Reinterpretation of American Dream in Willa Cather's My Antonia

• 영문명: Reinterpretation of American Dream in Willa Cather's My Antonia
• 발행기관: 융합영어영문학회
• 저자명: 김보경
• 간행물 정보: 『융합영어영문학(구.English Reading and Teaching)』제8권 1호, 195~221쪽, 전체 27쪽
• 주제분류: 인문학 > 언어학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2023.04.30

영문 초록

This article examines American Dream in a different viewpoint from the traditional one. Throughout My Antonia, Cather sets up the contrast between those characters who achieve American Dream of material success and those whose sense of fulfillment relies neither on fame, fortune, nor even on the competitive drive. Cather most fully explores this idea in the contrast between Antonia and Jim Burden. While My Antonia's other characters, including Jim, have progressively lost their sense of purpose, Antonia has defied all the odds and has created the thriving farm and family she always wanted. She has achieved victory over her own hard early life and the forces of nature which made an immense struggle of farm life in Nebraska. Cather seems far more cautious about associating material success with self-fulfillment. Antonia is Cather's first protagonist who is not, by the standards of her era, a material success. As a Bohemian immigrant who comes to Nebraska, she brings the traditions and values of her native country to her new corner of the world, and finally, Antonia achieves a happy balance between what Cather sees as “American” and “Old World” values. Antonia shapes a New American Dream that does not rely on material success yet celebrates the wealth of opportunity in America for each individual to achieve personal goals.

목차

Ⅰ. Introduction

Ⅱ. Materialism vs. Maternalism

Ⅲ. Antonia Shimerda and the American Dream

Ⅳ. Conclusion

Works Cited

키워드

이민자 아메리칸 드림 네브레스카 안토니아 물질주의 Immigrants American Dream Nebraska Antonia Materialism