An Exploration Of Antonia’s Growth In My Antonia From The Perspective Of Initiation Story

In the first half of the twentieth century,there is one of the most influential American novelists called Willa Silbert Cather.She is best known for her novels and stories depicting the early years of Nebraska.In her works,Cather both praises the hard pioneer spirit and mourns the passing of a time in which such a spirit could exist.And her reputation is mainly based on an extraordinary ability to capture the sense of place and a meticulous craftsmanship that combines a very clear prose style with effective use of myth and symbol.As many foreign and Chinese scholars analyze Cather’s female figures by means of feminist theory,without giving much attention to the initiation of the female protagonist Antonia,this paper intends to explore the Antonia’s laborious journey to initiation in Cather’s novel My Antonia.Based on the four components existing in Americaninitiation story,the protagonist,the guide,the companion and the epiphany,the paper clarifies Antonia’s initiation from the three stages related to the process of her growth: from being innocent to entering the complicated society,from losing innocence to suffering from hardships and confusions,and from facing disappointment and humiliation bravely to achieving epiphany and maturity.Guided by the theory of initiation story to interpret My Antonia,this study reveals the female protagonist’s hard growth process and reflects Cather’s attention to issues about female growth.It not only deepens readers’ understanding of the novel,but also succeeds in evoking people’s contemplation on actual reasons behind female growth as well as encouraging females to pursue their happiness and self-worth bravely.