O Pioneers!

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1913

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

In what way(s) does Alexandra embody the Nebraskan landscape? How does Cather personify the land itself? Include three quotes from the text to support your answer.

In what way(s) is Alexandra a subversive character? How does Cather complicate this characterization in the final chapters of the novel? What does this characterization reveal about Cather’s themes?

Why do Oscar and Lou fail to get along with Alexandra? Who or what is to blame for the divisions in the Bergson family?