When most stories about the Midwest pop up, they're usually of the triumphant cowboys who fight bad guys and save desert towns. For as fun as the western genre is, it isn't a complete portrait of America as it evolved over the 19th century. Willa Cather knows this better than anyone and produced a handful of fiction that perfectly captured the joys of smalltown life. In a Nordic community inhabited in the norther corners of the Midwest, the story unfolds with a simple view of a world that was starting to take shape. Every small innovation is complimented by traditions and community that build something endearing and sweet along the way. It's in these small, episodic encounters that life happens. As a result, it's one of the purest, more enduring portraits that American fiction has produced.
A major reason that "O Pioneers" resonates is because of how few novels are written about the region it takes place in. While the winters can be miserable, there's other ways that characters pass the time and hold onto their religious values. As they contemplate love and business, Cather reflects how much joy is had in small conversations. The actions illuminate life in an area that isn't known for stimulating year-round entertainment. The documentation allows for the reader to feel engrossed while the personal angle unifies the familiarity of existence. Time marches forward and the characters change, but there's still something recognizable in them that's worth rooting for. Like the best of fiction, this encapsulation embodies something unique to its author. Thankfully, it serves as a piece of historical fiction that is unlike many other works. It's a lot simpler than an action story, but it's just as exciting and page-turning as the best of them.
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