Spiritual“Garden”to Material“Garden”

鄧以南

【Abstract】Willa Cather is an eminent writer who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains. Most of her famous long novels are songs of pioneers. Her early frontier novels O Pioneers！ and My ?ntonia are her masterpieces. The two novels are chosen to be discussed for them sharing some similarities in theme. The two are about the European immigrants self-construction in the American unreclaimed mid-west land. The protagonists of the two novels are female characters shared the same tough traits. This essay is to talk about the “garden” building of the two protagonists from the spiritual side to the material one. “Garden，” in Emersons The Young American， has been given an allegorical meaning that no matter where people live， as long as they devote themselves into their small land， the piece of ground would be a “garden” for them. Thus this essay focuses on the new perspective of “garden” building of the two female protagonists.

【Key words】“garden” building； self-construction； frontier； O Pioneers！； My ?ntonia

I. Introduction

Willa Cather （1873-1947） was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains. Some people even evaluate her as “the greatest female writer since the establishment of the United States” （Cather， “My ?ntonia” 2）. She was celebrated by national critics such as H.L. Mencken for writing in plainspoken language about ordinary people. Her works has ever been praised by Sinclair Lewis for making the outside world know Nebraska as no one else has done.

Willa Cather was born in Virginia in 1873. When she was nine years old， her family moved to Nebraska， a wild prairie area to be cultivated in the mid-west American， where she was acquainted with many immigrants from different parts of the world， especially from the northern and eastern Europe. Their different culture， region and custom were deeply printed in the mind of young Cather. Later in her writings， the prairie life has been fully displayed. “Susan Rosowski has written that Cather was the first to give immigrants heroic stature in serious American literature” （Stout 151）. Among her immigrant works， the most famous two frontier novels are O Pioneers！ and My ?ntonia.

Even though the enthusiasm for Willa Cather and her works has been raised to a higher and higher level in the Western world and China， there are always undetected profiles deserving researchers to carry on their intensive studies. According to the authors investigation， few learners study the two novels from the perspective of “garden” building. Only three essays are found to be published which mention “garden.” In Sun Hongs “Americanness to Multiplicity — the Review and Rethink of Willa Cather Study” （2007）， he mentions the “garden” meaning of Emerson， but what he mentions aims to support the idea of Americanness in Willa Cathers works. Though the other two study from the perspective of “garden，” they just research the relationship between garden， women and nature， such as Shi Xianjing and Zhu Xinfus “The Images of Garden and Women in Willa Cathers O Pioneers！.” However， this essay aims to probe into the process of “garden” building from the spiritual side to the material one of the two protagonists.

II. An Explanation of “Garden” Theory

“Garden，” for Emerson， in his Essays and Lectures， has an allegorical meaning. He writes， “A garden has this advantage， that it makes it indifferent where you live. A well-laid garden makes the face of the country of no account； let that be low or high， grand or mean， you have made a beautiful abode worthy of man. If the landscape is pleasing， the garden shows it，-if tame， it excludes it” （Emerson 215）. Therefore， for Emerson， the most important thing is not where people live， but how people live. In his eyes， no matter where people live， as long as they devote themselves into their small land， the piece of ground would be a “garden” for them.

Willa Cathers early prairie life in Nebraska enables her to be acquainted with the west and the life of immigrants. “In the vast prairie， the young Cather chased the wild ox on horseback， visited immigrant families and listened to the stories of the elders. The period of childhood experience imprinted deeply in her minds” （Yu 92）. She is familiar with the hard life of early days of immigrants and also sees the “garden” building after their perseverance and hard working. In Cathers famous frontier novels O Pioneers！ and My ?ntonia， the western life has been fully displayed. The “garden” building of the persistent immigrants is also fully displayed.

III. An Analysis of “Garden” Theory of the Two Novels

Alexandras fulfillment from a spiritual “garden” to a material one

The little town of Hanover， anchored on a windy Nebraska tableland， was trying not to be blown away. A mist of fine snowflakes was curling and eddying about the cluster of low drab buildings huddled on the gray prairie， under a gray sky. The dwelling-houses were set about haphazard on the tough prairie sod； some of them looked as if they had been moved in overnight and others as if they were straying off by themselves， headed straight for the open plain.

IV. Conclusion

Generally speaking， most of Cathers works have become famous in the world for their full-bodied flavor of the Midwest frontier and her portrayal of the profound spiritual world of women pioneers. Her writing style is simple， exquisite and expressive， and reflects profound social themes. Good at describing those women who seek to control their own destiny and maintain the integrity of their personality in that hard environment. She tries to make the passion overflowing within her works exalted for life， for the conquest of environment， and especially for the praise of women virtue.

Willa Cather praises spiritual beauty of female. She has been regarded as the prolocutor of American pioneering era and “the defender of spiritual beauty in the continuous process of material civilization” （Cather， “My ?ntonia” 2）. The female pioneers in her works build their own “gardens” with their splendid spiritual strength.

In O Pioneers！， Alexandra was the backbone of her family. She supported her family since her father died. She bought lands and learnt farming from others. She sent Emil for university. Facing hard times， she did not feel discouraged； facing the wild land， she set toward it with love and yearning and regarded it beautiful and rich and strong and glorious. There was a colorful “garden” living in her heart. At last， she made her real “garden” with orchard and silo and wheat-field and pasture.

In My ?ntonia， ?ntonia created a life of her own trajectory. Though lost father when she was a little girl， though deserted by Larry Donovan， ?ntonia never got frustrated. Being tough and persistent， she also owned her own real “garden” with apple orchard and grape arbor and a rough jungle of French pinks. What was the most important that she had a big harmonious family.

“The pioneers create a beautiful garden in the centre of Nebraska” （Shi Xianjing and Zhu Xinfu 111）. “In Nebraska prairie， they make a miracle of turning a waste and barren prairie to a fertile and rich place” （112）. It is their spiritual faith and perseverance that makes their material “garden” built. It is their passion that makes life better.

Nowadays， society， science and technology develop rapidly. The living conditions of modern people improve greatly. However， life for the youth of the time seems to be tough， especially for the post-1980s. The competition is fierce. The catchwords “Dwelling Narrowness” and “Naked Wedding” are coming from them. Some of them complain the unfairness of the society. The extremists of them even suicide or take vengeance on the society. However， the deeds are useless to them. What they should do is to learn from the above pioneers： it is indifferent where people live， as long as they devote themselves to the land， place and work they depend on， even the barren field could be cultivated to a colorful “garden.” They should face the world bravely and try to find the the things that suits them and color their own world.

References：

[1]Cather，Willa.Early novels & stories.New York：Library of America，1987.——My ?ntonia.Trans.Zhou，Weilin.Beijing：Peoples Literature Publishing House，2004.