My Antonia, Focus Points

750 Words3 Pages
The character of Antonia is not only an entity of friendly affection to Jim, but also a symbol of nostalgia. She represents nostalgia for the innocence of his wondrous childhood, for the vast landscapes of playful possibilities and the freedom and possibility that existed in the seemingly infinite size of the open-country. Antonia place of residence in the story is, more often than not, in the country, which she expresses sincere satisfaction and general comfort with. Anytime the city, as a subject, is brought to discussion Antonia expresses an opposite perspective to hers on the country; feelings of discomfort that could be similar to claustraphobia, having no space or escape available to her. In retrospect, Jim can hardly distinguish a divide between the spirit of Antonia and the possibilities of the country. Every adventure, every tragedy, every beautiful thing or event seems to be directly linked to Antonia; thus, the directly link between the country and Antonia. Her characteristics could easily be linked to her position as a symbol of the country as well. Antonia is a persistent worker and naturally independent. She lives off of the work of muscle and sweat and lives free of the outside influences of the city, it's people and their expectations, which she continually ignores or defies. He life, her values, and her beauty have seem to flourish, or blossom from the soil of the country; where her roots will feed and she will continue to grow, with the wild spirit which provides such an abundances of aesthetic to her character as well as the story as a whole. Jim and Antonia's personal involvement with each other has rooted from their childhood, so naturally an immense bond of respect and love will develop. And though, as characters, they differ to a great extent, they have always prove to be compatible. Their love for each other derives from that

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