My Antonia

3 Pages 763 Words

The Novel My Antonia, is a story of a young Bohemain immigrant girl, Antonia

Shimerda, on the central plains in Black Hawk, Nebraska. The story in narrated by a young boy,

Antonia’s neighbor, Jim Burden. Jim, because of his parents death, finds himself in

Nebraska living with his father’s parents. This is where he meets Antonia. This novel, written

by Willa Cather, is a story of Jim’s experiences and memories relating to Antonia. Through

Antonia Shimerda, and other characters throughout the novel, My Antonia, including Lea

Lingard, Jim’s Grandparents and Mrs. Harling, Jim Burden learns important lessons that enrich

his life and shape him to become the man he is at the end of the novel, who is able embrace

Antonia’s country family.

Lena Lingard, a country girl about Jim’s age, becomes a very important symbol

throughout the book. When Lena first enters the scenes, in the Harlings’ household, we see a

poised and graceful woman. During the duration of this visit, Antonia is not very cordial to

Lena. Although they are both ‘hired girls’, Lena is an object of men’s affections while Antonia is

not, despite her beauty. Once in the novel, when Jim tries to kiss Antonia, she scolds him. He

defensively tells Antonia that Lena has let him kiss her passionately. To men, Lena represents

the delights of love without responsibility, and the differences between her and Antonia are very

distinct. In many ways, the character of Lena molds Jim in many ways to embrace Antonia’s

country family. Lena represents the opposite of Antonia, a way for Jim to see what Antonia

might have ended up like, had she allowed the same things as Lena. She also represents how

Antonia and Jim’s relationship might have been, had Jim been able to express his romantic

feelings for Antonia.


Josiah and Emmaline Burden, Jim’s grandparents are key character...