I now know Willa Cather

I, too, felt Jim missed out on his chance for happiness. And although Antonia's life is difficult, she exudes contentment. Yeah, Jim missed the boat. But he has his memories, real or contrived. I am glad we read this book. I had never read a book by Willa Cather before, and now that I know her, I would certainly read another. Her use of language is a real treat. Good choice.

Antonia---back where she belongs

Even though Antonia says she doesn't regret living in the Town, things really don't go too well for her there. She ends up with a baby born out of wedlock and loses the independence she had gained for herself and she has to move back home with Ambrosch and her mom. However, she still maintains her spirit and work ethic, which carries her through it all and are the two qualities Cather implies are necessary for settling and farming the barren, miserable, good-for-nothing land of Nebraska (no offense Tegan). We see though what a spirit and work ethic like Antonia's can accomplish--her farm seems to be more developed and more successful then even the long standing farm ran by Jim's American grandparents. Antonia, for instance, grew all the trees practically out of pure love and determination. She laid awake at night worrying about them and got up to water them--this shows something that goes beyond merely a good work ethic. It's her love for the land and nature and her determination to develop the land and turn it into something beautiful. At the beginning of the book, the land and weather are harsh, but at the end of the book the land is beautiful and no longer barren, and the weather is even nice enough for Jim to sleep outside. As Antonia has developed and matured, so has the land. Antonia seemed to love and care for the land right from the start, and now finally the land seems to reciprocate love and care for Antonia.

There is no question Antonia is where she belongs: in the country. There is question though whether Jim is where he belongs. We know he is in the City, is a lawyer, and is in an unhappy marriage. He seems to revive a little bit when he visits Antonia and begins to make country-like plans of hunting with her sons. I, for one, am left with the sense that Jim didn't exactly stay true to his country roots and made sort of a misstep somewhere in life. Or perhaps he would have never been able to really handle the labor and sacrifice country life requires and that is why he and Antonia could never be together. At any rate, it certainly seems that Antonia and her plain little country life stands in triumph to Jim's socially and financially successful city life.

the hired girls

this section was slow like the first and i had to kick myself in the butt to keep reading it. it started good with tony moving into the city so her and Jim could continue there "friendship". then they started growing apart and i didn't like that.
when Jim started sneaking out to go to the dance it brought back a few memories. then he got caught and made his grandma cry it broke my heart and I'm glad i never got caught. and then when Jim kissed tony i was happy the "friendship" was kinda there again but than she only thinks of him as a good friend sucks for him but the jealous over Lena sucks for her.
well hopefully the next section will be more exciting to read.
sj

Drag

This part of the book drags for me. I have trouble keeping all the "girls" straight. I'm not thinking Jim is very, uh, deep. He doesn't contribute much, he just thinks a lot. I'll have to think more about Shyla's comment. So Jim is the narrator so to speak? A first hand observer. In Chapter XII, Antonia warns Jim about Lena. And he says "...she was still my Antonia!" So this story is about the romantic notion Jim has of Antonia. It isn't about her loving, it's about him loving what he thinks she is. One of the most memorable lines in the book so far, the last paragraph of Book III, Chapter I, "I begrudged the room that Jack and Otto and the Russian Peter took up in my memory, which I wanted to crowd with other things." I begrudged the room they took up in my memory. Beautiful. Another favorite, fourth paragraph, chapter III, "...was delicate torment". Reminds me of Dickinson's "I like a look of agony because I know it's true." However, the book is no less engaging and now I can finish in peace.

Begging your pardon

I'm not trying to make anybody mad here, begging your pardon and all, but I don't like Antonia (at least, not right now). Mr. Shimerda said "My Antonia". Would he speak so fondly of her now? Antonia has become more like her mother. And although we speak harshly of Mrs. Shimerda, was she always like this? Isn't she a victim too? And if she's just a __________, then why did Mr. Shimerda marry her in the first place? I mean, who's the idiot? So I have the impression Mr. Shimerda acquiesced and moved to America. What was he smokin'? And what did he contribute to the reality of prairie life? The book is a fascinating read and I'm anxious to see what happens next but who is the victim here? It's Yulka. And something I have thought about from the beginning. I know Jim was young when he came to live with his grandparents, but when does he begin to work? Everybody seems to work in this book except Jim. He was out riding around in his homemade cart carrying on with Antonia. Why wasn't he home helping his grandparents? He was living a privileged life and all he had to do was worship Antonia, observe and then write a book upon reflection. I don't know; maybe I need more roughage in my diet.

Not Impressed

Thank goodness for Shyla's comment. If it had not been for her insight I would have thought I wasted my time reading this week. First, it took place in the winter-boring. Second, Jim just goes to school, a couple of dances, and talks to all the old men in town-boring. The only interesting thing that happened was Jim graduated from high school (the umbrella was nice). We do find out that Antonia is an idiot. She knows what kind of person Cutter is and yet she wanted to go and have her fun. Well, have fun she did and now she is a single mother. And a whole chapter devouted to a play that Lena and Jim were watching-BORING! I was probably bored because I did not entirely understand what play were they watching. Were they watching The Count of Monte Cristo? Or was the actress they kept talking about the actress in The Count of Monte Cristo and is now the star of this other play? At any rate, I hope next weeks reading has more exciting things happening.

Catching Up...

I just started the book, and can't put it down, but I will stay on schedule, and not read ahead.

I love the way the book is written, I feel like I can see the prairie, the cross roads where Mr Shimerda is buried, the sunflower trail, the day it didn't just snow, it was like several feather beds being poured over them.

I loved the grandfathers prayer, the grandmothers goodness. How true and hard working Jake and Otto are. I like how Jim accepts goodness and seems surprised by the selfishness and evil. I like Antonia, i think she is trying to be what she thinks she should be to most help her family, and can be herself while in town.