My Antonia

What state do Jim's grandparents live in?

Nebraska (on the frontier)

What are Jim's reasons for narrating and recording this tale?

He is writing his memoirs after meeting a friend who also knew Antonia.

How does Jim feel about Otto Fuchs?

He is impressed by him, and the two instantly become friends.

Although Jim and Antonia instantly get along when they first meet, she does something that he disapproves of. What does she do?

She tries to give him her ring.

Who is Marek?

Antonia's mentally challenged younger brother.

Why do the Shimerdas hate Krajiek?

He is the only Bohemian nearby, but he is dishonest and gives them bad advice.

Why does Mr. Shimerda promise to give Jim his gun one day?

He is following the customs of his homeland and being generous and friendly.

Why do Jim's grandparents move to Black Hawk?

They want Jim to go to school in the town and are getting too old to farm.

What is the secret that Pavel tells on his deathbed?

That he let his friends be eaten by wolves after a winter wedding in Russia.

What happens when Jim and his grandmother go to visit the Shimerdas during the winter?

Grandma was appalled by the girls sleeping in caves, so she gave them food.

What does Mrs. Shimerda give Grandmother after her winter visit?

dried mushrooms

Why don't the Burdens go to town to buy Christmas presents?

a blizzard prevents anyone from leaving the house

Why does Mr. Shimerda celebrate Christmas with Jim and his grandparents?

He wanted to thank them for the Christmas gifts and decides to stay.

How do Jim's grandparents feel about Mr. Shimerda's Catholicism?

They say nothing about it, but are slightly uncomfortable when he kneels in prayer and crosses himself.

Why did the Shimerdas decide to immigrate to america?

Mrs. Shimerda wanted to immigrate because she thought there would be increased opportunities for Ambrosch.

What does Jim get for his birthday the first winter that he is in Nebraska?

a huge blizzard

How does Mr. Shimerda kill himself?

shoots himself in the barn

What is suspicious about Mr. Shimerda's death?

Krajiek acts guilty, and it looks like Mr. Shimerda's wounds were made by his axe

After everyone leaves teh house to take care of Mr. Shimerda's body, Jim is alone in the house. What does hie do?

He does all the chores and then senses Mr. Shimerda's ghost resting in the house.

Who is Anton Jelinek?

A yount Bohemian who talks about his Catholicism and the need for a priest to perform a funeral with Jim's grandpa.

Why does Grandmother vow to start an American cemetery in the spring?

The Norwegians won't let Mr. Shimerda be buried in their graveyard

Where do the Shimerdas want to bury Mr. Shimerda?

in the corner of their land

What happens to Antonia in the spring after her father's death?

She has to work in the fields

Why do the Burdens and the Shimerdas get into a family feud?

Ambrosch wears the horse collar Mr. Burden lent him and gets into a fight with Jake.

Why does Antonia decide to quit working in the fields and start doing household work for the Harlings?

She takes the opportunity after Grandmother, who disapproves of her working in the fields, gets a job for her.

How does Jim Burden come to live on the nebraska prairie?

His parents die

What is Mr. Shimerda's reaction to the kindnesses of Jim and his grandparents?

He is grateful

How does Antonia get a job in town as a hired girl?

Grandmother Burden arranges it

At the picnic, what does Antonia scold Jim about?

Flirting with Lena

What is Wick Cutter's profession?

a money lender

Who does Antonia marry?

Anton Cuzak

Who is Jim Burden describing in the following passage: "It was the first time [she] had been to our house, and she ran about examining our carpets and curtains and furniture, all the while commenting upon them...in an envious, complaining tone."

Mrs. Shimerda

Who is Jim Burden describing in the following passage: "[She] moved without exertion, rather indolently, and her hand often accented the rhythm softly on her partner's shoulder...To dance 'Home Sweet Home' with [her] was like coming in with the tide."

Lena Lingard

What nationality are the Shimerdas?

Bohemian

What does Otto decide to do when the Burdens move into town?

travel west

Where does Jim attend college?

University of Nebraska and Harvard

Which character moves to San Francisco?

Lena Lingard

To whom does Jim dedicate his commencement oration?

Mr. Shimerda

What does Lena do in Black Hawk?

dressmaker

How does Pavel injure himself?

he falls

Who plays the piano at the Boys' Home dance?

Samson d'Arnault

Who begins the dancing in Black Hawk?

The Vannis

With which of the following men does Jim fight?

Wick Cutter

Who becomes Jim's tutor in Lincoln?

Gaston Cleric

What play do Jim and Lena see together?

The Count of Monte Cristo, Shenandoah, and Camille

What is Jim's profession when he writes his memoir?

lawyer

From whom does Jim seek information about Antonia when he visits Black Hawk before starting law school?

Widow Steavens

Obelisk

stone pillar

Desparado

bold, reckless criminal from teh West

vermilion

a bright red color

torpor

laziness

supercilious

expressing contempt

emaciated

very thin from disease or starvation

contemptuous

extreme hatred

quinsy

inflammation of tonsils and surrounding tissues

truffles

a strong-smelling underground fungus

obliterated

to do away with

perfunctory

hasty

mollified

reduce, appease

autocratic

tyrannic

imperial

pertaining to an empire or an empress; majestic

haughtily

arrogance

archly

rascal manner

decorum

orderliness

solicitous

apprehensive

docile

teachable

inveterate

long-established and unlikely to change

fastidious

very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

very concerned about matters of cleanliness

caustic

severly sarcastic; capable of burning

ingeniously

clever

freshet

fresh water stream

credulousness

gullible

parsimonious

unwilling to spend

platitudes

cliche/overused saying

anecdotes

a short account of a specific incident

obscure

vague

elliptical

ambiguous

infinitesimal

extremely small

indolent

lazy

prima fugit

the first to flee

gilded

covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint

jaunty

sprightly in manner

Compare and contrast parents. What character traits does Antonia get from each parent?

Mr. Shimerda is very nice and calm. He's also respectful. he didn't want to marry Mrs. Shimerday. He could've just paid her money to not marry her. but, he married her out of sympathy. Mrs. Shimerda is very curt, bossy, and brusque. She shows arrogance and is a strong, ndependent woan, Antonia is nice and loyal like her father, but she's strong and independent like her mother. She is also good at bossign people around, like her mother. Antonia can also take pride in her work.

Trace the role of the seasons throughout the story and explain how nature has a symbolic purpose as well as an organizing purpose in the novel

In the beginning of the novel, the season is fall. This is the season where the Shimerdas first come to Nebraska. Jim and Antonia can enjoy playing together. Then winter comes and this is the time when Mr. Shimerda commits suicide. Winter represents the hardships and struggles for the Shimerda family without a father. The next seasn is spring, which shows the return of life. Antonia starts working in teh fields here. Jim gets upset that they don't have time to see each other. Then summer, the harvest time. this season makes Antonia undepressed after her father's suicide because of her harvest. She loves working in the fields and has learned to embrace the land.

If Antonia had told the story, how would it have been different in several key respects?

Antonia would've described how she felt when she left her home in Bohemia, She would tell the reader how her journey was to America and what she personally thought of Jim. I think the birth of her children and the beginning of her marriage would also be more descriptive.

The setting--life on the prairie in the late 1800s --affects Jim and Antonia for the rest of their lives. How has this setting influenced their destinies?

Antonia became like a man because she was doing farm work on the prairie. She was a strong, independent woman because of this. Doing farm work allowed her to work hard for her family and get a job in town. Going to dances in the city led her to an unpleasant engagement to Donovan. but, she eventually had a happy marriage with Cuzak. Jim went to college after doing farm work and became a lawyer.

There is a strong suggestion that social class plays a role in the settling of the prairie. How does Cather demonstrate this in her novel?

The Shimerda family immigrated from Bohemia. They weren't rich and had no idea how to live on teh prairie. Life was tough for them because they came to the US without money or any knowledge about farming. The Burdens were pretty well off and had an adequate understanding on farming skills. Jim and his grandparents lvied pretty comfortably, while the Shimerdas were living in poor conditions (girl slept in a cave). The Burdens also give the Shimerdas a cow. Mrs. Shimerda complains about how her family has and how much the Burdens have.

What incidents show that Antonia is a maternal character?

...

loves trees, especially orchards

Antonia

Antonia becomes a part of his mind, of him

Jim Burden

Wise and slow to speech

Grandfather Burden

Lively woman who lives her Christian beliefs

Grandmother Burden

His wife's dreams were not his dreams

Mr. Shimerda

Becomes complaining after her husband's death

Mrs. Shimerda

tyrannical, serious, and quiet

Ambrosch Shimerda

Has led a life of adventure out West

Otto Fuchs

Charges exhorbitant prices for land and equipment

Krajiek

Teaches Antonia city manners

Mrs. Harling

Is away from home frequently; at home is a tyrant

Mr. Harling