Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Relationship of the Past in My Antonia - Research Paper

Relationship of the Past in My Antonia

Relationship of the Past in My Antonia

"Some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again"; this quote by Willa Cather expresses the relationship that the past can have on humans. Some would argue that the past has no role in My Antonia, almost as if the overall lesson of the novel had gone right over their head. Willa Cather has written the whole novel in flashback form, and this has a great effect on the reader. She is trying to show that you can learn from your past, if you grasp what you can, while you have the ability to do so. She adopts a very Thoreau-like outlook on life; "Carpe diem".
The narrator of the novel, Jim Burden, relies ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

for a specific reaction out of the girls, and he got the reaction he was looking for. Another key piece of nostalgic emotion lies in chapter one of Cuzak's Boys. Jim had promised "Tony" (Antonia) that he would come back to visit her, but it takes twenty years before his busy life schedule allows him to do so. He is welcomed by Antonia's daughter in the kitchen, while waiting for Antonia to arrive. "Before I could sit down in the chair she (Antonia's daughter) offered me, the miracle happened; one of those quiet moments that clutch the heart, and take more courage than the noisy, excited passages in life" (page 213). This passage shows that Jim still has feelings for Antonia, though she is now married and has six children. They spend much time reminiscing about their younger days, and share many memories about everything from their life in Blackhawk, to the reoccurring topic of Antonia's father. The last piece of nostalgic emotion, "and her colour still gave her that look of ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login


CITE THIS PAGE:

Relationship of the Past in My Antonia. (2011, May 5). Retrieved March 29, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Relationship-of-the-Past-My-Antonia/98901
"Relationship of the Past in My Antonia." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 5 May. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Relationship-of-the-Past-My-Antonia/98901>
"Relationship of the Past in My Antonia." Essayworld.com. May 5, 2011. Accessed March 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Relationship-of-the-Past-My-Antonia/98901.
"Relationship of the Past in My Antonia." Essayworld.com. May 5, 2011. Accessed March 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Relationship-of-the-Past-My-Antonia/98901.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 5/5/2011 12:03:08 PM
Submitted By: cllafave
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 583
Pages: 3

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
» My Antonia: A Review
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved