My Antonia

Introduction

My Antonia shows us that it takes time to really uncover everyones true person, and that a book's cover rarely does the writing any justice. I also found that the Lone Plough represents a mistake that many of us often find ourselves making. But for myself, the biggest learning curve from this book would be that life can at times pass by slowly and seem boring and mundane, but before one knows it life changes, and one is left wondering, how the heck did I get here? Jim Burden's life changes drastically at the age of 10, when he is forced to travel cross-country by train to live on the Nebraska frontier with his grandparents after the death of his parents. Jim was accompanied by his father's former farmhand Jake. On that same train headed to Nebraska, there is a Bohemian family headed to the same place. Jim's grandparents are simple yet kind people with generous natures (Kirk, Pp. 50-60).

He begins to enjoy the wide open spaces of the frontier. Soon after his arrival, the Burdens go to meet their new neighbors, the Shimerdas. Jim meets Mr. Shimerda, an educated musician, Mrs. Shimerda a shrewish woman who comes across as demanding, the eldest son Ambrosch, Marek, Yulka, and the eldest daughter Antonia.

My Antonia is a modernist novel about the coming of age. Modernism is a style of writing used from the late 19th century till the 1930s. Modernism is a style that has no central plot instead it is more of a series of episodes. Please take note that most teachers ask for a specific plot where this novel doesn't really have one. My advice here would be to talk about the aging of the main characters or Jim's attraction to Antonia as a main plot.

Discussion

Soon after meeting, Antonia and Jim become friends. The Shimerdas unfortunately are not faring well in their new country, but do eventually become friends with Peter and Pavel, two Russian men. Jim and Antonia become even closer, after Jim impresses her by killing a snake. Winter follows, Jim gets very ill, and Pavel passes away. Peter then decides to move away, which greatly upsets Mr. Shimerdas. Right in the middle of one of the largest snowstorms that Nebraska had seen in ten years. Mr. Shimerda commits suicide after neatly arranging himself in the barn. The following day when Jim is left alone in the house, he then feels Mr. Shimerda's spirit. The Shimerda family insist that Mr. Shimerda's body must be buried on their property.

My Ántonia is written in the past tense and from the perspective of an adult Jim. Everything in the novel is therefore filtered through Jim's older and wiser adult personality and understanding. For example, in this chapter, Jim's description of his grandparents is very respectful and reverent, and it is obviously written by someone who has thought for awhile about what an important role that they played in his life. While the reader gets a very good sense ...