I don't think that they ever married because Antonia knew she would hold him back. In the book she says several times that he should leave the town, to promise her he would make something of himself. She realized he had dreams that differed from hers and the farm life, difference in culture and character were reason enough she did not want to compromise his future. Perhaps she felt that she would be like her mother and "forcing" a life upon him he did not truly want.
yes I agree with how you said she felt she would hold him back, throughout the book I kept waiting for them to get into a relathionship but no, they went their different was but kept some contact and held the valuable past they shared
One reason Jim and Antonia never married was because they viewed the value of the land differently. Antonia representation of a life was very different from Jim’s and her strong bond with the land shows Jim s fascination with Antonia. She was his complement. Antonia’s life was alternative to Jim’s life. Unlike Jim, she was able to move away from all the stereotypes and boundaries of her class and gender. Antonia listened to her heart more. In the end, Jim’s decisions were made according to social thumbs up or thumbs down. As much as he loved Nebraska and the farmland, Jim was able to give it up for the city whereas Antonia was the happiest there and was content with her life in Nebraska. Jim loved the land, but he never had to work it like Antonia did. She had to go through the pains of it more than Jim did. Jim was the type of person that whenever he saw the land, he thought of what use it could be, as in railroads and buildings. He looked at it as an instrument for progress. Antonia, on the other hand, thought of the land as a heavenly creature driven by its own force. Although they complimented each other in many ways, they also were different or opposite in many ways.
Antonia is the part of Jim's childhood. He dosn't want to be nailed to the past, he has his own hopes and dreams. She is the part that lives on as his 'childhood' self. He has grown up. It's to the point like Angela said, it would hold him back. It's not just the promise but also the whole idea that Jim dosn't want to be held down.
I don't think that they ever married because Antonia knew she would hold him back. In the book she says several times that he should leave the town, to promise her he would make something of himself. She realized he had dreams that differed from hers and the farm life, difference in culture and character were reason enough she did not want to compromise his future. Perhaps she felt that she would be like her mother and "forcing" a life upon him he did not truly want.
ReplyDeleteyes I agree with how you said she felt she would hold him back, throughout the book I kept waiting for them to get into a relathionship but no, they went their different was but kept some contact and held the valuable past they shared
DeleteOne reason Jim and Antonia never married was because they viewed the value of the land differently. Antonia representation of a life was very different from Jim’s and her strong bond with the land shows Jim s fascination with Antonia. She was his complement. Antonia’s life was alternative to Jim’s life. Unlike Jim, she was able to move away from all the stereotypes and boundaries of her class and gender. Antonia listened to her heart more. In the end, Jim’s decisions were made according to social thumbs up or thumbs down. As much as he loved Nebraska and the farmland, Jim was able to give it up for the city whereas Antonia was the happiest there and was content with her life in Nebraska. Jim loved the land, but he never had to work it like Antonia did. She had to go through the pains of it more than Jim did. Jim was the type of person that whenever he saw the land, he thought of what use it could be, as in railroads and buildings. He looked at it as an instrument for progress. Antonia, on the other hand, thought of the land as a heavenly creature driven by its own force. Although they complimented each other in many ways, they also were different or opposite in many ways.
ReplyDeleteAntonia is the part of Jim's childhood. He dosn't want to be nailed to the past, he has his own hopes and dreams. She is the part that lives on as his 'childhood' self. He has grown up. It's to the point like Angela said, it would hold him back. It's not just the promise but also the whole idea that Jim dosn't want to be held down.
ReplyDelete