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"My Antonia" (MaxNotes S.)
Research and Education Association (
June, 1996 )
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I love this book. Taught to H.S. Sophs for 6 years.  |
As a high school English teacher, I have used My Antonia as a book for my sophomores to read for six years in a row. It is personally one of my very favorite books. I love the book, and teach the book, for three major reasons: the way it treats the landscape; the episodic structure; and the early feminist tendencies of Antonia herself.The trees being visited like they are people. The undulating fields of prairie grass taller than the head of a man. The huts carved out of the sides of the hills, with walls made of the turf itself. The footpaths becoming roads as the population increases. The mystery of the multitude of stars in the Heavens at night. The essential nature of mother earth, and the connection of man and woman to the earth, cannot be ignored here, even by jaded modern teenagers. Instead of a plot to "drive" the novel, many episodes combine to let the reader form a complete picture in his or her own mind. The spaces in between the episodes allow for some imagination and conjecture on the part of the reader. In the end, the story of two lives--one woman and one man--feels vivid and complete, though some may find it bittersweet. We know much of where Jim and Antonia end up their lives as adults, and there is a sense of completeness, despite having no plot present to guide the reader. And Antonia herself. If ever there was a strong personage, for my money it is Antonia. In another later era, she would have been Rosie the Riveter, or in an earlier one, Knut Hamsuns Inger. Antonia is supportive of her family, even as she moves off the prairie into town to live at the Harlings. When Mr. Harlings concerns about her dancing come to a head, she makes a bold decision to leave her comfortable service with them for a less certain future, one where her independence remains intact, unchecked. And in her relationship with Jim, she could easily have let him possess her. She knows in her heart, though, that Jim is destined for brighter lights. She even warns Lena to leave him alone. Antonia propels him on to his destiny, thinking that she will not be a part of it. Read the book if you want to find out if she was right!
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An emotional book worth reading.  |
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My Antonia is a very emotional book thatll make you feel what the narrator (Jim Burden) feels as he reaccounts his past experiences with a beautiful strong girl that he grew up with. The characters of the novel really stick into ones mind as they read, from femme fatale Lena Ligard to the loan shark Wick Cutter. My only complaint about the novel is that the one mini-book "Lena Ligard" was disappointingly duller than the rest of the novel. Nevertheless though this book is wondrous.
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One of the best books I have ever read.... |
Sometimes, the books we read when we are young do not stand up to the test of time. Thats not the case with "My Antonia". It means more to me, and seems even better now, than when I first read it. I read the book as a young teenager and remembered loving it (though I do admit I got a bit bored by it once Jim and Antonia had grown up...) I reread the book just recently and was struck by how wonderful it really was. Cather is the only writer I know who can so successfully evoke the Midwestern American plains. She has also captured the hardships of immigrant life - or even just farm life on the plains. The growth and changes in the town and the land mirror the growth and changes of her characters. I found that this book meant more to me upon rereading it as an adult. Its a beautiful book. It transported me to the Sandhills, it allowed me to see the joys and sufferings of life in the early part of this century in an area that was still seen as wildern! ess. I was surprised by the strength the characters displayed when faced with tribulation; I did not remember being that impressed by their strength when I was younger. Now I know to some degree what strength it takes just to keep getting up in the morning when faced with difficulties at work. I cant imagine what it was like for those depending on the weather and the rains for a wheat or corn crop. Cather makes some wise statements in this book... for example, regarding marriage, she remarks through the narrator that what is life for one may not be the life for two (in reference to the farm-loving Antonia and her "city" husband). But Antonia and Cusak make it work, they survive and even are happy at the end of the book despite it all. Yet, this is not a sugar-coated, "happy" type of book - it is far more satisfying than that. I read the book first at 15, and now again at (nearly) 30. I suppose I will continue to reread it throughout my life - if! it seems more meaningful to me now given the experiences I! have had in the past 15 years, I cannot wait to see how it opens up more even later....
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