Willa Cather Essay

There are many themes and symbols shown throughout “My Mortal Enemy” by Willa Cather, from love to marriages, and choices. The motif I want to analyze is the motif of money. Money is used throughout the whole book, it used to help persuade decisions, it characterizes their lavish lifestyle, and it is what caused Oswald to become Myra’s mortal enemy. Myra, being an orphan child was raised by her great-uncle, John Driscoll, who grew up a poor boy and made his fortune employing contract labor in the

The pioneers were expecting the land to work with them, but it was actually working against them. Winters were hard, and many pioneers gave up and left. The few who remained were proven to be strong and determined to force the land to cooperate. In Willa Cather’s My Ántonia and O Pioneers!, her purpose was to show readers that women could be strong pioneers, overcoming the adversity caused by the land, as seen

Ántonia is significant to the overarching themes of the novel through the use of imagery, symbols, and cliché in dealing with immigration conditions and the emptiness of the far west. Willa Cather repeatedly uses these themes throughout her novel to mimic how life existed during the end of the nineteenth century. Cather uses lighting, temperature, and sound imagery throughout the paragraph to portray the restless of the night upon arrival to Nebraska. The light plays a key role in demonstrating the

Southwestern literature is presented. The scene of a saloon shootout and John Wayne materialize. Southwestern literature is more than the O.K. Corral. Writers such as Willa Cather and Catherine Porter do not have the prototypical storyline stated above, but they are writers of Southwestern literature. In order to understand why Willa Cather and Catherine Porter should be considered a part of Southwestern literature, one must consider the difference between the American West and Southwest and understand

The pioneers were expecting the land to work with them, but it was actually working against them. Winters were hard, and many pioneers gave up and left. The few who remained were proven to be strong and determined to force the land to cooperate. In Willa Cather’s My Ántonia and O Pioneers!, her purpose was to show readers that women could be strong pioneers, overcoming the adversity caused by the land, as seen through similes,

Respect Over Passion in My Antonia        Throughout the book "My Antonia" by Willa Cather, there is a twisting and turning of Sexual and Gender issues. There also tends to be a tension surrounding the different classes between the Black Hawk towns people, and what are called, "the hired girls" or the people from the country. These distinctive qualities in this novel start being shown in the very beginning or the story where Jims' best-friend speaks about the life of Jim and the path

“Paul’s Case” is a short story by Willa Cather that was written in 1905. Paul is boy in high school that has many behavior problems. He strives for attention so badly that he feels that he needs to show out in order to receive the recognition that he wants, especially from his father. Willa Cather uses symbolism in her short story to develop the tragic demise of Paul. The symbolism used in the first paragraph is repeated throughout the story. The red carnation that Paul has placed in the buttonhole

My Ántonia by Willa Cather is a story of the coming of age of Jim Burden and Ántonia Shimerda. The recently orphaned Jim moves to Blackhawk Nebraska to live with his grandparents. On his trip from Virginia to Nebraska, Jim first catches glimpse of the Bohemian immigrant family who happen to be moving in near the Burdens. Because she Shimerda’s speak no english, they are quickly cheated out of their money and have moved into a small lean-to on the side of a hill. Jim’s grandmother is a very kind

As said in the Oxford Dictionary, Morality is the “principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.” In the book O Pioneers!. Willa Cather used Alexandra’s desire, intelligence, and all around good morals to present the reader with what it means to be sound morally. On the other hand, Cather also used the characters Oscar, Lou and Frank Shabbata to present the reader with examples of bad morality. Putting all of this together, O Pioneers used death and success

An individual’s pursuit of self-satisfaction can be rewarding in life, but it can also create an urge to constantly feel that sense of fulfillment. Willa Cather touches upon the difficulty of attempting to secure self-satisfaction. Set in the 1900s, it follows Paul, our protagonist, who is unhappy with his status in life. Initially, he looks to performances and the arts as a means of escape from the simplicity of his ordinary life. However, he is banned from the theatre, losing that feeling of being