Open Prompt II: 2006

Question
 Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.

Response
    Willa Cather's O'Pioneers! plays off the stark differences of living in an urban city and the natural prairies. The main character Alexandra Bergson migrated with her family from Eastern Europe to Hanover, Nebraska in search of prosperity and the American Dream. The country setting is used to illustrate how people are rewarded for their hard work, and the  freedom of the fields allow people to be their best selves.

    When Alexandra was a young girl, Hanover was suffering from a brutal drought during the time of the depression in the mid 1800s. Before her father died, he bequeathed their land to Alexandra and she made a promise to herself to never leave the land her father worked so hard for. Alexandra's neighbor and good friend, Carl Linstrum and his family left Nebraska for the city because of the devastating conditions of the country. Sixteen years later, the prairies have been rejuvenated and the Bergsons are very successful thanks to Alexandra's persistence. Alexandra's determination and other virtuous morals where not left unrewarded in the country. However, in the city, Carl Linstrum's intelligence and hard work did not give him the satisfaction in his job comparable to Alexandra's. With this contrast, Cather is suggesting that  only in the country are good morals valuable and will lead you to success.

     The vast open space of Hanover's prairies offers the visual sense of unlimited freedom to explore and grow. This visual freedom is materialized through the demeanor and self-sufficiency found in the main character. Had Alexandra left the farm for the city, there is no certainty that she would be nearly as successful and satisfied. In fact, it is almost definite that she would not have been due to Carl Linstrum's poor luck working in the city. As a women in the 1800s, the country offered her freedom and opportunities that the city could not. When Carl did return to Hanover as an adult, he is very insecure and meek. However, during his duration in the country he began to show traits of the vivacious boy Alexandra used to know. The freedom of the country allowed him to disown the insecurities he picked up living in the aggressive city and becomes a respectable man. 

     Cather makes an example out of the strong-willed, optimistic Alexandra and the gloomy Linstrum to comment on the stark differences in the habitats they spent the past sixteen years in. Alexandra persevered and remained in the then, unfertile Nebraska and was rewarded with lush crops, dignity, and a lucrative cash flow. Linstrum's family showed unfaithfulness to the country and deserted it the moment things got difficult. As a result, Carl Linstrum's intelligence and good work ethic goes unnoticed in the city and his good qualities begin to fade. It is until his return to the  free lands of Hanover, Nebraska. that the vigor of his youth is restored. This shows that the city is a facade of success. Cather offers to her readers that true success comes from people seeing the results of their efforts and staying true to their roots.