Portrait of Willa Cather
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On the Prairie: A Summary of O Pioneers
We are introduced to John Bergson family when his daughter Alexandra goes into town to speak with a doctor about her father's condition. She brings along her neighbor and friend, Carl Linstrom, and her little brother Emil. After several misadventures on the part of Emil and Carl, the group heads home to their farms on the prairie.
When Alexandra arrives back at the farm, her father wants to talk with her. John is a hardworking man who built his farm up from nothing, and knows that he must give it to Alexandra in order for it to survive. His trust in her ability to care for her brothers and the farm is something that gives him peace on his deathbed. Before passing, he gives advice to all of his children on how to care for what he has left them. The children also receive advice from Crazy Ivar, a local horse expert. The only one to heed the advice is Alexandra.
After a drought hits the Divide, their area of the Prairie, many families leave their farms and move elsewhere, including Carl's family. Alexandra's other brothers, Lou and Oscar, are both lazy, and suggest that they should move too. Alexandra disagrees and figures out another way of farming that will be successful. She eventually talks her brothers into staying and taking out an additional mortgage to buy more land.
Thirteen years after this decision, Alexandra has become the most successful farmer in the Divide. Her brother Emil returns from college and begins to develop feelings for Maria Shabata, an exotic Bohemian girl who lives on the next farm. Maria is married to the surly Frank, who is unhappy with being a farmer and takes it out on his wife.
Meanwhile, various farmers meet to discuss Crazy Ivar and the possibility of putting him in an asylum. Alexandra instead brings Ivar to her farm, despite her brothers' concerns. Later that day, Carl returns for a visit. Alexandra is excited by Carl's stay, but her brothers Lou and Oscar are suspicious.
Emil and Marie get closer, and push the boundary of propriety with their behavior. Emil loves Marie, even though she is married. After talking with his friend Amedee at the fair, he decides to move to Mexico to get away from his feelings. Emil returns home to the farm to tell Alexandra about his decision, and finds her fighting with Lou and Oscar over Carl. Alexandra is furious at Lou and Oscar for their interference, especially after they convince Carl to move to Alaska. Lou, Oscar, and their wives are jealous of Alexandra's success, and covet her farm for their children to inherit. They see Carl as a possible impediment to that goal. After Emil tells Alexandra his decision, she is devastated that both Carl and Emil will be leaving her.
After Carl and Emil leave, the winter comes, and Alexandra's sister-in-law's mother, Mrs. Lee, comes to stay with her. Alexandra is melancholy during this time, as is Marie, who looks back on her life with Frank and is dissatisfied. Alexandra begins to have daydreams of a man made of corn, who will take care of her.
The next June, Emil returns from Mexico City, and speaks with Marie about their feelings. She loves him too, but cannot run away with him. Emil decides to return to Mexico, but before he does, Amedee dies suddenly, and he attends the funeral. When he goes to say goodbye to Marie, Frank catches them, and shoots them both, running away afterwards.
Ivar finds Emil's horse the next day, and follows it to the orchard where he discovers the bodies. After the murders, Alexandra is exhausted and devastated. She decides to get Frank pardoned, as she feels some sympathy for him. While she is doing that, Carl comes back. He had heard about Emil's murder in Alaska, and wanted to come home to be there for Alexandra. They decide to get married.
Willa
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What a Man, What a Corn Man: Analysis of O Pioneers
The loneliness of the prairie in O Pioneers! translates in the loneliness of the characters. Alexandra suppresses her emotions and desires, and pours them into the land. Eventually, she marries Carl as a cure for that loneliness.
Another theme is the idea of land as its own character. This is most notably expressed in Alexandra's imagined 'corn man' who would come to relieve her of her stress and fatigue. The corn man is mentioned twice: after Carl and Emil leave, and after Emil and Marie's murders.
Lesson Summary
Willa Cather's O Pioneers! is an insight into the lives of Americans who settled the frontier. The Bergson family, most particularly Alexandra, adapt with the land through many struggles and trials. It is only through Alexandra's strength of will that she survives her struggles, and keeps the farm going.
