I
picked up and put down a number of books over the holiday season. For some
reason I had a hard time finding one that kept me engaged. I finally settled on
a classic that I had missed reading. So far, when I choose a classic, I am
never disappointed. This was no exception.
This
month’s selection, My Antonia by
Willa Cather, has earned distinction for a reason. It stands the test of time.
This novel is the third part of a trilogy which began with O Pioneers! and The Song of
the Lark. It is considered perhaps
Cather’s finest work.
The
story is told from the point of view of a grown man, Jim Burden, reflecting
back on his upbringing as a ten-year-old orphan in the late1800’s in Blackhawk,
Nebraska. Having lost his parents, Jim is sent from Virginia to live with his
aging grandparents to what seems to be the edge of the world. How Jim adjusts
to his new life and the colorful characters that populate this town, form the
focus of the novel. One character stands out, of course, Antonia.
Antonia
is a young Bohemian girl (from what is now part of the Czech Republic) a few
years older than Jim who becomes his instant friend and almost constant
companion. Antonia’s strength, love of life, resourcefulness and positive
attitude shape Jim as much as the harsh Nebraska landscape.
What
struck me about the novel and has stayed with me is the fact that the problems,
realities and characters could be taken from a modern novel. There are
philandering husbands, harsh wives, perspicacious, wise women, gossiping
biddies, unconventional relationships, humble farmers and scoundrels. The whole
cornucopia of human behavior. The era shaped certain repercussions and morés,
of course, but how Cather did this is quite remarkable. She made us see the
human condition as timeless and universal.
Recommend.
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