"Flaming"! "Singing"! "Flashing"! Youth! The poem at the beginning of O Pioneers!, Cather's own "Prairie Spring," is more than a little excited about young people. So, what does that mean for the rest of the novel? First of all, when we think about youth in O Pioneers!, we definitely think of the tragic affair between Emil Bergson and Marie Shabata. In that case, their youth gets the better of them, and their fling is spoiled by Frank's anger, jealously and shortsightedness. In this way, youth becomes something ambiguous in O Pioneers! Similar to nature, youth isn't something inherently positive or negative; it brings with it a whole bunch of forces and impulses to be reckoned with.
Questions About Youth
- The epigraph, "Prairie Spring," makes it seem like O Pioneers! is a novel all about youth and nature. How accurate of an impression is that?
- Do Emil and Marie just represent the bad and good sides of youth, or is it more complicated?
- What is the connection between youth (fullness) and pioneers?
Chew on This
Youth is both part of and opposed to nature, which makes it as both innocent and guilty when it comes to the hardships of these characters' lives.
Alexandra's "fatalism" and "impervious calm" set her apart from the youthful energy of Emil and Marie, but it's because she is spared the troubles of youth that she is finally able to realize her freedom to control her destiny.