a peek at My Antonia

            Traits of feminist masculinity have never been so exemplified in women as they are in Willa Cather's masterpiece, "My Antonia". The book, which was written as both a novel and a statement, has themes such as the strength of the mind during hard times and powerful female roles. In her portrayal of a pioneer woman, Cather blurs the gender lines and thus promotes a sense of equality between men and women. Every element of this story adds up to a work designed for propaganda from an era where the call for women's rights filled the streets of America. Cathers weaves her crafty persuasion for the cause of female equality throughout her book. .
             The setting plays a strong part in this piece, serving as a foundation for the heroine, Antonia. Its no wonder that Cather describes the scenery so extensively, with quotes such as "The red of the grass made all the great prairie the colour of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up." The country-pioneer environment gives room for an unconventional life away from civilization. This allows the character of Antonia to evolve away from the traditional roles of women in society. During the late 19th century women were expected to be fragile and elegant, serving as homemakers and nurturing societies youth. It was no surprise that it was fashionable for women in that era to have pale, fragile skin. This was an indication of a woman whose hands had never experienced hard labor, whose back had never bore heavy loads and whose skin had never toiled beneath the sun. Then there is Antonia, growing up away from all these social expectations, away from the cities and stuffy aristocrats. She is free to go about as she pleases, and is not ashamed to engage in "Men's work", the plowing of fields and other hard labor. "I do not care that your grandmother say it makes me like a man, I like to be like a man," She says. She is the opposite of everything a "proper" woman should be, her skin is brown and her arms are muscular, yet throughout the book she never looses her "feminine" essence.