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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 ...

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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 ...

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Relationship of the Past in My Antonia. (2011, May 5). Retrieved July 12, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Relationship-of-the-Past-My-Antonia/98901

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PAPER DETAILS

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

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