The Plough The plough, a symbol of the farm work the Shimerdas and the Burdens do on the prairie, symbolizes man's "beautiful and harmonious" connection to the land. Likewise, what is the main theme of My Antonia? Though they come from different backgrounds and social classes and are members of the opposite sex, they are too young for these differences to matter. In the novel, Antonia is important to Jim because she is the personification of all the things that he holds dear. In his mind, she is a connection to his new home in Nebraska and his early teen years; she could even be considered his first love interest.
My Antonia Summary. In the late s, recently orphaned Jim Burden leaves his home in Virginia to live with his grandparents in rural Nebraska. He quickly settles into his new life with Jake Marpole and Otto Fuchs, the farm hands, and his loving grandparents. Jim killing the rattlesnake may not seem significant at first, but throughout this story we learn that it holds a much deeper meaning of a transition from childhood to adulthood.
The plough , a symbol of the farm work the Shimerdas and the Burdens do on the prairie, symbolizes man's "beautiful and harmonious" connection to the land.
At the end of Book 2, before Jim leaves Black Hawk for college, he sees a plough silhouetted in the circle of the red sun setting behind it. Jim Burden Character Analysis. Orphaned at the age of ten, he comes to live with his grandparents on the Nebraska prairie. Jim is reflective, studious, and a "romantic. Antonia was the grandmother of the Emperor Caligula, the Empress Agrippina the Younger and through Agrippina, great-grandmother and great-aunt of the Emperor Nero.
Antonia raised her children in Rome. The introduction to the novel is narrated by an unnamed individual, one of Jim's childhood acquaintances. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Themes Motifs Symbols. Important Quotes Explained. Book Full Book Quiz. When they are up on the roof together watching the storm, we might expect something romantic — but Cather keeps everything platonic.
Things get a little more complicated when the kids grow up and start living in town. But again, the motive is unclear. She does tell Lena to stay away from Jim, but it might be because she knows that Lena is trouble. She says it's all right for him to kiss her, but then pushes him away for kissing her in a certain way.
Her reaction suggests that she still sees Jim as a younger brother-type. In fact, she says that she'll tell his grandmother on him. But asking the question is part of the fun of reading the novel. As we did with Jim, let's start by looking at Cather's historical basis for this character. She came from Bohemia to America with her family on November 5, It was Anna's father who wanted to move their family to this new country so that they would have a better life. Just like the Shimerdas, the Sadilek was a family of six, with two boys and two girls.
Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Willa Cather. Previous Next.
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