Chapter fourteen begins with one of the major events in all of My Antonia. Jimmy wakes up to a commotion and quickly learns that Mr. Shimerda committed suicide the night before. The reader can guess that this was a result of losing his two close Russian friends and not being able to provide much for his family. Even with these struggles, it was very selfish of Mr. Shimerda to do to his family. He had a large family that is new to this country and needed the support and strength from the parents to makie it in a new place. We learned that Mr. Shimerda really didn't like America because his wife forced him to come in order to find a better life for his family, (Can you say The Grapes of Wrath?) I was shocked to read about the suicide mostly because of how strong the Shimerda family through religion. Ambrosh, the eldest Shimerda son told Jake, "It will be a matter a years to pray his soul out of Purgatory, and right now he's in torment (Cather 65)." Besides from Purgatory, it will also be difficult to bury the man. Killing one's self is against many religions, so that eliminated many cemetery choices. In the end, The Shimerda's had to bury their father, husband, and friends on their own land. I am shocked at this event and can only imagine the shift it will cause in the novel.
As a way to cheer Antonia up, Jimmy proposes the idea of Antonia going to school claiming that there are great teachers. She has to decline the offer because she had to work in the fields to provide for the family now that her father is gone. I feel that Antonia really would like to attend school, but she can't. I think she has a lot of potential in life, but by making this one decision to work on the family farm, she will never get the opportunity to achieve it.
[Bibliography]
Cather, Willa. My Antonia. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2004. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment