My Antonia

Does Antonia change into a rougher and "manlier" character? If so, where in the book does it demonstrate this?

i am writing a persuasive essay on how the immigrants in My Antonia have to endure struggles and stuff. But on this particular paragraph i am writing how Antonia changed from her innocent young self to now her rough, manly-ish person

Asked by
Last updated by jill d #170087
Answers 1
Add Yours

I don't have the book here at home, but I can summarize this topic for you (but I don't believe that the description of manly fits).

Antonia follows a future that has already been laid out for her. She's a country girl, and had grown up in the country (Lincoln), where she stayed for much of her life. Country living was the most natural for her; she knew how to survive in the country even after becoming a mother at such a young age. (There's a quote for this I'll try to find for you).

Eventually Antonia marries, but her husband is a city man. If this is where you see her as "rough and changed," I don't see it. She leaves the city, and the life she has there to go back to her roots. She has more than ten children, and all while being a mother tends the earth and cultivates what becomes a successful farm. Is she rough? I don't think so, but I do see her as a tough little lady. Is she manly? If farm work and doing the job of a man defines a woman as manly, okay. But I don't believe a woman should be considered manly because she has the fortitude and stamina to work like one.

Source(s)

My Antonia