Essay on Use of Environment, Landscape, and Cycles in My...

Use of the Environment, Landscape, and Cycles, in My à ntonia The landscape and the environment in Willa Cathers, My à ntonia, plays several roles. It creates both a character and protagonist, while it also reflects Cathers main characters, Jim and à ntonia, as well as forming the structure of the novel. Additionally, it evokes several themes that existed on the prairie during the time in which the story takes place. Some of these themes that directly relate to the novel, which are worth exploring, are endurance, hardship, and spirituality. Additionally, the symbolism of the hot and cold climate will be examined, revealing the significance it has on the novel in an overall manner. The analyses will further explain Cathers†¦show more content†¦However, it isnt long before they realize that this is a myth. While they lack crops to harvest, they are forced to endure, at least for the first half of the novel, an extremely impoverished lifestyle. They have scant amounts of food for eating, inadequate clothing, as well as inadequate shel ter. As a result, the Shimerdas are forced to eat prairie dogs in the first winter, rodents that belong to the rat family, and to live in a dug-out like cave in which the living spaces are compared to badger holes (Cather 71,75). To illustrate hardship and intense labor, Cather gives us an example in Peter the Russian. Peter is unable to meet a financial note which falls due in November, as a result of poor farming. When he is unable to pay his debt, he is hit again with additional penalty fees. In fact, he is forced to take out another mortgage on his pigs, horses and milk cows (Cather 50). Therefore, the future is beginning to look bleak. However, just after Peter renews the note, Pavel strains himself lifting heavy timber, falling over to produce a large gash above his lung. The bystanders thought, he would die right then and there (Cather 51). Peter is then forced to take over the extra work and responsibility, ultimately shifting the strain to himself. Through these instances, Cather demonstrates the hard times that occur on the land, in addition to the interdependence that people on the land are forced to have for each other, as well as toShow MoreRelated Power of the Frontier Exposed in My Antonia Essa y1924 Words   |  8 PagesPower of the Frontier Exposed in My Antonia      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willa Cathers novel My à ntonia dramatizes the effect the frontier has on both native-born people and immigrants that come to the West in search of new beginnings. The story centers around two families living in a remote area of Nebraska from completely diverse backgrounds. This tale suggests that regardless of where a person comes from, the trials and tribulations of living under such tough conditions will ultimately impact his/her