depictions of feminism in "my antonia"

8/10/2019 Depictions of Feminism in "My Antonia"

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Nathan Szurek

Dr. Linda Helstern

American Literature II

March 11, 2014

Depictions of Feminism in My Antonia

Willa CathersMy Antoniahas been the cause of much dispute in literary society. One of

the main questions argued is whether or notMy Antonia is a feminist novel. Feminist criticism

focuses on taking a look at the meaning within texts in order to discern inequalities and the

power structure of each depicted gender. In fact there are many instances throughout the novelwhere Antonia herself could be perceived as a symbol of feminism. We can also see the male

narrator exhibiting a number of actions that create questions about his masculinity as well as

traditional gender roles within society. As a result of these examplesMy Antoniamay indeed be

classified as a feminist novel.

To begin the analysis ofMy Antonia through the feminist perspective we will take a look

at exactly how the character of Antonia may be perceived as a symbol of the feminist movement.

Feminism theory is particularly concerned with the depiction of traditional gender roles and the

equalization of men and women. Often such classic definitions of gender created a strong male

personality and a weaker female personality. Through much of the novel Antonia can be seen

breaking these gender roles and personality types far more often than she adheres to them. One

difference is found within her character makeup. Antonia is pictured as an extraordinarily strong

and independent woman. She refuses to let anyone make her do what she doesnt want to and is

in fact uncontrollable. This is made clear when Antonia is working as a housekeeper for the

Harlings. Antonia begins to frequent dances in town and is seen there many nights. This behavior


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escalates until an engaged man attempts to kiss Antonia and Mrs. Harling gives her an ultimatum

to either quit dancing or find another place to work. Here is where Antonias individuality and

determination shines through as she refuses to quit dancing and remains independent by finding

work at the Cutters.Now many readers might see this as a normal rebellion and possibly even

expect such an action from Antonia considering modern ideas of social norms. However, this

novel was written in 1918 when gender roles were far more significant and women were for the

most part expected to be respectable and obedient. Taken in the historical context of when the

novel was written Antonia is indeed far more rebellious and individualistic than the women of

her time.Along with Antonias refusal to conform to what is expected to her we find a couple

features that aid in likening her standing to that of a man. First is that her work on the farm is not

that which a normal women would do. More than once she is seen doing all of the hard work that

men do and often works the field right alongside them. This concept of Antonia pushing gender

expectations and equalty is furthered by her physical descriptions and orations. In chapter

nineteen of book one Antonia is clearly depicted with what could be seen as highly male

qualities. For starters the narrator remarks how beads of perspiration used to gather on her upper

lip like a little mustache, likening her physical characteristics to that of a man as she does a

mans labor. Next her iterations of how she likes working outdoors more than in the house and

how she like[s] to be like a man, reinforces her unnatural masculinity. This severe upset of

traditional female gender roles serves as even more evidence of a feminist perspective within the

text.

Since Antonia is not the only important character in the novel lets take a look now at the

narrator. Jimmys lack of masculinity is yet another variance from gender norms and proceeds to


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further the feminist cause of the novel. There are a few ways in which Jimmy differs from

traditional male expectations. The first is that as he is growing up he does not seek out the

companionship of other male children. There is no mention of Jimmy even attempting to

befriend other boys like Ambrosch, instead he spends most of his time with Antonia and her

sister. Some may attribute this fact to Ambrochs personality or age difference but there is still

the question of why no attempt was even contemplated. At some point a traditionally depicted

male would normally have at the very least searched for male companionship. This highlights the

possibility that Jimmy found he had more in common with the girls his age than other boys.

Another phenomenon is that Antonias personality is more in tune with depictions of

masculinity, whereas Jimmy appears to be more akin to the female personality archetype.

Considering that the masculine personality is usually depicted as confident, strong willed, and

independent, there are a number of instances where Jimmy is portrayed in stark contrast to this

definition. For instance in chapter nine of book two Jim begins a monologue about how every

boy feels attraction toward the country girls the strict social order of Black Hawk has kept these

boys from venturing to date them. Though Jimmy does spend some time with them he never

forms a romantic attachment initially displaying his fear of societys expectations. Then after the

popularization of dancing in Black Hawk Jimmy turns to a saloon to find a way to entertain

himself but he abstains from drinking as soon as his character and reputation are questioned,

another example of exactly how much he fears the opinions of others. From a feminist

perspective Jimmys constant worry about his image and his wish to remain respectable in the

eyes of society is almost uncannily similar to the actions of the traditional woman.

Some might say that these abnormalities in the characters of Antonia and Jimmy are

trivialities and dont necessarily mean anything. However, these variations are the one of the


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main foci of the feminist perspective. Traditional male gender roles from the feminist perspective

are to be strong, independent, rough, and sometimes single minded. Whereas traditional female

gender roles are to be obedient, proper, clean, and in charge of the housekeeping and cooking.

The main characters withinMy Antonia upset and challenge these roles. Jim is shown as timid,

obedient, clean, and self conscious, and Antonias character is rough, independent, strong, and

single minded. It is this complete upset between male and female expectations that shows

feminist viewpoints within the novel.

With all of the aforementioned points it can be concluded thatMy Antonia is indeed a

feminist novel. There is significant evidence that shows opposition to traditional gender roles andexpectations. Such evidence is found in both Antonia and Jim, the two arguably most important

characters within the novel. Antonia appears in stark contrast with classic female portrayals and

societal roles whereas Jim varies greatly from classic male roles and expectations. Moreover, not

only do their character traits differ from tradition but the things they say and do reinforce these

differences and display the feminist perspective within the text.


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Works Cited

Cather, Willa. My ntonia. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977. Print.

depictions of feminism in "my antonia"

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