This remarkable piece of literature by Willa Cather is layered with its sense of place, connections between people and between people and places as well as visual, and surprisingly simple, descriptions of prairie life and events. The characters and the story are far more complex that at first appear. Even the simplistic tone of the narrative voice is deceptive in terms of the depth of feeling it ultimately reveals. Cather is the sort of author people read because they are told they "should" or that is "required." In that process, the reader discovers that Cather's writing, especially in "My Antonia" presents a clear and meaningful story for the common thinking person who daily deals with and conquers challenges every bit as fierce as those encountered by Antonia.
             "My Antonia" recalls the life of Jim Burden and retells the compelling story of the Shimerdas, with a special focus on Antonia, the girl who works in the fields like a man. Antonia Shemerda is a Bohemian immigrant to the Great Plains of America and serves embodiment of the classic American myth of a century ago. She arrives with her family in the Nebraska prairie to carve better lives for themselves from the untouched land as thousands before and after them did. In the introduction, the character of Jim Burden declares that he has set down almost at random what he remembers of Antonia and the whole adventure of their childhood in Nebraska. As a result, the reader immediately understands that the story is not to be one of a tightly woven plot. It also establishes that the reader is hearing the story and reminiscing of just on individual and is certain to be colored by Jim's memories, attitudes, and time. Throughout all of the telling, despite the fact that she is not in every chapter, the reader learns that Antonia is strong, capable, and honest. In fact, she is what Jim Burden considers an example of the true s...