My Antonia p. 125-187--Riley

My Antonia p. 127-185

Book II

Part I

Jim and his family move from the country town. Mr. and Mrs. Burden go to work for the church and Jim begins school in town. Antonia and Jim begin to lose touch because Ambrosch won’t tell Jim any information about his family.

How does town life compare to country life?

            “we saw more of our country neighbors now than when we lived on the farm…WE had a big barn where the farmers could put their teams, and their women-folk more often accompanied them, not that they could stay with us for dinner” (128)

Part II

Jim’s closest neighbors are the Harlings, a Norwegian family who were former farmers. Jim becomes close with the family and when the Harlings’s lose their chef Mrs. Burden convinces Mrs. Harling to hire Antonia in hopes for bringing her out of man’s work and into the world of womanhood.

How do gender roles interact with living in town? How does Jim change while living in the town?

“I can bring something out of that girl. She’s barely seventeen, not too old to learn new ways” (132)

Part III

Antonia begins to work for the Harlings.

Part IV

Lena Lingard, another girl from the country, comes to tell Antonia that she will be working in town as a dressmaker. Lena brings with her a reputation to town.

Why do the country girls come to town? How does their presence interact with the townspeople?

“I don’t want to marry Nick, or any other man, Lena murmured. I’ve seen a good deal of married life, and I don’t care for it. I want to be so I can help my mother and the children at home, and not have to ask lief of anybody” (137)

Part V

Winter comes and Jim sees Lena buying Christmas presents for her family and she confesses she is homesick.

Part VI

Antonia tells the Harlings a story of a man who killed himself by jumping into a threshing machine for no reason. Nina becomes very upset but Mrs. Harlings makes her be quiet because she likes to hear about the country.

Part VII

 The blind, black pianist Samson d’Arnault comes to town and plays a concert for the men. Antonia and her friends are found to be dancing in the room next door and they are coaxed out to dance with the men.

Part VIII

The Vannis family sets up a dancing tent and begin to give out lessons. The dancing pavilion becomes the center of the town’s social life.

How did the dance pavilion become a place to express social/ racial hierarchy?

“Dancing became popular now, just as roller skating had been the summer before. The Progressive Euchre Club arranged with the Vannis for the exclusive use of the floor on Tuesday and Friday nights. At other times any one could dance who paid his money and was orderly; the railroad men, the Round House mechanics, the delivery boys, the iceman, the farmhands who lived near enough to ride into town after their day’s work was over” (156)