Women And Their Environment--A Study Of The Women Characters In Willa Cather's Three Novels: O Pioneers!, My Antonia, And A Lost Lady

This dissertation discusses the relationship between women characters and their environment in Willa Cather's three novels: O Pioneers, MyAntonia, and A Lost Lady.For a long time, Willa Cather's works have been discussed from different angles. Many critics put their emphasis on the pioneering spirit Miss Cather cherishes or on the point whether Cather is a feminist or not. My dissertation mainly from feminist approaches tries to analyze feminine traits and womanhood so as to prove women's power and influence, the interrelation between them and their environment.The whole dissertation consists of five parts: an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion.Chapter One examines women characters' environment. Like their fathers and brothers, women in the pioneer times face the problem of survival and livelihood on the prairie. They must transform themselves and the world in order to survive. Besides, rigid social environment is not favorable for them. Social conventions and the misogynous concepts restrict women's autonomy and freedom.Chapter Two analyzes women's frustrations. Like their mothers and grand mothers, women are forced to marginal positions. In order to develop themselves, and realize their ideals, they have to surmount many setbacks. Different types of women suffer different types of frustrations including those in family, marriage, society and economy. But their most grievous failure lies in tackling human relations, which the independent women are inevitably to encounter when going out into the world.Chapter Three deals with women's power and influence. Although they are besieged by unfavorable and ruinous surroundings, women display their power and influence forcefully. As civilization transmitters, traditional women contribute a great deal to influencing and converting their environment, showing special ability in transforming the wild world into a wealthy land, carrying the merits from old civilization to the newly established homestead.Independent women are capable to establish garden on the wild land and of spirit. Most importantly, women display crucial influence over human relations. After long time of experiences, outstanding women like Alexandra and Antonia succeed in founding harmonious family institution that is neither suffocating nor oppressive. They fulfil women's long-time quest and ideal for happy marriage based on equality and mutual respect.Therefore, women's environment provides both unfavorable and beneficial context for women's development. Women influence and even transform their environment with outstanding traits. The relationship between women and their environment is interactive. The depiction about women and their environment shows that Willa Cather concerns herself with women's situation in society and that she holds a positive attitude toward women's power and influence.