborn son Ambrosch, Marek, Yulka, and the eldest daughter Antonia. Soon aft(prenominal) meeting, Antonia and Jim become adepts. The Shimerdas unfortunately are not faring well in their new country, but do at long last become fri land ups with Peter and Pavel, twain Russian men. Jim and Antonia become even closer, after Jim impresses her by killing a snake. Winter follows, Jim gets very ill, and Pavel passes away. Peter thence decides to tend away, which greatly upsets Mr. Shimerdas.Right in the middle of one of the queen-sizedst snowstorms that Nebraska had seen in ten twenty-four hourss. Mr. Shimerda commits suicide after neatly arranging himself in the barn. The by-line day when Jim is left alone in the house, he then feels Mr. Shimerdas spirit. The Shimerda family importune that Mr. Shimerdas body must be buried on their property. small-arm unorganized, the funeral ceremony is very moving. After this, the Burdens and a few other neighbors come together as one in a combined front to aid the Shimerdas. In order to help her family, Antonia stops attending give lessons and begins farming in the fields just as a man would.Jim becomes resentful that Antonia is no longer equal to spend as much(prenominal) time with him as he would have liked. The Shimerdas briefly upset their neighbors by acting in a very ungrateful way in response to all of the help that they had received from their friends. Eventually though, everyone is reconciled. After supporting in the country for three days Jims grandparents decide it best to move to blue Hawk in order for Jim to go to school. Antonia also comes into this townspeople to work for the Harlings. Other immigrant country girls also start working in t he town, and they become known as the hired girls.Jim begins to spend a give reveal of his free time with Antonia and the Harling children. Dancing becomes the new rage in Black Hawk, and Antonia really starts to enjoy it and begins going all the time. When Antonia starts making a injurious name for herself, the Harlings ask Antonia to quit going to the dances. In response, Antonia decides to quit her business organization and starts working for Wick Cutter. During this time Jim becomes a bit antisocial and beings nevertheless spending time with Antonia and a few other hired girls. Jim begins to strain on his studies a lot in preparation for college and cant wait to leave Black Hawk behind as in brief as he can.At his college in Lincoln, Jim becomes extremely close with Gaston Cleric, his Latin instructor and mentor. The two start to spend a good amount of time talking intimately together. Although Jim does come to the realization that he is not, and never will, an academi cian as Gaston is. One of Jims favorite hired girl, Lena Lingard, comes to visit him one day, and they begin to rekindle their past friendship by going to plays together. The two begin spend a lot of time together, even though two other men are openly in whap with her.As a result of Lenas sudden reappearance his life, Jim begins to let his grades drop. In response to Jims lax approach to his schoolwork, Gaston Cleric asks Jim to come with him to Harvard to fall out his studies. To Lenas diswhitethorn, Jim agrees, and follows Gaston to Harvard. Before entering law school two years later, Jim decides to return nucleotide to Black Hawk, where he hears of Antonia. Antonia had apparently gotten pregnant and was act to be married to Larry Donovan. She had apparently followed Larry to Denver, where he proceeded to run out after all of her money was gone.Antonia was forced to then return home to her familys farm where she then gave birth and helped to work the land. Jim heres of this a nd goes to visit her. Antonia is a bit strike that Jim is not disappointed in her for poor decisions. Jim finally returns to see Antonia after twenty years passed. He heard that Antonia had finally gotten married, to a man named Anton Cuzak, and together they had bore active ten children. Jim has also heard that Antonia has had a hard life, and hes a bit nervous about seeing how the years had affected her.When he arrives at their farm, Jim is greeted by her large family. Antonia doesnt seem recognize him immediately, but becomes extremely excited once she does. She number to show him all around her familys farm, which seems to be so enough of life. Everywhere they go, everyone seems so happy and content. Jim is happy to see his childhood friend Antonia looking well. He stays the night in the barn with two of the boys, so that he may meet Antonias husband and eldest son the next day. The following day Jim meets Cuzak, Antonias husband.Jim and Cuzak hit it off immediately, and it becomes apparent to him that Cuzak and Antonias marriage is one of mutual happiness and equality. Jim leaves but promises Antonias sons that he will return to Black Hawk one day soon, and take them all hunting. On his way out, Jim finds the old dirt driveway that he once used to lead him home to his grandparents farm, and he begins to ideate about how that road changed his future and how now he has returned full carousel back to where he had started years and years ago. Just like with any novel, setting plays a key role.Jims first impression of his new home on the Nebraska frontier is that it seems vast and empty. He feels that he has stepped out of civilization as he knew it, and that Nebraska will be a new experience, in which he will have to learn to live by a new set of rules and conduct. Jim is leaving his past life completely behind, and will become an entirely new person on the Nebraska frontier. Because of this, he feels as though his old self is now erased and blotted ou t as he travels to his grandfathers house. I found that the lone estate car also held great significance in this novel.To me, it showed that period in the present moment both(prenominal)thing may seem highly important, but in the end its really nothing more than an insignificant memory. Years ago that plough was believably a must have on the Nebraska frontier, and was seen as a shiny new work to most farmers, but now years later it is left to rust in a field after it became no longer useful to its owner. Looking back at the plough, the farmer probably wouldnt remember it as the shiny new toy he thought it once was, but instead remembers it as a reliable piece of farm equipment, nothing more and nothing less.While these some what small details hold much importance, I found that the big picture took me somewhat by surprise and left me remembering this story. For me, duration I read the book I found it somewhat provoke with little things happening here and there. With subplots every now and again, and different ascension actions eventually leading to a climax. But I thought that the book was rather dull, and lacked interest. Reading it, became mundane to me. That was until the very end. I found that end brought it all together for me.While the story seemed to drag on with little motivation, the end made me realize how much the characters really had civil. This reminds me life, from day to day things may seem boring but before you know it, you have accomplished one of your largest goals, and are now looking back wishing that you could do it all over again. I find myself wanting to reread My Antonia to remember in the characters small accomplishments along the way because while in reality I may not be able to, at least with this book I can relive the climb.