A Deconstructive Study Of Willa Cather's O Pioneers!

Willa Cather is generally considered as a celebrator of the American West. Her fiction enjoys everlasting fame and stands the test of time for her serious attitude, profound theme and unique writing style. O Pioneers! is Cather's first mature Nebraska novel as well as the cornerstone of her literary fame. Based on an abundance of research at home and abroad, this thesis attempts to interpret the novel from the perspective of deconstruction to expose her contradictive attitudes towards the prairie life and to reveal the causes of the contradictions.This thesis is divided into six chapters. Chapter One provides a brief introduction of Willa Cather and O Pioneers!, and then gives a literature review of this novel. Chapter Two concerns the deconstructive criticism, discussing its origin and development, and the theories of some major critics. Chapter Three focuses on three pairs of "binary opposition" in the novel:urban areas/rural areas, material/spirit, and equality/discrimination. The former of each pair is often considered to be the truth and the latter is neglected. However, the latter is of great importance too. Sometimes it is more important than the former. In Willa Cather's times, rural areas are more important than urban areas in the historical development of the country. Richness does not bring happiness to Alexandra and other immigrants but loneliness. This novel mainly reveals discrimination among immigrants not equality. Chapter Four is an exploration of the causes for the contradictions, which are the social background, geography and Willa Cather's own experiences. Chapter Five gives a deconstructive reading of Alexandra, regarding her as a link between the old and the new civilizations, and analyzes her displaced role and her future.With an analysis of the novel, this thesis concludes that the novel does not construct an ideal life in paradise, but a real frontier life with the juxtaposition of contradictions. People can not get rid of the influence of the modern civilization.