Is My Antonia Too Redundant? Saanvi Kunisetty

 Is My Antonia Too Redundant?

Saanvi Kunisetty

The final six paragraphs of Chapter 13 of My Antonia, which mainly describe the snowstorm that takes place during Jim’s birthday, can be interpreted in a multitude of ways based on the reader’s perception. Though the passage included is seemingly repetitive, it does play a significant role in the development of Jim’s story. Though the men are toiling away at the duties at hand due to the snowstorm, Jake and Otto still “began to laugh boisterously when they saw [Jim],” and “Fuchs remarked gleefully” while observing the bulls’ behavior (Cather 34). Jake and Otto’s heartening outlook on life, even amidst an abyss of relentless physical labor shoveling snow, further elaborates on their joyous, grateful personalities. The characterization of Jake and Otto during this time even goes to accentuate that maintaining a positive attitude about life can get one through trying times, an underlying theme that is gradually tied in throughout My Antonia. Additionally,  during the course of the “full-grown blizzard,” Cather highlights the unusual vigor and capacity of it. In fact, the prairie had not experienced “such a storm in the ten years [Jim’s] grandfather had lived in Nebraska,” further elucidating that it is not an event that can be overlooked (Cather 34). In order to truly understand the cruciality of the prolonged passage describing the storm, the context must be examined. Immediately after chapter 13 comes to an end, the following chapter abruptly begins with Jim’s realization that something greatly disturbing has happened. In fact, this is none other than the suicide of Mr. Shimerda, a key turning point in the novel, as it elaborates on the ghastly struggles of immigrants, and shapes the characters’ development as they respond to the present situation. The colossal storm like no other that Cather repeatedly mentions is symbolic of the drastic shift in life that the Shimerdas, as well as Jim, will undergo in the coming days and beyond. The foreshadowing implemented by the author through the storm further dramatizes the cruciality of Mr. Shimerda’s death. Ultimately, the use of detail and description by Cather in order to further develop the story may seem unnecessary, but in actuality, it adds greater depth to the novel.