Essay On Jim's Relationship In My Antonia

Words: 487
Pages: 2

Mr. Shimerda begs Jim to “Te-e-ach, te-e-ach my Antonia” in Book I, Section III (just at the end). Who learns more through their relationship, Jim or Antonia?

Throughout the novel we can see hardships around every corner. Harsh winters, heavy working springs and summers followed by a continued working autumn. It is needless to say that both Jim and Antonia learn a lot through their relationship, much so to the point that they motivate each other during their life experiences. However, Jim and Antonia face their learnings differently throughout the novel.

I have to say that Jim learns more throughout the story, being the narrator, we have a deeper look into Jim’s life both personally and physically. Whereas Antonia is portrayed through the eyes of Jim, not really knowing to the fullest extent of Antonia’s learnings and experiences. Closer to the end of the novel, it becomes more apparent that Antonia has no time for education or playful encounters with the towns children, this included Jim. With the death of her father, Antonia’s job description became more of a man’s, working the fields, feeding the family, acting more like a father figure in order to maintain the family. “Antonia stood up,lifting and dropping her shoulders as if
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“I had made up my mind to do a lot of college requirement work in the summer, and to enter fresh-man class at the university without conditions in the fall” (pg 176). As implied, Jim is learning more within this book, Antonia remains working, whilst Jim goes on into college. Jim spends the time to learning Latin and Greek, wile pursuing trigonometry. Later he becomes a lawer. Not only does he does he get s higher education, he learns a great deal from traveling the world, seeing for himself where Antonia had come from, and traveled to places heard abour from various