pirit of America and what has made the country prosperous and great. For Jim, she exemplifies the clear, undaunted human soul.
             Jim met Antonia when she was fourteen and was four years younger. They were both uprooted from the familiar places of their birth and dropped into a wild new country. Everything to them is novel and exciting, and, except for little Yulka, there are no other children near. As a result, they share a unique kinship in the joys of exploration and discovery. They are also together during such traumatic occurences such as the killing of the snake and the deathbed horror tale of Pavel. Later in Black Hawk, Jim must share her with the Harlings, the hired girls, and various male escorts. Still, she maintains a strong and caring interest in Jim. He believes that she is the epitome of all that is joyful and desirable in the country girls.
             At virtually every turn of the page, a different adversity or barrier against progress presents itself to challenge that clear soul. First, there is the barrier of different languages. Unable to communicate, the newly arrived Shimerdas are unable to request the help they desperately need. They cannot make friends easily and they find themselves having to rely on a charlatan like Krajiek. Even the land itself serves as a barrier to the Shimerdas. If the winter has been less severe Shimerda and his sons might have been able to cache a be
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