The American Dream in Willa Cather

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The American Dream in Willa Cathers O Pioneers!

• By Elizabeth Russell

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America means opportunity, freedom, power.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

• The American dream isthe belief that
  individuals have the freedom and opportunity to
  achieve their goals through hard work (The
  American Dream in Literature).
• This belief is the foundation of American
  culture.
• It is an essential part of the nations artistic
  tradition, featured in countless works.

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O Pioneers!

• The plot centers around Alexandra Bergson and her
  Swedish immigrant family as they struggle to
  build a new life in nineteenth century Nebraska.

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Three different facets of the concept of American
dream are evident in Cathers great work.

• The self-made man
• Perseverance
• Its elusiveness

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Benjamin Franklin
Andrew Carnegie
Bill Gates

• The Self-Made Man
• A n American Hero

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I find that the harder I work, the more luck I
seem to have. -Thomas Jefferson

• The self-made man is someone who has gained
  great power and wealth because of hard work and
  cunning (The American Dream in Literature).
• Famous and revered figures such as Benjamin
  Franklin fall under this description.
• This concept is upheld in America as the epitome
  of success someone who has achieved the American
  Dream.

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A self-made woman

• Alexandra is extremely practical, serious, and
  motivated.
• When her father dies, the task of maintaining
  his land falls to her, as the oldest and most
  competent of his children.
• She eventually rises from poverty to prosperity
  after years of hard work.

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• Perseverance
• A motif in American history and art

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It eluded us then, but thats no matter
tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms
farther. (Fitzgerald 180).

• Perseverance is an important component of the
  American Dream.
• It is a quality that was instrumental in the
  founding of the nation.
• America was built on courage, on imagination,
  and unbeatable determination to do the job at
  hand. -Harry S Truman

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I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 47).

• Alexandras perseverance is displayed by her work
  on the land.
• Even when the task seems impossible and many
  others give up, she experiments with new methods
  and finds a way to succeed.
• Although she is a single woman in a male
  dominated society, Alexandra rises to prestige in
  her community through sheer willpower.
• 'If you take even a vine and cut it back again
  and again, it grows hard, like a tree' (Cather
  ..), Alexandra says, describing herself.

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• The Elusiveness of the American Dream
• Dream or nightmare?

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To know how to free oneself is nothing the
arduous thing is to know what to do with one's
freedom. - Andre Gide

• For many, the American Dream is deceitful.
• It gives them a sense of invincibility, which,
  coupled with ambition, can lead to ruinous
  results.
• Thousands of people have come to realize that the
  seemingly boundless opportunities of the country
  are actually limited even with an open road,
  they can find nowhere to go.

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I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into
the storm(Springsteen).

• Emil, Alexandras brother, is young, handsome,
  and has an extremely promising future, but he
  becomes involved with Marie Shabata, a married
  woman.
• In his youthful rashness, he continues meeting
  with her and is eventually killed by her husband.
  
• His overconfidence and impetuousness bring about
  his destruction, as many have destroyed
  themselves by chasing an elusive dream.

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• O Pioneers! is an American classic because it is
  an excellent portrayal of courageous settlers
  striving for the American Dream.

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Works Cited

• The American Dream in Literature."
  Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 210.
  Detroit Gale, Literature Resource Center. Gale.
  ANTONIAN COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL. 1 Feb. 2010
  lthttp//go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?pLitRCusan
  83256gt.
• Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1925. New
  York Scribner, 2004. N. pag.  Print.
• Springsteen, Bruce. The Promised Land." Darkness
  on the Edge of Town. Sony/BMG, 1978. CD.
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