My Ántonia Foreignness and 'The Other' Quotes Page 1
Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
| Quote #1 [Jim]: "People who don't like this country ought to stay at home," I said severely. "We don't make them come here." (1.13.5) |
It's worth noting that Jim and Ántonia's first real fight is on the topic of immigration. Jim feels defensive about his country, while Ántonia is similarly defensive about her family's status.
| Quote #2 "They ain't the same, Jimmy," he kept saying in a hurt tone. "These foreigners ain't the same. You can't trust 'em to be fair." (1.15.18) |
As portrayed in My Ántonia, the Americans in this time and place have a particular mindset when it comes to immigrants. They've set up families like the Shimerdas as complete outsiders. This represents part of the difficulty in breaking down the social barriers.
| Quote #3 There never were such people as the Shimerdas for wanting to give away everything they had. Even the mother was always offering me things, though I knew she expected substantial presents in return. (1.6.12) |
This is one example of the cultural differences that stand between Jim and Ántonia. The Shimerdas simply have a different way of doing things. Ántonia's mother, for example, thinks it is her right to take a pot or two from the Burdens if they're not using all their crockery.
