Willa Cather Gender Roles

Willa Cather Gender Roles
American novelist Willa Cather in her novel O Pioneers! tells the tale of Old World immigrants with
farm land in Hanover, Nebraska, a region often described as "the Divide". Cather begins the story on
a windy day in January sometime in the late 1890's. In the beginning of the novel four prominent
characters are introduced: Emil Bergson, Alexandra Bergson, Carl Linstrum and the pretty
Bohemian girl Marie. Not too far in the novel there was a drastic change in the tone of the story
because Alexandra's father John Bergson is about to die, leaving his wife and four children to fend
for themselves in a tough and barren land.
In the novel, Alexandra is left as the head of her family after her father's death, a role that requires
her to oversee ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Throughout the nineteenth century men and women roles were characterized by a division of
activity into two domains for men and women. While women may have been seen as powerful in the
home because they were responsible for the upkeep, that power was limited because the man was
known as the head of the home. Unlike women in the same time period as Alexandra, she does not
rely on a man or brothers for her success. Alexandra takes over the family land at a young age and
was able to successfully transform the struggling farm into a thriving business. Willa Cather's O
Pioneers! would contribute greatly to debates because during this time period women were still
years from suffrage, had little control over their property and wages, and still had very few options
to marriage and domestic life. Looking at Alexandra, she may have been a nineteenth century
woman but she would have fit well within the twenty–first century because she is in control of her
wealth and he is able to work independently of a
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

O Pioneers By Willa Cather Analysis
Willa Cather, a ninteenth century American female writer, used her childhood experiences growing
up on the great plains of Nebraska to write about a woman named Alexandra Bergson and her
struggles on her family's farm on the Nebraskan frontier in the book, O Pioneers! (. The narrator
follows Alexandra throughout her life, and shows how she became successful while overcoming the
patriarchy. On the other hand, Cather also wrote about a young, somewhat confused girl named
Marie Tovesky, who found herself in a crumbling relationship, not sure if she loved the man she
married, or Alexandra's sibling Emil. Her story both regales the reader with a tragedy, but also
shows how women of the time were treated. Cather's O Pioneers! tells the tales of two women who
find themselves on varying walks of life. Alexandra Bergson grew up in the small town of Hanover,
Nebraska on her family's farm, otherwise known as "The Divide." After the farm was plighted with
many catastrophies, her father, John Bergson was on the brink of death. This is when feminism is
first introduced into the novel. On his deathbed, John Bergson gave his farm to Alexandra because
she was the one who "...read the papers and followed the markets, and who learned learned by the
mistakes of their neighbors", and the one who "could always tell about what it had cost to fatten
each steer, and who could guess the weight of a hog before it went on the scales.." (Cather 9). This
meant that out of the three children, two of them being boys, John felt that Alexandra was the
smartest and most capable to take the farm. In inhereting the farm, Alexandra began to surpass and
grow furthur away from the female stereotype for the time. After three years of success followed by
three years of failure, Lou and Oscar, Alexandra's siblings, felt that the farm had nothing more to
offer. Alexandra then went on a trip to the river farms with Carl, a childhood friend, and "...spent a
whole day with one young farmer who had been away at school, and who was experimenting with a
new kind of clover hay" (Cather 23–25). If not for Alexandra's open–mindedness, intelligence, and
willingness to learn from others, the farm would have likely failed. It is through these traits

Willa Cather Morals
As said in the Oxford Dictionary, Morality is the "principles concerning the distinction between
right and wrong or good and bad behavior." In the book O Pioneers!. Willa Cather used Alexandra's
desire, intelligence, and all around good morals to present the reader with what it means to be sound
morally. On the other hand, Cather also used the characters Oscar, Lou and Frank Shabbata to
present the reader with examples of bad morality. Putting all of this together, O Pioneers used death
and success to show the reader exactly what each type of moral can lead to. O Pioneers! is a great
piece on the importance of morality.
As the story shows, Alexandra is continually fighting and trying to find a balance with the issue
morality. Her high moral status, desire to keep pushing on and ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Although the temptations are strong, Alexandra always does what is morally right. Willa Cather
begins this story with Alexandra walking through the streets. As she walks, a worker compliments
her as she is taking off her scarf. This worker put aside his work morals, and seems to be much more
interested on the women, than the task he has at hand. O Pioneers! portrays Alexandra as the corner
stone of what Morality looks like. The root of her beliefs comes from her father, who was a hard
working farmer. During the middle of the novel, Alexandra is faced with a tough decision. The
valley in which she lives is being plagued by a great drought. Neighbors all around could not take it
anymore, so they sold their farms and moved away. Alexandra is faced with the decision to stay as
her father would have wanted, or to go as her brothers would like to do. Using her great intuition,
instead of leaving the farm behind, she sees it as a great opportunity to improve the situation. After
all the farms go up for sale, including her great friend Carl's farm, she mortgages the house and buys
many of the neighboring farms. Alexandra believed that after the

Willa Cather Research Paper
Willa Cather
Willa Cather, along with many other, were forced to face many struggles throughout their lifetimes.
They had to live through some of the worst times, the first World War and the devastating Great
Depression, and some of the best times, the passing of the 19th Amendment. These events taught
victims to cherish every second of life and it showed that good always triumphs over evil.
The Great War, also known as World War I, began when a Serbian Nationalist assassinated Austria–
Hungary's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. The United States did not enter until the Zimmerman
Telegram was intersected. It was Germany's attempt to ally with Mexico so they could beat the
United States. Germany told Mexico that when they won the war, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
She worked for Home Monthly ("Willa Sibert Cather"). From 1897 to 1901, she worked for
Pittsburgh's Daily Leader as a drama reviewer and a newspaper editor (Bloom 185). In 1902 Willa
Cather traveled throughout Europe ("Willa Sibert Cather"). She later became a teacher. She taught
English and Latin at Central High School in Pittsburgh (Bloom 185). She also became the head
English teacher and the Latin teacher at Allegheny High. Her first book, April Twilights, was a book
of poetry, published in 1903. She moved to New York City in 1903 ("Willa Sibert Cather"). While in
New York, she lived in an apartment with Edith Lewis (Bloom 185). She became the managing
editor of McClure's Magazine, a highly influential magazine of the time (Fogel 302). S.S. McClure,
the publisher of McClure's Magazine, published Cather's book of short stories, The Troll Garden, in
1905. The Troll Garden spoke of an artist's struggles in impoverished areas. There is an underlying
tone of her wishes to return to midwestern life. The influence of her perfect author, Henry James, is
evident in her four collections of short stories, including, The Troll Garden. In 1905 Cather's first
novel, Alexander's Bridge, was published, but it was not incredibly popular. She was pushed by
Sarah Orne Jewett to write novels instead of journalism, and with this encouragement, quits her job
in 1911 ("Willa Sibert Cather"). The works, O Pioneers!, The song of the Lark, and My Ántonia,
displayed women who do whatever to provide for their family. Also, they feature immigrants as the
hero of the stories; this was uncommon in this era. For example, O Pioneers!, is a tragedy about a
woman from Norway who does whatever she can to keep the family farm at any cost, even her own
happiness (Tessitore 131). In her 1920 collection, Youth and the Bright Medusa, she focused on
what it means to be successful.

Willa Cather Research Paper
Well–known for her detailed works about life in the frontier like, 'O Pioneer' or 'The Song of Lark',
Willa Cather thrives in illustrating Nebraskan life in her novels. Arguably one of her best works, is
the novel 'My Antonia' published in 1918 (Jewell). The novel holds elements of romanticism such as
the glorification of nature and the frontier, and hints of nostalgia. Willa Cather's work is a great
example of some of the lesser used elements of romanticism in American literature.
Willa Cather, originally named Wilella, lived with her family in Back Creek Alley, Virginia in 1873
until her family moved to the Great Plains in 1884. Growing up in the area made her focus most of
her literature surrounding Nebraskan life, making up the basis of her prairie background trilogy: 'My
Antonia', 'O Pioneer' and 'The Song of Lark'. At 16 Cather decided to enroll in the University of
Nebraska in Lincoln, while there, her freshman professor had published one of her essays in their
local newspaper and thus began the start of her journalism career (Telgen). After her time in
Lincoln, Cather decided to move to the state of Pennsylvania and took a job as an editor of a
women's magazine, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
They constantly fight between living in the past or their present and share a desire for the time and
places they've left behind. To Jim, his past is the loss of his childhood, while to the immigrants, the
past is the loss of familiarity in their lives back in Europe. Mr. Shirmerda's grave is a symbolism of
the past, when he dies he's buried in the prairie, eventually becoming a crossroads. When referring
to the gravesite Jim expressed that, "in all that country it was the spot most dear to me" (cite). Since,
when all the prairie is cleared, where the two roads meet would still grow prairie grass while being
intact, the gravesite is the remains of the old land, and also the

The Theme Of Life In O Pioneers ! By Willa Cather
It seems that everything in Willa Cather's O Pioneers!, aside from the land, starts out so full of life
and ends so utterly devoid of it. It could even be said that the characters in the novel become
imprisoned by their own lives. Marie is barred by her love, which, in the end, leaves her quite
literally lifeless. Alexandra, who initially is so full of life, begins to view her life as unimportant and
as a prison house. Even the spirituality of the pioneers is ever declining and dying away. Ultimately
it is Frank who embodies the idea most obviously; in his youth Frank lives the life of a happy,
handsome man, yet his life ends in utter despondence and literal imprisonment. How is it that all of
these things can be drained of life while the American land is thriving with it? One could see the
relationship between the land and the people that live on it as the American dream and those who
live that dream. Invariably, the people who contribute to the flourishing of the land also contribute to
the fallowness of their own life, just as those who indulge in the American Dream lose not only
themselves, but their own dreams to it. Marie's case is a tragic one. Maries love for her husband
begins strong; she is madly in love with him, but the labor that he puts into the land changes him
into a hard man which she can no longer love. It is the land, the great American dream, that changes
Frank and it is the land, which strips Marie of all love for him. When she falls in love with Emil,

Who Is Willa Cather's O Pioneers?
"O' Pioneers!" is a book published by Willa Cather in 1913 while she was staying in New York. In
the book O' Pioneers!" Willa Cather depicts three different philosophies realism, romanticism, and
naturalism. The title of the book originated from Walt Whitman's poem "Pioneers! O' Pioneers!".
Cather's book was made into a film in 1992. The first philosophy, and most talked about in the class,
is naturalism. A naturalistic mind views that everything arises from nature and things like the
supernatural are excluded or discounted. In the book "O' Pioneers!" Willa Cather lays down a heavy
emphasis on the statement "believe in the land" which of goes with the philosophy of naturalism."In
eleven long years John Bergson had made but little impression on the wild land he had come to
tame. It was still a wild thing that had its ugly moods ... Mischance hung over it. Its Genius was
unfriendly to man." The personality of the "main character," Alexandra, and her family are ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
A Romantic mind puts a large emphasis on the imagination and emotion. The romanticism found in
the book "O' Pioneers!" was typically expressed in arguments, or in uncommon instances throughout
the novel. Toward the end of the book there was an increase in these uncommon occurrences. ""How
many times we have walked this path together, Carl. How many times we will walk it again! Does it
seem to you like coming back to your own place? Do you feel at peace with the world here? I think
we shall be very happy. I have n't any fears. I think when friends marry, they are safe. We don't
suffer like–those young ones." Alexandra ended with a sigh.They had reached the gate." " Before
Carl opened it, he drew Alexandra to him and kissed her softly, on her lips and on her eyes.She
leaned heavily on his shoulder. "I am tired," she murmured. "I have been very lonely, Carl."They
went into the house together, leaving the Divide behind them, under the evening

Willa Cather 's My Antonia And O Pioneers !
Success in Female Pioneers "But Nebraska was not always a bed of roses. When the first settlers
arrived, they found a harsh, unforgiving place, a vast treeless expanse of barren, drought–parched
soil. And so, summoning up the dynamic pioneer spirit of hope and steely determination, they left.
But a few of them remained."(Barry) The pioneers were expecting the land to work with them, but it
was actually working against them. Winters were hard, and many pioneers gave up and left. The few
who remained were proven to be strong and determined to force the land to cooperate. In Willa
Cather's My Ántonia and O Pioneers!, her purpose was to show readers that women could be strong
pioneers, overcoming the adversity caused by the land, as seen ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
31). After all their neighbors leave, Lou and Oscar want to give up because the land is working
against them. The simile compares Alexandra's brothers to their neighbors to show how they are
similar to most people but different from Alexandra. "Alexandra's relationship with her brothers Lou
and Oscar in particular demonstrate Cather's revision of the female role within the family"
(Alumbaugh 37). Alexandra is in charge of their household and farm per her father's request, but
typically the sons would be in charge.
Ántonia is compared to a man to emphasize how important she was to her family. Antonia's family
needed more money, so Alexandra worked in the fields with the men. "All throughout the wheat
season, she told us, Ambrosch hired his sister out like a man, and she went from farm to farm,
binding sheaves or working with the thrashers" (My Ántonia 85). This simile compares Antonia to a
man because she acts like one and her brother treats her like one. The men had to defeat the
resistance caused by the land, and Ántonia helps them, enjoying the hard farm work. "These are
characters who chafe under the restrictions of traditional female roles, preferring a greater degree of
independence and self–determination. Ántonia, for example, discovers when she works her own
family's farm and when she is hired out as a farm hand for others, that she very much enjoys the
freedom playing a male role allows her"

Summary Of Willa Cather's My Antonia
Willa Cather wrote many novels. One of them is My Antonia. She is an American Author from the
regionalism period. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 writing about World War 1.
Willa Cather is an American Author who wrote "My Antonia" in 1918. This novel is a short fictional
introduction about Jim meeting this little girl named Antonia.When Jim was 10 he was orphaned and
he moved from Virginia to Nebraska to live on his grandparents farm. The Shimerda family suffers
through tough winters, as they don't have a lot of money. Jim's grandparents try to do whatever they
can but Mr. Shimada ends up making suicide. By the time Jim was ready for high school his
grandparents moved out to Black Hawk, Nebraska, but Antonia's family remained on the farm.
Antonia ends up moving out with a family in town named Harling. When Jim finishes college he
returns back to Black Hawk for the summer before law school. When he gets back he wants to visit
Antonia. But Jim is afraid of what he may find.
My Antonia is a novel of American frontier life. This novel is narrated by Jim Burden. " David
Daiches' complaint of twenty years ago prevails: that work is "flawed" by "irrelevant" episodes and
material of "uncertain" meaning." As soon as Jim gets ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
From time to time I've been writing down what I remember...about Antonia....I didn't take time to
arrange it; I simply wrote down pretty much all what her name recalls to me. I suppose it hasn't any
form,...any title, either." His memory cannot be as complete or uninterested as he suggests. In Jim's
dream of Lena, desire and fear clearly battle each other. My Antonia is, on the surface, a simple and
clear novel, with themes of ultimate importance. Yet, the novel becomes brilliantly tortuous in the
end. The novel's statements work against its

Summary Of The Novel 'O Pioneers !'
O Pioneers!: A Journey into the Western Frontier
Willa Cather is an author who uses similar aspects and events of her life and puts them into her
novels. This approach allows the reader to know what inspired the events happening throughout the
novel. After reading the novel O Pioneers! by Willa Cather, I began to search for ideas leading me
deeper into the meaning of the novel as a whole. O Pioneers! is a novel in which several of the key
concepts and character qualities can be better understood by learning more about the life of Willa
Cather. Aspects of O Pioneers! that involve the life of Willa Cather include where the novel is taking
place, the description of Alexandra's disposition, and the dominance Alexandra exhibits in her
family. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This negative environment is clearly depicted in the previous quote. This setting portrays a secluded
and self reliant society which is not very suitable for younger residents. Although Hanover may not
have been an ideal place for Alexandra to be, she proves that she can hold her own and tends to have
a rather manly disposition. "She wore a man's long ulster
(not as if it were an affliction, but as if it were very comfortable and belonged to her; carried it like a
young soldier), and a round plush cap, tied down with a thick veil"(1.1.2). Alexandra is the most
comfortable when she is wearing men's clothes, and she does not want the clothing that she wears to
have an impact the way that she is perceived as a person by others. Alexandra asserting her
dominance is apparent in the statement reading, "...stabs him with a glance of Amazonian fierceness
and drew in her lower lip––most unnecessary severity. It gave the little clothing drummer such a
start that he actually let his cigar fall to the sidewalk and went off weakly in the teeth of the wind to
the saloon. His hand was still unsteady when he took his glass from the bartender. His feeble
flirtatious instincts had been crushed before, but never so mercilessly"(1.1.2). This is similar to
Willa Cather's appearance as a child which also seems to demonstrate some "manly qualities." "
Sometime shortly before her thirteenth birthday, Cather
Krise

O Pioneers ! By Willa Cather
An American Woman In the story "O Pioneers!" by Willa Cather presents a young intelligent
woman who had an American dream. Alexandra Bergson is a perfect model of emotional strength,
strong–will and courage. She not only motivated herself but she always had a drive to encourage
others to never give up on their dream. Building up the land, having more patience and passion than
men, and self–sacrifice were some conditions Alexandra Bergson faced as a young woman. Overall,
all of the obstacles she overcame granted her to live an American Dream she had planned to live all
her life. Alexandra first obstacle that she faced was at a very young age. A difficulty that most young
teenage girls never will face. Alexandra provides the ideal example of self–sacrifice. She gives up
most of her teenage life and numerous chances for happiness because she has a vision of the future
that requires hard work and continued dedication. However, Alexandra's vision consists of hope,
love and dreams for others rather than hope, love and dreams for herself. After Alexandra's father
died, he left her the responsibility to take over the land and all of what he worked hard for. Instead
of her father giving her brothers the responsibility over the land, without any doubt he gave it to
Alexandra because she had known all of his wishes; "Boys, I want you to keep the land together and
to be guided by your sister. I have talked to her since I've
Cooksey 2 been sick and she knows all my wishes" (Cather

Allusions In O Pioneers By Willa Cather
An important allusion in O Pioneers is the one made to the 101st Psalm. This allusion can be seen
when Ivar repeats the verse in part five, chapter one. In the verse, David gives his guidelines for
living life. In olden times this scripture held the utmost importance, as many people memorized it
and implemented David's guidelines in their own lives. This scripture expanded on the novel's theme
of Christianity and drew my interest because I have similar views as some of the characters.
Willa Cather cleverly alluded to the 101st Psalm at the beginning of part five, chapter one. As Ivar
sits on a cobbler's bench, he mends harness by the light of a lantern, repeating the verse to himself
(Cather 96). Religion is a common theme of the novel O Pioneers! Cather portrays Christianity as a
predominant aspect of life on the divide. Ivar is one of the most religious characters in the novel.
This element of Ivar's life shows throughout the book in the way he treats others, the way he treats
animals, and the way he goes about his life. In O Pioneers! Ivar often read the Bible aloud to
Alexandra (Cather 33). Cather used the allusion of the 101st Psalm in a place in the novel where one
of the most religious characters needed his God the most. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
During past times, this passage rectified the ways of the unfaithful, and it offered Christians
principles by which they should live their lives. For example, English officials would send a disloyal
preacher a copy of the 101st Psalm. Moreover, in some houses, owners required their servants to
memorize this Psalm and rewarded them for doing so (Bagwell 1). The 101st Psalm has played a
substantial role in the lives of Christians any many different

Analysis Of ' O Pioneers ' By Willa Cather
There is an Ancient Greek belief that one's greatest strength is also his or her greatest weakness. In
Willa Cather's, O Pioneers, Marie proves this belief on many different occasions. Marie's liveliness,
which is arguably her greatest quality, acts in turn as her greatest weakness when it becomes a
contributing factor to her death. Marie, a beautiful, vivacious Bohemian girl, migrates to the prairie
from the city at a young age. She is used to getting attention from everyone everywhere she goes.
Her personality, normal in Europe and even the city, is foreign to the plain pioneers on the prairie.
She is an oddity compared to them. Because of this, Marie's vitality gets her into a dangerous love
affair with her friend, Emil, and ends up ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, shortly after marrying, Frank and Marie have internal realizations.They need to be with
different people. Frank needs a wife subservient to him, while Marie needs a more expressive and
affectionate husband. Frank could not be this person to Marie because his main priority has always
been and will always be his land. Marie could not be this person to Frank because her personality is
too strong to conceal. Marie is a constant reminder to Frank that he is not the young, spontaneous
man he used to be, which she still is. Marie, according to Alexandra is "too young and pretty for this
sort of life."(102) As mentioned before, Marie's personality does not correspond with many aspects
of prairie life. Another example of this is hunting, a leisurely activity to most. While out hunting
with Emil, Marie was happy and content until it actually started. "There was a sharp crack from the
gun, and five of the birds fell to the ground."(109) After Emil shoots the birds, Marie is distraught
and cannot understand why he must kill living beings. As Emil tries to comfort her, seeing her
distress, Marie does not find comfort. Marie's emotions overcome her : "she said tearfully, 'but I
didn 't think. I hate to see them when they are first shot. They were having such a good time, and we
've spoiled it all for them.'"(109) Marie expresses her sadness and illustrates an outstanding quality
about her; she does not think before acting. When she is

Analysis Of ' O Pioneers ' By Willa Cather
O Pioneers by Willa Cather sets itself apart from other novels of its time because of what its stands
for, feminism. It exemplifies women's equality, represented by the main character, Alexandra, by
showing her survival in a male dominated society. She succeeded in building her female identity and
achieved a sense of female attainment by revolutionizing the wild land and struggling for her equal
rights with all that surrounded her. This paper focuses on the feminist thoughts and the positive
attitude of the image of the strong character Alexandra, who was independent, brave, and optimistic.
A spirit like hers, of strength and courage, insisted that she would never be defeated by man or
nature. The novel begins be explaining the small ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
After Alexandra's father, John Bergeson became sick he knew that she would have to be the one in
charge of their land. His two older sons were hard workers but knew nothing in comparison to
Alexandra when it came down to the logistics of the farm. John even stated "the boys were not as
half intelligent as their sister" (Cather, 1987, p. 76). John's dying wishes were to keep the land going
and to never leave even when times were tough and that is exactly what Alexandra did. By leaving
Alexandra in charge of the land Cather is showing her beliefs that women are beyond capable of
being in charge and making decisions without men. She built her own empire by turning the
untamed land into prosperous country side and she became one of the most successful farmers on
the divide even after a long sixteen–year struggle. Alexandra dealt with criticism not only from other
farmers but even from her own brother's. Lou turned to his brother. "This is what comes of letting a
woman meddle in business," he said bitterly. We ought to have taken things in our own hands years
ago. But she liked to run things, and we humored her" (Cather). She only wanted the best for their
family and to respect her father's wishes but her own brother's doubted her time and time again.
Even though she did not have full support of her family she knew that she was going to stay on their
land and that they would eventually begin to prosper again.

Summary Of O Pioneers By Willa Cather
I do not know how to write this without sounding rude, careless or insensitive. I however did not
enjoy the novel at all. It was overall very bland to me; I commend my professor for showing us how
to speed read through the novel, to make sure we were getting the most book for our time, and that
did help a little bit, however I was not nearly as excited about the novel as I am about Willa Cather's
life.
I find the narration of the story to be in third person, I didn't quite understood to what capacity
though. I did understand that from what point an individual was talking and that was someone else
telling this families story.
The setting in O Pioneers was in a small town called Hanover in the state of Nebraska. Which I
found extremely interesting ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
There is a total of three brothers and one sister and then the father. The father is John Bergson and
then there is his wife Mrs. Bergson. The children are Alexandra, Emil, Lou and Oscar Bergson.
Alexandra is clearly the protagonist of this novel. She is the eldest, she inherits everything when her
father dies and she stays in Nebraska to build on the farm that was left by her father. Then there is
Emil. Emil is the youngest brother; he is also the most educated and the most handsome one. Lou
and Oscar are very simple characters. Lou is very smart and he is also very selfish and wants things
for himself, while Oscar is kind of dumb but a strong worker. They both don't like their sister for a
number of reasons. One of them being that she is financially more stable than they are, she has
always been in charged and they hate her relationship with Carl Listrum. Carl is basically the love of
Alexandra's life. They grew up being neighbors next to each other; Carl leaves and then comes back
and falls in love with Alexandra. Then there is Ivar also known as Crazy Ivar. He is a very cynical
man, he has this bond of trust with Alexandra, which her brothers hate her

Willa Cather's O Pioneers !
O Pioneers! One significant social issue found in O Pioneers! is the tension between the way women
were often perceived in the late 19th century and the way they may have been entirely
misunderstood. Willa Cather explores this issue through all of her female characters. Every female
character in this story could be defined as a "pioneer" in their own right; however, the contrast
between the women whose identity is attached to the way society wants them to be and the women
who choose their own identity is especially noticeable in the authors writing. Willa Cather describes
the lives of women who fall into social standards, and also describes the lives of two women who
defy social standard but are still pioneers in their own unique way. Every ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Bergson. Her character represents a different kind of pioneer. She embodies strength and
independence from the very beginning of the book. In Part I of O Pioneers!, she is given the duty to
run her father's farm in the Divide when he dies. He believes in her enough to put her, instead of her
brothers, in charge of his family and his land. Even though her closest brothers, Lou and Oscar, are
continuously skeptical of her capabilities, Alexandra actually becomes very successful as she makes
a flourishing farm out of her family's struggling homestead. She becomes financially stable enough
to support herself and her youngest brother, Emil, without the help of a man. Additionally, it is
important to note that Alexandra does not marry until much later in her life. Although she has a
romantic interest throughout the book, she dedicates herself to the land on the Divide first. Then
when she is ready, she pursues Carl, the man she loves. By the end, she grows as a character by
realizing she does not necessarily need to remove herself from all the roles of a traditional female in
society. Instead, she can maintain her femininity and still live a life filled with dreams, courage and

Feminism In Willa Cather's 'O Pioneers !'
Willa Cather, a nineteenth century American female writer, used her childhood experiences growing
up on the great plains of Nebraska to write about a woman named Alexandra Bergson and her
struggles on her family's farm on the Nebraskan frontier in the book, O Pioneers! ("Willa Sibert
Cather"). The narrator follows Alexandra throughout her life, and shows how she became successful
while overcoming the patriarchy. Conversely, Cather also wrote about a young, confused girl named
Marie Tovesky, who found herself in a crumbling relationship, not sure if she loved the man she
married, or Alexandra's sibling Emil. Her story both regales the reader with a tragedy, but also
shows how others treated and oppressed women during that time. Cather's O Pioneers! tells the tales
of two women who find themselves on varying levels of society, and uses their stories to address
feminism. Alexandra Bergson grew up in the small town of Hanover, Nebraska on her family's farm,
otherwise known as The Divide. After many catastrophes blighted the farm, her father, John Bergson
was on the brink of death. Feminism first appears here, when, on his deathbed, John Bergson gave
his farm to Alexandra because she was the one who "...read the papers and followed the markets,
and who learned by the mistakes of their neighbors", and the one who "...could always tell about
what it had cost to fatten each steer, and who could guess the weight of a hog before it went on the
scales..." (Cather

The Impressionable Years
Many things influence a person's overall perception and opinions about the world around them, such
as their education, geographic location of upbringing, or religious views. All of these factors,
combined with countless others, shape each person into who they are and how they interact with
society. The time period a person lives through is another exceptionally important contribution, as it
is creates the entire backdrop of their experiences –– socially, economically, and politically. A
psychoanalytical look at O Pioneers! by Willa Cather, explains how the social and cultural
implications of Willa's life are transferred to this piece of literature. I believe that Willa Cather
created the primary, male characters in O Pioneers! based on the unfortunate experiences she had
with men in her early adulthood, which caused these strongly biased characters, while the female
characters are given exaggerated positive personality traits.
The adolescent and young adult stages in a person's life are impressionable years, which is clearly
demonstrated by Willa Cather's ability to so vividly recall the details of rural Nebraska, despite only
living there from the ages of nine to sixteen. However, in those seven short years, young Wilella –
her birth name – met many questionable "mentors" who held great significance and responsibility in
the life choices she pursues. The first of these shady characters in need of assessment is a man by
the name of William Ducker.

Willa Cather 's My Antonia And O Pioneers !
"But Nebraska was not always a bed of roses. When the first settlers arrived, they found a harsh,
unforgiving place, a vast treeless expanse of barren, drought–parched soil. And so, summoning up
the dynamic pioneer spirit of hope and steely determination, they left. But a few of them remained."
(Barry) The pioneers were expecting the land to work with them, but it was actually working against
them. Winters were hard, and many pioneers gave up and left. The few who remained were proven
to be strong and determined to force the land to cooperate. In Willa Cather's My Ántonia and O
Pioneers!, her purpose was to show readers that women could be strong pioneers, overcoming the
adversity caused by the land, as seen through similes, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
31). After all their neighbors leave, Lou and Oscar want to give up because the land is working
against them. The simile compares Alexandra's brothers to their neighbors to show how they are
similar to most people but different from Alexandra. "Alexandra's relationship with her brothers Lou
and Oscar in particular demonstrate Cather's revision of the female role within the family"
(Alumbaugh 37). Typically the sons would be in charge of the family farm, but Alexandra is in
charge of their farm per her father's request.
Similarly, Ántonia is compared to a man to emphasize how important she was to her family.
Ántonia's family needed more money, so Ántonia worked in the fields with the men. "All throughout
the wheat season, she told us, Ambrosch hired his sister out like a man, and she went from farm to
farm, binding sheaves or working with the thrashers" (My Ántonia 85). This simile compares
Ántonia to a man because she acts like one and her brother treats her like one. The men worked to
defeat the resistance caused by the land, and Ántonia helps them, enjoying the hard farm work.
"These are characters who chafe under the restrictions of traditional female roles, preferring a
greater degree of independence and self–determination. Ántonia, for example, discovers when she
works her own family's farm and when she is hired out as a farm hand for others, that she very much
enjoys the freedom playing a male role allows her"

Analysis Of O Pioneers By Willa Cather
O Pioneers by Willa Cather is a different novel from those of its time. It is a novel that stands for
women equality represented by the main character Alexandra. O Pioneers reveals a story about
Alexandra's struggle against nature and being a strong woman in a male dominated profession and
society. She succeeded in establishing her female identity and achieved a sense of female self–
fulfillment by transforming the wild land and struggling for her equal rights with men. This paper
focuses on the feminist thoughts and pioneering spirit of the great image of the heroine Alexandra,
who was independent, brave, and optimistic. Getting strength and courage from her such spirit,
Alexandra would never be defeated by either men or nature. "One January day, thirty years ago, the
little town of Hanover, anchored on a windy Nebraska tableland, was trying not to be blown away"
(Cather, 1987, p. 1.). The novel begins in the small town of Hanover where all the farmers and some
of their children go to relax after the long working season. Of those community members, resides
young Alexandra Bergeson who was with her younger brother Emil. She was a tall strong girl who
was driven. "She wore a man's long ulster (not as if it were an affliction, but as if it were very
comfortable and belonged to her; carried it like a young soldier), and a round plush cap, tied down
with a thick veil" (Cather, 1987, p.2.). Although the description of Alexandra's appearance was
prominent, Willa Cather had her

101st Psalm Summary: The New American Bible
101st Psalm
I sing of mercy and justice: to you, LORD, I sing praise. I study the way of integrity; when will you
come to me? I act with integrity of heart within my royal court. I do not allow into my presence
anyone who speaks perversely. Whoever acts shamefully I hate; no such person can be my friend. I
shun the devious of heart; the wicked I do not tolerate. Whoever slanders another in secret I reduce
to silence. Haughty eyes and arrogant hearts I cannot endure. I look to the faithful of the land; they
alone can be my companions. Those who follow the way of integrity, they alone can enter my
service. No one who practices deceit can hold a Post in my court. No one who speaks falsely can be
among my advisors. Each morning I clear the wicked from the land, and rid the LORD's city of all
evildoers (The New American Bible, Psalm 101.1–8). An important allusion in O Pioneers is the one
made to the 101st Psalm. The 101st Psalm is alluded to when Ivar repeats the verse in part five,
chapter one. In the verse, David gives his guidelines for living life. This scripture was of the utmost
importance in olden times, as many people memorized it and implemented David's guidelines in
their own lives. This scripture expanded on the novel's theme of Christianity and drew my interest
because I have similar views as some of the characters.
Willa Cather ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Growing up, Cather was a Baptist, but the author later converted to Anglicanism and became a very
high Anglo–Catholic (Birzer 1). She always had a love, and a small quantity of fear, of the Roman
Catholic Church, which explains to the reader why Catholicism was a recurring religion in O
Pioneers!, as well as why some of the novel's characters are so religious. The allusion of the 101st
Psalm added depth and interest to the novel, because I am a religious person, and I enjoyed being
able to relate to some of the

Analysis Of The BookO Pioneers, By Willa Cather
A woman running a farm was a taboo topic in the late 19th century. She was met with sexism and
resentment from her peers. In O Pioneers!, the narrator, Alexandra Bergson, shares the same
perseverance and feminist perspective as the author Willa Cather does; in addition, the novel reflects
the hardships and strengths faced by American pioneers in the 1890's. Cather was inspired by the
vast possibility of the land that she grew up in, and incorporated that important aspect of her life into
the novel. Professor Amy Ahearn elaborated that Cather put the "shaggy grass country at the center"
of the novel, and allowed the form of the land "to provide the structure of the book" (Ahearn). Her
precious childhood hometown was the basis of the setting of her novel. Alexandra's parents similarly
immigrated to Nebraska from Norway, and ran a large and successful farm. As her father was dying,
he gave her the responsibility to run the farm in his place, as she was the one best suited for the task,
surpassing her brothers. Further, journalist Amy Ahearn describes that Alexandra "had lost her
gaiety and her femininity" as she "domesticated and enlarged the property" (Ahearn). As she ran the
farm, she consequently had various aspects of her persona changed. As a result of her hard work to
change and run the farm, Alexandra herself changes from a quiet lady to a prudent tomboy. She was
faced with a responsibility she felt obligated to carry out, because she wanted to make her father
proud

Summary Of Willa Cather's O Pioneers
The passage O Pioneers talks about this town in the Great Plains and a little country boy that can not
help his cat and is afraid to ask someone for help. The author of the passage, Willa Cather, uses
phrases and words to describe how somber the mood of the passage is. Carter also overuse words to
emphasis how somber the mood of the passage is.Willa Cather's choice of words and phrases about
the setting contributes to the somber mood of the passage by describing the houses in the open
plains, the overuse of the word "gray", and how scared the little sad boy was about his cat and
asking someone for help.
Willa Cather's choice of words and phrases about the setting contributes to the somber mood of the
passage by describing the houses in the

The Transformation Of The Land In O Pioneers, By Willa Cather
According to National Geographic, 40% of the Earth today is farmland–soil being manipulated to
feed the 7.6 billion human beings on this world. We have taken over this world like ants swarming
to a piece of rotting fruit, without much thought to the organisms that have been on Earth long
before us. Our lives may be easier in that we do not have to forge for our food or water anymore, but
with the stress of today's world, was the tradeoff worth the natural land? Willa Cather's novel, O
Pioneers! brings attention to the way we choose to use the land, whether it is in our best interests,
the land's, or both. The characters in O Pioneers! demonstrate how in order to maintain a successful
relationship with the land we live on, it is necessary to be able to both adapt to the land and mold it
to fit our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. The land around us provides us with food, water,
shelter, and nutrients, but we cannot live in an untouched environment. We must mold the land to
meet our physical needs, yet we cannot be too ruthless and overwork the land. In O Pioneers! the
farmers settle on the Divide, farming and forcing the land to produce the food they needed to
survive, but the majority of the farmers have no luck. After a full twenty years, the tables finally turn
and Alexandra explains to Carl how she has become rich from doing almost nothing at all: "We
hadn't any of us much to do with it, Carl. The land did it. It had its little joke. It pretended to be poor

Characters versus Community in O Pioneers! by Willa...
Characters versus Community in O Pioneers! by Willa Cather In the novel O Pioneers! the author
Willa Cather?s vision of Alexandra Bergson is consistent in character treatment with other authors
such as Nathaniel Hawthorne (Scarlet Letter), and Stephan Crane (Maggie: A Girl of the Streets). In
each novel, all authors possess a central character that has an obvious tension between themselves
and their community. Unlike the previous authors, Cather?s sympathies lie toward Alexandra. She
makes Alexandra seem artificial because she has given a woman (also being her main character)
strength and courage, along with power to overcome those who wish to pull her down.
In the novel O Pioneers!, Alexandra Bergson is the novel's central ... Show more content on
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By defying public attitudes, Alexandra proves herself a true individualist.
Cather begins her support of Alexandra?s character when the father, John Bergson, surpasses his two
older sons to give the land to Alexandra. Although he wants to follow in tradition, he knows that
Alexandra is devoted to keeping the family land that he has strived so hard to build and keep within
the family. Three years after John?s death Alexandra?s tensions with her family begin. The Divide
suffers a drought that drives several families from their land. Lou and Oscar fail to remember their
father?s dreams and instigate for Alexandra to sell the land and move on, but she doesn?t.
Her character is torn because not only is her family against her, her beloved friend Carl is moving
also. She begins her thought process about staying on the Divide. She thinks of her father and her
conversation with Ivar, and although she seems hesitant at first, she decides to remain on the Divide
and cultivate a new system for the land.
Cather?s portrayal of Alexandra?s family is similar to how Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the
Puritans in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne?s central character, Hester Prynne, has committed the sin
of adultery. In a Puritan society during that year she would likely have been stoned to death, but
Hawthorne continues his character, only to let her endure emotional pain inflicted upon her by her
community.

O Pioneers!: The Land and the American Dream It seems that everything in Willa Cather's O
Pioneers!, aside from the land, starts out so full of life and ends so utterly devoid of it. It could even
be said that the characters in the novel become imprisoned by their own lives. Marie is barred by her
love, which, in the end, leaves her quite literally lifeless. Alexandra, who initially is so full of life,
begins to view her life as unimportant and as a prison house. Even the spirituality of the pioneers is
ever declining and dying away. Ultimately it is Frank who embodies the idea most obviously; in his
youth Frank lives the life of a happy, handsome man, yet his life ends in utter despondence and
literal imprisonment. How is it that all of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Alexandra puts her entire life into the land. In fact, Alexandra seems to exemplify the land itself.
She epitomizes the American Dream and everything it stands for. She takes a raw piece of
Nebraskan soil and works it until it becomes bountiful and she becomes wealthy and seemingly
successful. In all of her success in achieving the American Dream, very little is said about
Alexandra's own hopes and dreams. Though Alexandra is the only one to have achieved anything
close to the American Dream, she is the only character to become completely downhearted. In the
novel it is written that "she was actually tired of life" (112) and that "what was left of life seemed so
unimportant" (113). She also relates life to a poem she loved as a girl, and the poem reads as
follows: Hence Forth the world will only be/A wider prison–house to me...(118). Regardless of the
fact that Alexandra signifies everything that is the American Dream, she is still unhappy with and
imprisoned by life. It is not until she indulges in her own dream, the companionship of Carl
Linstrum that she begins to see life in an optimistic light. Another element soiled by the standards of
America is the spirituality of the pioneers. The best example of this is illustrated in the novel's
character Ivar. While the church itself rejects Ivar and most of Hanover wants to send him to an
asylum, he is probably one of the most spiritual people in the entire prairie. Ivar has a personal
relationship

Willa Cather's O Pioneers Research Paper
Paola Lopez
English III AP
Kassbaum
October 6, 2016
O' Pioneers by Willa Cather: Thesis Statement
Prompt: 1975 Lagerkvist The Marriage Feast: Define and discuss the subject of the story. Direct
your remarks to the significance of the events described.
The 1910's in itself, is known for its traditional lifestyle in the rural areas and in overall lense of
love. Calling into question whether genuine or agapic love even existed due to the reason that
marriage, the epitome of love, was organized based on every other factor except love. In the novel,
O' Pioneers written by Willa Cather, the dilemma of head versus heart is shown through numerous
events. More specifically, the futility of forbidden love is exemplified between the novel's characters
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
She carries an intimate relationship with her land because the land belongs to her and "[she] belongs
to the land" (169). Like any relationship, she invests her time, energy, and determination by building
it up as her own creation and in a sense, the land creates her back by providing money. Similarly
enough, like the two relationships mentioned within this novel, the relationship between Alexandra
and her farm is also faced with moments of doubts and mockery. Shown when she is doubted not
only by society, but her own brothers as she reminds them of when "we put in the first big wheat
planting and said everybody was laughing at us" (92). Alexandra makes the sacrifice in the very
beginning to believe in her land or not, and her selfishness allows her to make the correct choice. By
putting her thoughts first, the land eventually repaid her in a much greater sense that she came to the
point where she realized "the land belongs to the future" (169). Hence, becoming less selfish as she
realizes the land is something much bigger than

O Pioneers
History 2112
November 19, 2009
Is Alexandra still considered a feminist, although Cather
positioned her in a male role throughout the novel O Pioneers?
Although Alexandra was depicted as a "tall, strong girl," (p.10) which is typically viewed as
characteristics of a male, she was indeed a feminist in Willa Cather's novel O Pioneers! In the
introduction of the novel, an argument arises due to the differences of O Pioneers! in contrast to
some of Cather's other pieces as well as several other novels of that time period. Marilee Lindemann
references that "law and custom in most (if not all) Western countries severely limited what are girl
might 'do', in life as well as in literature (...) thus, in comparison to their male ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
At this point, Alexandra had spent numerous days and nights alone, those days when she only had
her little brother, Emil, to accompany her; however, he eventually went off to school and to pursue
his own career. As a result, Alexandra was left to confide in her neighbor Marie who didn't quite
understand her, herself, and her dreams.
Throughout Alexandra's childhood, she often dreamed of pleasures from "a man, certainly, who
carried her, but he was like no man she knew..." (p.112) and these fancies continued as she grew
older. She often slept in on Sunday mornings and during her lengthy sleep hours she "accidentally"
fancied about a man whom she knew nothing about. These dreams appeared during times when she
found herself the most fatigued from the unbearable work on the divide; "we grow hard and heavy
here" (p.69). Surprisingly, Alexandra became disappointed with herself after the epiphany elapsed.
"She would rise hastily, angry with herself, and go down to the bath–house..." (p.112) to cleanse her
body. As incorporated in the novel, these feelings expressed more characteristics of Alexandra's
feminism as she daydreamed about a man in her life. However, little did she know that her dreams
would soon become a reality.
During times when the Divide experienced famine, most of its residents sold their property and
migrated to other, more profitable lands. Among those who

Feminist Roles In OPioneers, By Willa Cather
In many senses, O' Pioneers was greatly ahead of its time as a novel. Whether focusing on the
writing and storyline itself or diving deeper past the plot line into its many topics that had not
reached full acceptance in the society of the time. Though the story is set sometime during the
1880's, even at the time it was published in 1913, many of the themes featured in this novel were
ahead of their times. The novel features lead protagonist, Alexandra, a farm girl who has recently
been chosen to take over her families farm rather than her two older able–bodied brothers whom you
would expect to be given this farm. The novel pays a great focus to the struggle in which Alexandra
faces being a woman in a primarily male profession. Many say that Willa Cather was a feminist icon
by challenging what many considered typical gender roles. THESIS O' Pioneers! Is placed in the
small town of Hanover, Nebraska. It is focused on the Bergson family, whom are about to
experience a great change in their lives. Their father, John Bergson has become quite ill and knows
he must delegate their family farm to one of his children. Taking into consideration the amount of
work they had all placed into the farm, who he could rely on most for their "resourcefulness and
good judgement", he chose his daughter, Alexandra, our protagonist of the novel. Though John
could have chosen his older sons, Oscar and Lou, he felt Alexandra had the best grasp of what it
takes to run the farm. Three years later,

The Relationship between the People and the Land in Willa...
The Relationship between the People and the Land in Willa Cather's O Pioneers
'For the first time, perhaps, since that land emerged from the waters of the geologic ages, a human
face was set toward it with love and yearning'
This quotation cuts straight to the heart of Willa Cather's whole argument throughout O Pioneers!,
which is that it is Alexandra Bergson's will to survive and continually adapt which makes her
successful –the facts that her neighbours are unwilling to take up new ideas and technologies, they
are unwilling to gamble, and, worse, unwilling to listen to those whose relationship with the
landscape is harmonious and respectful (such as that of Ivar), mark them down as part of the legacy
of ignorant, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Any difference or deviation is frowned upon in the most serious manner. Mrs Lee's comment about
hot water baths is that she cannot clean herself, cannot "make a strong suds" (page 54), so she
pretends to conform. There is no tolerance for the traditional ways or for non–conformists. This
disharmony within society is a greater division for Cather; it is a division between those who can
only think within the constraints of the past and the present; there is no evidence of a hunger for
progress, only for the rapid accumulation of wealth (as demonstrated by Lou's eagerness to sell out
to Charlie Fuller.) Randall quotes Cather herself in this: "A pioneer should have imagination, should
be able to enjoy the idea of things more than the things themselves." Only this second category of
people are those who 'own' the land. Cather is making a case in this novel (and subsequently in the
similarly themed My Antonia that the former sort of people are

Kate Greenaway's Allusion
Kate Greenaway: Allusion http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/greenaway/8.jpg In the early
1900's, Kate Greenaway wrote charming children's books. These books influenced children's style
of the day. Kate Greenaway (1846–1901) was an English painter and illustrator of children's books.
The clothing styles she painted: long dresses, high waists, high collars, were copied for real children
(Zoschak). Willa Cather uses Kate Greenaway's style to allude to young Marie Tovesky's fancy
outfit and former lifestyle.
Willa Cather describes Marie Tovesky many times in O Pioneers! In Part One, Marie is a little girl in
the drugstore with her uncle. This is the first time Marie is mentioned in the novel and introduces
the readers to Marie's spirit and style. Cather shows readers how Marie is different from the country
children, "dressed in what was then called the "Kate Greenaway" manner" (Cather 8). Marie had the
look of a "quaint little woman" (Cather 8), with a "red cashmere frock, gathered full from the ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Marie is a country beauty queen, and has a magnetic pull that attracts everyone. The men in the
drugstore are impressed and admiring Marie and her beauty, which is the same reaction she receives
all her life. Frank could have his pick of the ladies when her comes to town but chooses Marie
because she is the prettiest. In Part One, Marie is new to the divide, and is dressed like a city girl.
Her beauty sets her apart from others throughout the book. If Frank hadn't chosen her, her life would
have been drastically happier and longer. In Part One, when Emil is attracted to Marie's fancy
clothes and beauty, Alexandra doesn't pull him away. This is when Emil and Marie are young, but
foreshadows their affair. Alexandra realizes in hindsight that she did not pull Emil away from Marie,
even though she is married. Alexandra realizes that if she would have paid attention to Marie and
Emil, she could have saved

O Pioneers By Willa Cather Summary
The role of women throughout history can be compared to a shapeshifter: always changing form
while remaining the same character. Throughout the eras, the appearance, style, and names of
women have evolved, but one thing that has remained unaltered is the role they played in society.
Men changed occupations from hunting, building, and farming, while women were stuck with more
traditional jobs such as taking care of children, having children, making food, making clothes, etc.
Pioneer times in America were no different as men took care of farming while women stayed
indoors. Alexandra Bergson from Willa Cather's O' Pioneers is portrayed as an ideal pioneer woman
from the 1880's. Alexandra's yearning to achieve what a man could, ownership of property, ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The author, Willa Cather, gives major hints within the first paragraphs which allowed for the reader
to infer. The first hint given to the reader that Alexandra has traits of a man is when she is first
introduced. "She wore a man's long ulster (not as if it were an affliction, but as if it were very
comfortable and belonged to her; carried it like a young soldier), and a round plush cap, tied down
with a thick veil" (Cather 3). The reader is given keywords such as "man's long ulster" and "like a
young soldier" which gives an image of masculinity to Alexandra. It can be foreshadowed that
Alexandra's masculine aura would be of major significance in the upcoming chapters. Professor
O'Brien gives a detailed analysis on Alexandra's representation as a woman in the book. He says that
she "defies traditional conventions of womanhood, to be sure, but she is a woman nonetheless–not
an imitation man" (Worden 84). What O'Brien means by Alexandra defying traditional conventions
of womanhood is that she did certain things that other women in the book do not do. After her father
passed away, she is given responsibility of the

Summary Of The Novel 'O Pioneers !' By Willa Cather
Willa Cather is an author who uses similar aspects and events of her life and puts them into her
novels. This approach allows the reader to know what inspired the events happening throughout the
novel. After reading the novel O Pioneers! by Willa Cather, I began to search for ideas leading me
deeper into the meaning of the novel as a whole. O Pioneers! is a novel in which several of the key
concepts and character qualities can be better understood by learning more about the life of Willa
Cather. Aspects of O Pioneers! that involve the life of Willa Cather include where the novel is taking
place, the description of Alexandra's disposition, and the dominance Alexandra exhibits in her
family.
Willa Cather decides to have the setting of the novel take place in Hanover, Nebraska. She is very
familiar with Nebraska because after her family moved from Virginia, this is where she grew up as a
young child and attended school (Baughman par. 2). At the start of the novel, Hanover, Nebraska is,
"A cluster of low drab buildings huddled on the gray prairie, under a gray sky"(Cather 1.1.1). The
town is being given a strong, gloomy, and dark feeling similar to what her childhood must have been
like. We then begin to see glimpses of this appear when we introduce the main character Alexandra
and life in Hanover. Alexandra state's, " Three big Bohemians were drinking raw alcohol, tinctured
with oil of cinnamon. This was said to fortify one effectually against the cold, and they smacked

An Immense Career Essay example
An Immense Career Career Willa Cather, American novelist and short–story writer, was born
Willela Sibert Cather on 7 December 1873, in Back Creek Valley, Virginia, near Winchester. At nine
years of age, in 1883, her family moved to Red Cloud, Nebraska. Many of her novels were set in
Red Cloud. She attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and graduated in 1895. She spent a
few years after college working on a newspaper, and then worked an editorial job at the magazine
Home Monthly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She then wrote reviews for the Pittsburgh Leader. In
1903, she published a book of poetry, April Twilights, and she moved to New York City in 1904.
She met Edith Lewis the same year, whom she later shares an apartment ... Show more content on
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Cather worked careers as a journalist, an editor, and a fiction writer – but her first publication was a
poetry collection, April Twilights (1903). But she is not recognized as a 'Poet' in any historical
career escalation reference. That is, out of all my research, none of it identifies her as a poet, yet she
was first recognized for writing a poetry collection. Actually, Cather herself declines to regard
poetry of any practical value, that poetry holds no material means, as well art in general, that
evolves mainly for the release of the artist. She sharply acknowledges that all art holds, instead of
any practical value, native and abstract values. But all art does indeed hold value. Therefore, no
other writer likely considers her a signature poet since she does not hold poetry of any material
value; obviously, in her rationale, poetry marks the artistic extreme of any writing she's done.
(Ahearn) Regardless, after her debut poetry collection, she published a short story collection, The
Troll Garden in 1905. After this short story collection, she edited McClure's magazine in New York,
eventually to become the managing editor, until 1912. She left the magazine, in fact, with
encouragement from coworkers to focus her wisdom solely on a novelist career. But her first
"important writing," according to George Seibel, former critic and head of the Carnegie Free Library
of Allegheny, was

Willa Cather 's ' O Pioneers ! '
Cather portraying herself in the characters and the flipped gender roles
Considering I am one of the only two males in the Intro to Women's Literature class, I felt moved to
touch on Willa Cather's flipping of the gender roles in the book O Pioneers! I will be using my own
opinion in this essay, along with textual evidence to back up my claims. I will also be establishing
connections between Cather's portrayals of herself within the themes and characters in the book.
As we know, Willa Cather was very open about her sexuality and her feelings towards women. She
dressed like a man for most of her life and even in her college days at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, she had a haircut much like mine. One fact that is very impressive about Willa Cather is
that she lived this life of "manhood" during a time when that was extremely taboo. During the time
Willa Cather grew up, men were the dominant ones that could do anything they please. The fact that
Willa Cather broke through that stigma is inspiring to me, even as a male in the 21st century. I am
confident in saying that Willa Cather wrote very strong women characters, because she wanted to
show the women of the time that anything is possible. While winning a Pulitzer Prize and writing
many best selling books, I believe she accomplished that challenge very well.
My first quote gives us our very first physical description of the main character Alexandra "She
wore a man 's long ulster (not as if it were an affliction,

O Pioneers By Willa Cather
"O Pioneers" by Willa Cather follows a group of frontiersmen trying to survive in the harsh
conditions of the untamed west. The story follows the Bergsons, but more descriptively, the main
character, a girl named Alexandra Bergson. Throughout the story, Alexandra grows up to her full
potential and we are able to see her character just as rich and as mesmerizing as Willa hoped to
achieve. This is the character that Willa decides to revolve her story around and makes the reader
fully understand who the novel is truly about. Using this assumption, readers can conclude that "O
Pioneers" derives from Willa's real–life experiences – especially when dealing with her love life.
At the very beginning of the novel, Alexandra was given a huge responsibility. With her father
passing away it was up to her to inherit the farm and make it thrive. She was young, but very
determined and in that introspect, she was able to make the farm a huge success. For the time
period, this achievement was very difficult to obtain especially for a woman. This to me, could
accurately relate to her own adolescence. In a letter she ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In the story, there is most definitely a romance between Alexandra and Carl. It says in the book that
she has feelings for him and that she wants to marry him. However when she talks to Oscar and Lou
said marriage, they are not pleased about this and insist that she's "making us all look ridiculous"(pg
64). In the time period, homosexuality wasn't as widely accepted as it is today and she might have
also thought that she was foolish for feeling that way. At the time she might have wanted to be in a
relationship but refused because of her inner feelings stopping her. However at the end she knows
Carl is the one she loves and says, " I should never feel free again. But I do, here."– this referring to
the grief after Emils

Naturalism In Willa Cather's O Pioneers !
Willa Cather wrote an amazing story paying respects to the land that she grew up on that perfectly
embodies naturalism. However, she herself may not have embodied it as well. You cannot simplify
Cather into just one core belief because she writes to represent more than one. Cather demonstrates
naturalism, realism, and romanticism in her story O Pioneers!. Naturalism pertains to the belief and
writing style where people are under the control of the forces of nature. O Pioneers! Is commonly
represents one of the most naturalistic novels ever written. In the final chapter of the book
Alexandra says "We come and go, but the land is always there. And the people who love and
understand it are the people who own it–for a little while." This shows that the entire book revolves
around the land. The quote "But this land was an enigma. It was like a horse that no one knew how
to break to harness, that runs wild and kicks things to pieces." from the first chapter shows that the
land controls the character, not the other way around. Willa Cather demonstrates her belief in
naturalism throughout the entire plot O Pioneers!, a naturalistic novel. Realism pertains to the belief
and writing style a higher power controls the people. The religious side of O Pioneers! showed this.
"It was no fault of theirs that they ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Although O Pioneers! represents the exact opposite of a romantic novel, it has a romantic base. The
entire story ends on a romantic thought of "Fortunate country, that is one day to receive hearts like
Alexandra's into its bosom, to give them out again in the yellow wheat, in the rustling corn, in the
shining eyes of Youth!" Also, she based the title of the book off of the romantic poem Pioneers! O
Pioneers! which says "By those swarms upon our rear we must never yield or falter". Willa Cather
used romanticism for the very base of her naturalistic

Male Characters And Traditional Life In Willa Cather's O...
Willa Cather's, book O Pioneers represents a completely different way of life than traditional life is
the early 1900's . Traditionally, a man's main job consists of hard labor and a woman's job involves
having children and focusing on home life. Although this happens to be the "norm" of the time,
charcters in O Pioneers do quite the opposite. Carl Linstrum, a male character in the novel, does not
come across as your "typical" 1900's man. Another bold character, Alexandra Bergson, defies the
social stereotype widely accepted at the time of O Pioneers. She supports herself and does
everything that people of her time period believes a man should do. Most relationships being male
dominated, it's obvious that a lot men don't have respect for women during this time.
Carl Linstrum possesses the characteristics of a sensitive and compassionate man who is in touch
with his emotions. He doesn't let preconceived notions of what a man should be like control him.
The book refers to Carl as a "thin, frail boy, with brooding eyes, and very quiet movements"(Cather
4). Carl doesn't have the sharp facial features and doesn't look masculine. A mouth "too sensitive for
a boys", describes Carl's mouth, according to the narrator. Throughout the book, Carl shows what it
means to stand out. Carl tends to act the complete opposite of how everyone expects a man to act.
Carl also depends on Alexandra like a wife would depend on their husband (Cather 20).
It's quite evident throughout O

Feminism And Feminist Feminism
Feminism in O Pioneers! Although written in 1913, O Pioneers! contained many feminist ideas for
that time period. In the novel, Alexandra symbolised feminism. "O Pioneers! was her literary
breakthrough: in it she returned to the Nebraska cornfields of her childhood and invented a character
new to American fiction, a strong, creative woman who is not rebuked for her independent–
mindedness." (O'Brien 1) She was a model for other women in the early 1900s, and she proved that
a woman does not need men to become successful. Alexandra was not married for the majority of
her life, she ran a farm completely on her own, and she made independent decisions. These
characteristics made her a strong and independent woman. Alexandra displayed feminism when she
did not get married. In the early 1900s a woman's only job was to get married and take care of the
household while their husband worked. Alexandra went against this social normality. Anna Wilson
wrote in a biography of Willa Cather, "Her manipulations of self soon became more pronounced,
and more clearly cross–gendered; either in 1886 or in 1888 (accounts vary), Cather took herself to
the barber's for a crew cut, and began referring to herself as "William Cather, Jr." and "William
Cather, M.D." (Wilson 1) This shows that Willa believed that women could be like men and that
Alexandra could do anything a man could. If Alexandra had gotten married, the only thing she
would have been in charge of was her children. With no

Willa Cather Gender Roles

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