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Jim Burden In My Antonia

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My Antonia is important as a historical fiction because you get a little of life that happened in that particular time period of American history. Around this time, many immigrants were coming to America the home of the free to have the “American Dream”, they were coming from all over Europe. My Antonia had immigrants specifically from Bohemia. America was seen as the land of opportunity and we see this in Cather’s novel. Nebraska had a very low population so families like Antonia’s family would go there and make their living by farming. I believe Cather captures the life of people that went through this and wanted that American dream. We see two sides one being that Jim Burden becoming this New York Lawyer living his dream and then Antonia …show more content…
His romantic nature and attachment to other people of his youth and to Nebraska itself gives his narrative sense of deep commitment. When Jim was ten he moved in with his grandparents so that already was a dramatic change for him because in a way that forces him to grow up faster. I like Jim’s character because he’s so adventurous a bit naive in the beginning but Jim really captures the readers. When moving in with his grandparents Jim meets Antonia grows an amazing friendship with her and he begins to understand the social issues surrounding immigrants. Jim and Antonia’s first fight is on immigration and Jim is defending his country while Antonia is defending her family status. Jim says
"People who don't like this country ought to stay at home," I said severely. "We don't make them come here."
I thought this was so deep because today in our society people act and say pretty much the same as what Jim said to Antonia. Immigrants are always talked down to or the Americans always think they are better because they are a citizen of this country but all they really want is to live that American …show more content…
The story seems too really focus on how Jim is in love with Antonia and how can we really know if he was. I believe if Antonia wasn’t and immigrant and went through those struggles Jim wouldn’t be so fascinated by her. But the point of this is that Jim as an American can really fall for an immigrant I am not saying this is wrong but Americans weren’t so happy about immigrants being in their country. When Jim was speaking about Antonia he captures everything about her he says she’s not a lovely woman but means it in a good way because she’s been through the struggle of an immigrant but she still can make someone stop their breath for a moment because of her gestures. Cather captures the life of an American and a life of an immigrant and we see that life then wasn’t the best, it was for some but for Antonia it was a lot. Something no one should really ever go

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