Literary Analysis Essay on My Antonia by Willa Cather

Introduction

In the fictional narrative "My Antonia" by Willa Cather develops the protagonist's past experiences, Jim Burden after he was orphaned at the age of ten years. In this memoir narrative, Jim Burden narrates of his new move from Virginia to Nebraska after the death of his parents to live with his grandparents. Cather uses this personal experience to give her childhood recount in a masculine perspective through Jim Burden's eye and his childhood friend Antonia, an immigrant from Bohemian. This paper will, therefore, develop a narrative analysis on the components of style, narrative structure, as well as the narrative constituents to evaluate Cather's reflective narrative on personal experience as she recounts on the past experiences of the protagonists, Jim and Antonia, in the experiences in Nebraska as they grew up. The work will thus highlight important aspects emerging in the narrative as principal elements of personal experience that inspired Cather's familiarity with the livelihood in West America as well as the issues affecting immigrants in America in their search for their American dream.

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As Jim Burden narrate the memoir of his childhood days he experiences how he enjoyed the simple life they had shared with his best childhood friend Antonia and acknowledges the treasure he holds in these memories. Through the eye of Jim Burden, Cather is able to communicate to her audience on the importance of the past in an individual's personality and future life. Jim holds his past with a lot of prestige because according to his self-evaluation of his present his childhood with Antonia was the only time he can say for sure he was very happy. He past life of Jim was able to impact his feelings today especially when he meets his childhood friend like Antonia and Lena Lingard it impacts his present. When he traveled down the "road of Destiny" Jim feels like the experience was bringing him and Antonia back together to enjoy the adventurous life they shared during their mutual childhood activities and friendship. In the exploitation of figurative language, Cather is able to convince her audience on the significance of the little details that brought back the personal experiences and the enjoyment of the remarkable things that the characters shared to make an impact in their lives forever. For instance, the use of the hyperbole "the road to destiny" strongly communicated to the reader's understanding of the significant role the road played in preserving the memories shared between the two characters, Jim and Antonia, in the narrative constituent that reunites the childhood friends in shared memory.

Later in the narrative structure when the childhood friends Antonia and Jim are having a picnic by the river, when he comes over to visit Cather bring out the relive of the memory times to the present to show the value of the heritage of their shared memories. The narrative structure and constituent of this important event play a major role in enticing the audience's understanding of the pleasure of this preserved event when Antonia says "It would be like old times". Through the episode of reliving their childhood experiences when Jim swam and fished in the river, Cather is able to take back the reader to the scenes passed earlier in the narrative to show how history was repeating itself in the composition styles applied in the narrative structure. The deliberate repeat of events shared between the mutual friends makes an emphasis to the reader on the importance of the simple thing they shared during their younger days and also show the significance of their childhood bondage despite their diversification later in life as they went separate ways in life. Jim cherishes the moments spent at the riverbank that afternoon with Antonia and is certain that when he goes back to college he is going to miss these times so much.

During their visits and recaps on the things happening in their separate lives Jim and Antonia are in consensus on the significance of the memories, the shared in their youthhood. For instance, they recount on when Jim taught Antonia how to read. In the fictional presentation of the narrative structure, Cather brings out the constituent of events that builds the bond of these kids from different diversification because of the social and economic advantage of one and disadvantage of the other. In her relay of the disadvantages that befalls Antonia, an immigrant with little literacy ability and chances to improve her life feels that the situation in West America was not doing her any good. In the recount from memory Cather, communicates to her audience her past experiences with immigrants who suffer homesickly as well as a parade of other hardships as they are in America to look for the betterment of their lives and those of their families back in their native countries. Through the narrative structure, Cather is able to show the contrasting opportunities between the two representatives of the immigrants and native American. For instance, Jim is able to pursue his dreams in education and takes on a law career while his friend Antonia has no chances to progress and only gets a house help job in the city where her only escape from hardship lands her to another unfortunate hardship when she gets married to Cuzux (Meyering, 2002).

Despite their differences in achievement of their paths in life as they mature, Jim and Antonia show the contrast that Cather wants to communicate to her readers on the impact of the American dream for the immigrants and the opportunities of the native Americans. The fictional narrative gives significant relay of Cather's past experiences in life but from a masculine perspective, which is presumably contributed by her behavioral conduct on behaving and acting like a man. In her college life, she dresses in men clothes and goes by the name William to position her personality in a masculine perception. This attributes of her experiences Cather is able to engage her audience in the masculine perspective on the memoir narrative of the experiences in Nebraska as Jim Burden. Her representation shows the gendered perspective of social opportunities and advantages in the stereotypic perception of society in the positioning of men and women. Cather convinces her contemporary reader on the importance of gender to the prosperity of her characters in the narrative structure. The flow of their life is more credible or unpredictable based on gender orientation. The friendship between Jim and Antonia has a significant relationship on the importance of gender in the portrayal of roles and abilities in the ancient society which also translates in the contemporary application of the situation revolving around the characters. Using the narrative constituent Cather is able to accredit to her audience's perception of the importance and relevance of gender orientation to the people of her times' prosperity in pursuit of personal dreams. Through this narrative, Cather is able to arrest the reader's attention to the difference in childhood dreams of Jim and Antonia because of their contrasting outcome despite their numerous shared experiences. Having so many things in common did not predict the similarity or difference of their lives later in life showing the personality in the composition styles applied in the narrative.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Cather's reflective narrative on personal experience as she recounts on the past experiences of the protagonists, Jim and Antonia, in the experiences in Nebraska brings the elements of personal experience that inspired Cather's familiarity with the livelihood in the West America as well as the issues affecting immigrants in America in their search for their American dream. Jim Burden narrates the memoir of his childhood days he experiences how he enjoyed the simple life they had shared with his best childhood friend Antonia and acknowledges the treasure he holds in these memories. Jim was able to impact his feelings today especially when he meets his childhood friend like Antonia and Lena Lingard it impacts his present. Cather is able to convince her audience on the significance of the little details that brought back the personal experiences and the enjoyment of the remarkable things that the characters shared to make an impact in their lives forever. Thus, Cather brings out the relive of the memory times to the present to show the value of the heritage of their shared memories. The narrative structure and constituent of this important event plays a major role in enticing the audience's understanding of the pleasure of this preserved event

References

Cather, Willa (December 11, 2008). Sharistanian, Janet, ed. My Antonia. Oxford: Oxford University Press. P.9. ISBN 0-19-953814-X

Meyering, Sheryl L. (2002) Understanding O pioneers! and My Antonia: A student casebook to issues, sources, and historical documents Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, ISBN 0-313-31390-3