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Essay on My Antonia by Willa Cather

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My Antonia by Willa Cather "Disapprobation hurt me, I found—even that of people whom I did not admire." (164). In the novel, My Antonia, by Willa Cather, society seems to govern the lives of many people. But for the others, who see past society's stereotypical values, had enough strength to overcome this and allowed them to achieve their dreams. Throughout the book, everyone seems to be trying to pursue the American Dream. While they all have different ideas of just exactly what the American Dream is, they all know precisely what they want. For some, the American Dream sounds so enticing that they have traveled across the world to achieve their goal. One girl who chases the American Dream is Lena Lingard, …show more content…

She did not listen to anything society infringed upon her. She had a dream of money and carried it through when she opened her own dress shop. She did not let the stereotypical views upon the hired girls stand in her way of her dream. She was determined to reach her goal and with all of her hard work she did just that. Some families traveled a great many miles to try to win the American Dream. The Shimerdas came all the way from Bohemia and ventured everything they had to make it in America. Antonia, the oldest daughter also becomes a hired girl. Although she works in Black Hawk for a respectable family, she could not escape society's harsh judgement. They cast their eyes above her because of her heritage and social position. It's not only from her job that brings her prejudice, it's also her skin color. From all her hard work, Antonia gains a striking tan. This tan brands Antonia as a lowly immigrant peasant. No refined lady would subject herself to the unrelenting beam of the sun. But Antonia had her dreams; being a mother to her very own family. She almost had her dream but her soon to be husband left her at the altar with a baby to care for. This could have drenched Antonia's spirit but it did not. Instead, "… she loved it from the first as dearly as if she'd had a ring on her finger, and was never ashamed of it." (204). The town expects her to hide her baby from the world, to hide her shame, but ironically, she goes to the town

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