Character Analysis
Now, we know that Lou Bergson gets a bad rap in O Pioneers! Not surprisingly, this also rubs off on his wife, Annie Lee. If Lou is portrayed as embittered and resentful about his social standing, then Annie Lee comes across as a sly, provincial social climber.
Let's take a look.
For one, there's her clothing. She's "bedecked with rings and chains and 'beauty pins'," she wears uncomfortable high-heeled shoes, and she spends the whole dinner telling her children not to spill anything on her dress (2.3.3). Without saying it outright, the narrator implies that Annie Lee is trying a little too hard to look the part of a high-class lady.
Well, she's not fooling anyone.
And then, there's the discussion about Crazy Ivar. Annie Lee takes it upon herself to question Alexandra's decision to take Ivar in and let him live in her barn. Check out what she has to say:
"But don't you sort of hate to have people see him around here, Alexandra?" she went on with persuasive smoothness. "He is a disgraceful object, and you're fixed up so nice now. It sort of makes people distant with you, when they never know when they'll hear him scratching about." (2.3.11)
This statement definitely helps portray Annie Lee as superficial and unsympathetic. While Alexandra identifies with Ivar's outsider status and genuinely wants to help him, people like Annie Lee are only really concerned with what others think about them.