Character Analysis: My Antonia

My Ántonia:
Living forces
Anne Bradstreet once wrote, – “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Have your emotions been affected by the changing seasons? Have you reacted according to the weather conditions? Sometimes, the surroundings have a stronger effect than what people may think. They affect human beings’ behaviors and actions in such a way that most of what people do and feel goes accordingly to them. This can be overwhelming, so imagine how it was like for pioneers who came to America during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Seasonal circumstances captivated Willa Cather’s imagination and motivated the creation of the master piece My
According to Martin (Terrence Martin), spring comes with the reawakening of the prairie and pervasive lightness. This season brings a new light into the characters’ traits. Jim, for example, enjoys his studies and intellectual growth in Lincoln when a knock on his door one spring day would show him a different life period. “When I turned back to my room the place seemed much pleasanter than before. Lena had left something warm and friendly in the lamplight” (173). Spring brought a new beginning for Lena and Jimmy’s friendship and love. From the theater nights to the morning breakfasts, Jim and Lena cultivated their relationship during this warm season. Lena was not only a pretty and lovely girl to Jim, but also a good friend that brought him memories of spring for a lifetime. For Mr. and Mrs. Burden, spring seemed to be the right season for a new start. By leaving the farm, they decided to move to Black Hawk. Jimmy says, “We came to Black Hawk in March, and by the end of April we felt like town people. Grandfather was a deacon in the new Baptist Church, grandmother was busy with church suppers and missionary societies” (94). Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Burden changed the heavy work of the fields to become towns people which they successfully achieved during this season. Ántonia exemplifies another character that was also influenced by the spring. She “. . . married . . . a young Bohemian” (211) which gave her hope to raise her new baby girl and was for sure the rebirth of a new life in marriage and family. Throughout Cather’s novel, spring changes the setting for the characters and consequently symbolizes hope and rebirth in their