Cather illustrates a story of Jim Burden and his relationship with Antonia within a backdrop of events that can be appropriated as forming a lesbian narrative space. ... Jim's killing of the snake can perhaps be viewed as a way to confuse boundaries. ... Gelfat recognizes Jim's lack of protective instincts and points out the sexual connotations attached to Jim's reaction to the snake. ... Judith Fetterley recognizes how: Jim behaves in ways that mark him as female. ... Cather swaps the conventional gender roles with the characters of Jim and Antonia, creating a destabilised text...

• Word Count: 2062
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate