Depiction of Immigration in My Antonia Anonymous College

My Ántonia by Willa Cather is a nostalgic look into the past that forces readers to feel as if they were a part of the story. Cather uses Jim Burdens voice to narrate how life during this time was viewed by someone who was a young innocent boy. This makes it an interesting perspective when evaluating what life was like for immigrants during this time especially because Jim gets to compare his life to his immigrant neighbors lives for years. Because Jim and Ántonia are similar ages it is important to note that Jim can easily compare his life to Ántonia’s life. In My Ántonia, Cather uses her platform as a way to educate people about what the immigrant experience was like in the United States during the nineteenth century, and how everyone’s experience can be a different one.

The Shimerdas, a Bohemian immigrant family, were going through the process of adjusting to the new American way of life. Cather continues to depict a very vivid image of daily living for the immigrant family next door to the Burdens. The important part is that this immigrant experience was actually told from an outside perspective, looking in. Cather wanted readers to understand how the transition went for all different age groups and genders, telling exactly...