No other work of fiction so faithfully conveys both the sharp physical realities and the mythic sweep of the transformation of the american frontier and the transformation of the people who settled it. The young swede protagonist of this novel, alexandra bergson, is familiar. As the eldest child of the swedish immigrant john bergson, she inherits his farm and makes it profitable. The novels central character, alexandra bergson, is the daughter of swedish immigrants who pioneer the harsh, unforgiving land of the nebraska prairie. Alexandra bergson at a young age, has to take care of her family and farm, in nebraska, with the untimely death of their father john, he wished his oldest child, and smartest to guide the poor immigrants from sweden in the 1880s, everyone agrees at first, struggling on the harsh prairie, are also brothers lou, oscar and five year old emil, her pet, the mother knows little about farming.
This character is a young girl of twenty, but is overly serious and emotionally strong for her age. Fiercely independent, alexandra sacrifices love and companionship in her passionate devotion to the land, until tragedy. Alexandra, daughter of a swedish immigrant farmer in nebraska, inherits the family farm and finds love with an old friend. John bergson is the father of alexandra, oscar, lou, and emil. In the story of alexandra bergson, the novel measures the potency of the remarkable individual against universal human desires and the forces of national history. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 159 pages and is available in paperback format. Alexandra is the daughter of a family that moves from across the sea to nebraska to try to make a life for themselves. Cather invents this place in order to tell the comingofage story of alexandra bergson, the eldest of the bergson children, who doggedly persists during the worst of times to become a wealthy, independent landowner. Alexandra bergson thus loses the only two things she really loved, her friend marie and her adored emil.
The first edition of the novel was published in 19, and was written by willa cather. Her love for her family, her cheerful strength in the face of hardship, and her determination to help her family succeed mark her as the heroine of the book. As a teenager in a barren stretch of nebraska, she is forced to take charge of her family after the death of her father. Alexandra bergson is the heroor heroine, ratherof o pioneers. The novel that first made willa cather famousa powerfully mythic tale of the american frontier told through the life of one extraordinary womanin a handsome hardcover volume. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Through hard times and abundant, through love and loss, through joy and suffering, alexandra challenges both her family and the land in her quiet, honest way. O,pioneers this was a very enjoyable look into the past. In fact, it turns out hanover is a madeup town, somewhere on the nebraska prairie known in the novel as the divide.
The story of how alexandra bergson struggles to make the nebraska family farm a success and at the same time establish a personal life for herself. When the novel opens, she is a young girl of twenty, but already overly serious and emotionally strong for her age. Alexandra bergson the novels protagonist, alexandra bergson is a model of emotional strength, courage, and resolve. No other work of fiction so faithfully conveys both the sharp physical realities and the mythic sweep of the transformation of the american frontierand the transformation of the people who settled it. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are alexandra bergson. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading o pioneers. This story really is her story, and its our job to untangle all. O pioneers summary buy study guide on the streets of a small windswept town in hanover, nebraska, fiveyearold emil bergson cries because his kitten has been chased up a telegraph pole. A hallmark hall of fame television movie starring jessica lange and david strathem, to air on cbs on february 3, 1992. Alexandra bergson, the eldest of the bergson children doggedly persists during the worst of times to become a wealthy, independent landowner. Power, audre lorde writes, there are many o pioneers. Cathers heroine is alexandra bergson, who arrives on the windblasted prairie of hanover, nebraska, as a girl and grows up to make it a prosperous farm. Alexandra bergson well folks, theres no doubt about it. Cathers classic story of alexandra bergson, a courageous swedish woman who must assume responsibility for the farm and family after her fathers death in 19thcentury nebraska.
Analysis and discussion of characters in willa cathers o pioneers. Set on the nebraska prairie where willa cather 18731947 grew up, this powerful early novel tells the story of the young alexandra bergson, whose dying. An intelligent man, john bergson left his life in sweden for the difficult terrain of nebraska. Great plains trilogy book 2 kindle edition by cather, willa. Alexandra bergson, the protagonist of willa cathers o pioneers. No other work of fiction so vividly evokes the harsh beauty and epic sweep of the nebraska prairies that cather knew and loved. This powerful early cather novel, a landmark of american fiction, tells the story of the young alexandra bergson, whose dying father leaves her in charge of the. The heroic battle for survival of simple pioneer folk in the nebraska country of the 1880s. A classic novel of the nebraska prairie, o pioneers. Written in the kind of spare, lyric prose that would come to define her work, the story explores themes of destiny, chance, love, and perseverance. He tells his sons to honor the decisions of their sister. Life on the nebraska prairie in the late nineteenth century is desperately difficult, and alexandra. O pioneers the bergsons by willa cather, paperback barnes. There are hardships of every kind to imagine,some unimaginable.
Differentiated book it has a historical context with research of the timethe novel begins on a windy january day in the fictional city of hannover, nebraska, sometime between 1883 and 1890. He falls sick at fortysix and leaves the farm in alexandras capable hands, recognizing that she knows the land best. Book overview cather invents a fictional town in early twentieth century nebraska to tell the comingofage story of the bergsons, a family of swedish immigrants. Particularly suited to the toil of prairie life, she is a prototype of the strong american pioneer and an embodiment of. Alexandra is a resourceful, practical person who loves and understands the land as no one else in the novel does. One of her earliest fulllength works, it was published in 19. On the harsh and wild frontier of the american west, alexandra bergson struggles to fulfill her fathers dying wish of establishing his family on the nebraska table lands. But this archetypal success story is darkened by loss, and alexandras devotion to the land may come at the cost of love itself. In this unforgettable story,cather conveys both the physical. By placing a strong, selfreliant woman at the centre of her tale, cather gives the quintessentially american novel of the soil a radical cast. She was given the farm by her father john bergson and over the next. Alexandra bergson, a young swedish immigrant girl who inherits her fathers farm and must transform it from raw prairie into a prosperous enterprise, is the first of cathers great heroinesall of them women of strong will and an even stronger desire to overcome adversity and succeed. First published in 19, and reissued by hesperus press in celebration of its centenary, this slim novel features the travails of alexandra bergson. O pioneers part i, chapters i iii summary and analysis.
Apr 18, 2019 alexandra bergson, the protagonist of willa cathers o pioneers. Alexandra bergson alexandra bergson, the daughter of a swedish immigrant homesteader on the divide in nebraska. The novels protagonist, alexandra bergson, is a strong, tall woman, the eldest child of the swedish immigrant john bergson. Cather had already published poems, short stories, and even a novel, her friend and mentor sarah orne jewett, an accomplished author herself, advised her to seek her own writing voice. The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or a woman, writes willa cather in o pioneers.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In fact, its difficult to analyze any of the characters in this novel without somehow referring to alexandra. John bergson readily acknowledges that he must leave the farm in alexandras care, for she has imagination and vision that her brothers lack. Alexandra bergson arrives on the windblasted prairie of nebraska as a young girl and grows up to turn it into a prosperous farm. It is the first novel of her great plains trilogy, followed by the song of the lark 1915 and my antonia 1918.
853 1155 743 148 541 995 1376 600 1198 299 466 1070 842 242 317 1563 1657 930 886 207 1277 748 794 985 1423 1141 405 658 1657 1203 1385 1135 1288 461 286 318 1204 833