Anyesha Battle My Antonia Willa Cathers My Antonia was about a young girl becoming a woman, and the lifelong

impact that she had on the lives of those around her. The novel dealt heavily with the theme of social class and social mobility. Throughout the book, the characters transcended their social strata, some for the better, and others for worse. From the very beginning, you see a wedge between the immigrant families and the natives. Although there are people that are willing to help them prosper, as Jims grandparents did with the Shimerdas, a majority of the immigrants mentioned in the story were taken advantage of. Many times, this was by other immigrants, utilizing the fact that they were often the only other people in the town that spoke the familys language. Other times, it was by locals motivated simply by greed, such as Wick Cutter. Many times, the beliefs of the locals trumped that of the immigrants. This was showcased once Mr. Shimerda died. His wife wanted to bury him under the crossroads, but the town would have none of that. Not because the burial would be in any way dangerous or detrimental to the town, but simply because this rite did not coincide with their conservatively Christian town. The lack of concern for the affairs or feelings of [especially newly] immigrated families was blatant.

There was also a clear distinction set between the children that were schooled and the ones who werent. Jims grandparents made a big deal about Antonia not attending school with the rest of the children, but Antonia did not mind. She declined to go to school, citing that her family needed her on the farm. After this, she was effectively written off by many as a waste, a young woman destined to be nothing more than a farm worker or a hired girl. It didnt help that this was actually the course of action many of the uneducated children had to take. The girls that did end up becoming hired girls were frowned upon by the rest of town, especially the females that did not have to work outside the family. Many times, young women such as Antonia, Lena, and Tiny were the victims of many rumors and assumptions from among the townspeople. It was so to the point that although Jims grandmother did not ban him from seeing them, she did insist that he stop moving within the same youth circles as such girls, such as when she asked him not to return to the dancing tent. Even after the girls stopped working for others, the stigmas stuck with them throughout their lives. Lena was forever known as the morally bankrupt jezebel that seduced Crazy Marys husband, Ole; the town chose to remember the sin they assume happened, instead of respecting her for the woman shed become. Many of these young adults grew up to be quite successful, despite their hard upbringings. The most prominent of examples is that of Jim Burden

himself. Even though he began his life on a farm, he worked his way into being a lawyer. Before that, Jim went to school and worked hard at college, even snubbing dating and other vices of youth that tended to distract them from school. Eventually he followed his mentor Gaston to Harvard, finishing up his schooling and becoming the successful lawyer that he was. Another example of extreme social mobility is that of the aforementioned Lena Lingard. She grew up farming, dirt poor without the proper clothes or care. She had a big family, and was responsible for all of her younger siblings. Eventually, she had to work outside the house to support her family, which is where she met Crazy Marys husband, Ole. These hardships obviously made a huge impact on Lena, leading her to drastically tailor the rest of her life so that it ends up absolutely nothing like her earlier years. Because of what she witnessed growing up, she decided to not to get married, saying that she only wanted to be held accountable to herself. This free spirit also never had children, having had enough by the time shed escaped the burden of her seven plus siblings. Going on to be a dressmaker, she made lots of money, never having to want for anything ever again. It would shallow to ignore the emphasis put on her lack of appropriate clothes and her decision to be a dressmaker of all things, ensuring that she always had something lavish to wear. Even Tiny left the life of hired girls behind. She went on to open an inn for miners to rest during the Gold Rush, and even went into the mining business

herself, making a fortune. Although she had some up and downs financewise, through investments and the will to succeed, she left herself in financially good standing for the rest of her days. This was a full 180 turn from where her hometown had predicted shed be, simply because she was a hired girl. The perfect example of social mobility within the American Dream goes to the Shimerdas; when they first came to Nebraska, they were destitute and struggling to survive off of pitifully meager meals. Over timeand with the help of Jims grandparentsthey were able to harvest their own land and turn a profit, eventually making enough to build themselves a new, better equipped home. Of course, this was all achieved at the sacrifice of Antonias childhood and the chance at a better education, but it was social mobility nonetheless. Even without a father to spearhead the financial planning, the Shimerdas not only became savvy within American business, but they also learned the English language quite proficiently within a short period of time, all without formal schooling. Unfortunately, Antonia felt the greatest impact of social mobility, or more so, a lack thereof. Antonia is the most prominent character to experience social stagnation; that is, instead of bettering her situation over the years, she stayed within the same social realmor even fell down the social hierarchy a few notches, at least by the standards of those days. Antonia already had notches against her simply because she was an uneducated hired girl; the

townspeople didnt expect much from her anyway. Furthermore, not only did she commit herself to a man that everyone deemed unworthy of her, she had a child with him out of wedlock, an action that was highly frowned upon during that time. To make matters even worse, she flaunted the love she had for this child, never minding the fact that anyone else in her position would have hidden the child away. Unlike her other friends, Antonia never left the country to permanently reside in the city; the short time that she had spent there made her miserable. She never went on to make nearly as much money as Jim, Lena, or even Tiny, and she had more children than even she could keep track of. Shed aged nicely, but the stress of farm life and a large brood showed on her. Although she was happy and satisfied with her life, she wasthrough the eyes of the townspeople, at leasta social failure, a waste of such potential, since no one could deny how charming Antonia was. Thus was a common theme within My Antonia, that being one of status, class, and social mobility. While some characters in the novel went on to be highly successful within the standards of society, others faltered. In the end, even if everyone didnt always find peace with each others decisions, they all found solace within their own.