Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Carl Linstrum

Carl is more than Alexandra's main squeeze in O Pioneers! He's also a good friend who's there to guide her toward realizing her full potential. Most importantly, they are able to share with each other the benefits and downsides of their different life paths: staying on the Divide vs. making it in the big city. Together, they find a kind of freedom in which they are both satisfied. For more on Carl and his relationship to Alexandra, head on over to his "Character Analysis."

John Bergson

Alexandra's father continues to shape and guide her life decades after his death. This is the guy who makes her promise not to abandon the family land, a promise she keeps all the way until the very end of the novel, when she resolves to return to the Divide after accompanying Carl in Alaska.

His portrait hangs conspicuously on a wall in Alexandra's house, and often gets referred to by different characters throughout the novel. We also learn quite a bit about his life story from Alexandra's conversations with Emil. This adds to the impression that her father's guiding spirit persists after his death, watching over Alexandra as she takes over his leadership position in the Bergson family.