Memory and History in Willa Cather's My Antonia
Willa Cather’s My Anthonia, in my opinion was not only easy to read but also a thoroughly enjoyable read. It tells the vivid stories of several immigrant families who move to the rural state of Nebraska to start new lives in America. A Bohemian family, by the name of the Shimerdas, is one of the main focal points of the story. The eldest daughter of the Shimerda family is named Antonia. The book's narrator, Jim Burden, arrives in the town of Black Hawk, Nebraska, on the same train as the Shimerdas. He is going to live with his grandparents after his parents have passed away. Jim develops very strong feelings for Antonia, feelings which border on a filial bond with a hint of sexual attraction. The reader views Antonia's life through that lens. The book itself is divided into five volumes. The volumes are almost paralleled to the stages of Antonia's life, right through her marriage and motherhood. However, the third volume, known as, "Lena Lingard," focuses more on Jim's time at university and his affair with Lena, another childhood friend of his and Antonia's. The five books, that make up My Antonia are, ‘‘The Shimerdas’’, which is the largest book of all. It covers all of the time that Jim spends on his grandparent’s farm out on the prairie. ‘’The Hired Girls’’, which is the second largest. ‘’The Hired Girls’’ covers Jim's time in town, where he spends time with Anthonia and the other country girls who work in town. In this book, language and descriptions become more sexualised, particularly concerning females in the form of Anthonia and Lena. The aforementioned ‘’Lena Lingard’’ chronicles Jim's time at the university, and the period in which he becomes reacquainted with Lena Lingard. ‘‘The Pioneer Woman's Story’’, in this Jim visits the Harlings, and hears about Anthonia's run-in and indeed her fateful romance with Larry Donovan. Finally ‘’Cuzak's Boys’’ where Jim goes to visit Antonia and meets her new family, her children and her husband. ‘’Cuzak’s Boys’’ is