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Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Antonia, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
On the prairie, Jim and Ántonia's friendship is uncomplicated by the experiences and prejudices of adulthood. Though they come from different backgrounds and social classes and are members of the opposite sex, they are too young for these differences to matter. But even though Jim clings to the simplicities of youth, he can't stop time's advance and the maturity it brings.
Jim and Ántonia's move from the prairie into town signifies their first steps toward adulthood, and as they mature they grow farther apart. Both characters struggle with the emotional, physical, and sexual changes of adolescence. For Ántonia, the death of her father, the social complexities of town life, and an unexpected pregnancy force her into an early maturity. On the other hand, Jim's entrance into adulthood comes largely when he leaves Black Hawk for college. It is only when he moves to Lincoln (the capital of Nebraska) and has his first serious relationship with a woman, Lena, that Jim begins to view his childhood friendship with Ántonia as the purest, most uncomplicated love one person can have for another.
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Innocence and Maturity ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Innocence and Maturity appears in each chapter of My Antonia. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
How often theme appears:
chapter length:
Chapter
Introduction
Int
Book 1, Chapter 1
1.1
Book 1, Chapter 2
1.2
Book 1, Chapter 3
1.3
Book 1, Chapter 4
1.4
Book 1, Chapter 5
1.5
Book 1, Chapter 6
1.6
Book 1, Chapter 7
1.7
Book 1, Chapter 8
1.8
Book 1, Chapter 9
1.9
Book 1, Chapter 10
1.10
Book 1, Chapter 11
1.11
Book 1, Chapter 12
1.12
Book 1, Chapter 13
1.13
Book 1, Chapter 14
1.14
Book 1, Chapter 15
1.15
Book 1, Chapter 16
1.16
Book 1, Chapter 17
1.17
Book 1, Chapter 18
1.18
Book 1, Chapter 19
1.19
Book 2, Chapter 1
2.1
Book 2, Chapter 2
2.2
Book 2, Chapter 3
2.3
Book 2, Chapter 4
2.4
Book 2, Chapter 5
2.5
Book 2, Chapter 6
2.6
Book 2, Chapter 7
2.7
Book 2, Chapter 8
2.8
Book 2, Chapter 9
2.9
Book 2, Chapter 10
2.10
Book 2, Chapter 11
2.11
Book 2, Chapter 12
2.12
Book 2, Chapter 13
2.13
Book 2, Chapter 14
2.14
Book 2, Chapter 15
2.15
Book 3, Chapter 1
3.1
Book 3, Chapter 2
3.2
Book 3, Chapter 3
3.3
Book 3, Chapter 4
3.4
Book 4, Chapter 1
4.1
Book 4, Chapter 2
4.2
Book 4, Chapter 3
4.3
Book 4, Chapter 4
4.4
Book 5, Chapter 1
5.1
Book 5, Chapter 2
5.2
Book 5, Chapter 3
5.3
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Innocence and Maturity Quotes in My Antonia
Below you will find the important quotes in My Antonia related to the theme of Innocence and Maturity.
Introduction Quotes
During that burning day when we were crossing Iowa, our talk kept returning to a central figure, a Bohemian girl whom we had both known long ago. More than any other person we remembered, this girl seemed to mean to us the country, the conditions, the whole adventure of our childhood.
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An unnamed narrator has introduced her old friend James Burden, known as Jim. Both of them now live in New York, though they grew up together in Nebraska. The narrator has recalled running into Jim on a train to Iowa, and in this passage states that their conversation was dominated by "a central figure"––Ántonia. It is clear from the moment Ántonia is introduced that she will have a vital, even mystical significance within the novel. The narrator admits that, to her and to Jim, she represented "the country, the conditions, the whole adventure of our childhood." Even before the reader Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati
Book 1, Chapter 2 Quotes
I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge.
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Jim has described his new life in Black Hawk, which is calm and pleasant. At one point, his grandmother takes him into the garden to dig potatoes, and after she leaves he remains lying under the sun, reflecting on his happiness about being in nature. Jim imagines that when people die, they "become a part of something entire," and this idea of unity with natural forces pleases him. His thoughts illustrate the sacred status of the natural world within the novel. Indeed, although the characters are Christian, Jim's words depict a kind of pagan spirituality based around respect and reverence Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperior
Book 1, Chapter 7 Quotes
This was enough for Ántonia. She liked me better from that time on, and she never took a supercilious air with me again. I had killed a big snake – I was now a big fellow.
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Jim has confessed that although he likedÁntonia, it bothered him that she would speak to him in a superior tone because she was older. He recalls an occasion when he andÁntonia decided to dig into the prairie-dog holes, only to be attacked by a rattlesnake. Jim kills the snake with a spade, impressingÁntonia; in this passage, Jim announces that "she never took a supercilious air with me again." On one level, this story reflects the kind of innocent dynamics of power and courage that dominate childhood friendships. Despite the danger the snake poses, Jim frames the whole episode as an Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit
Book 1, Chapter 16 Quotes
The road from the north curved a little to the south; so that the grave, with its tall red grass that was never mowed, was like a little island; and at twilight, under a new moon or the clear evening star, the dusty roads used to look like soft grey rivers flowing past it. I never came upon the place without emotion, and in all that country it was the spot most dear to me."
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Mr. Shimerda's funeral has taken place, and his body has been buried on a corner of the Shimerda's land. Jim remarks that years later, roads were built at that point, and the grave becomes the only site at which the grass isn't mowed. Jim describes his strong emotional attachment to the spot, claiming that it became the place he most loved in the entire prairie. This statement is at first a little surprising, as we would likely expect the grave to be a sad reminder of Mr. Shimerda's suffering and misfortune. However, Jim's description of the grave's natural beauty shows Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam volup
Book 1, Chapter 19 Quotes
"Why aren't you always nice like this, Tony?" "How nice?"
"Why, just like this; like yourself. Why do you all the time try to be like Ambrosch?"
She put her arms under her head and lay back, looking up at the sky. "If I live here, like you, that is different. Things will be easy for you. But they will be hard for us."
"Why, just like this; like yourself. Why do you all the time try to be like Ambrosch?"
She put her arms under her head and lay back, looking up at the sky. "If I live here, like you, that is different. Things will be easy for you. But they will be hard for us."
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School is out for summer, and Jim andÁntonia have been spending more time together. One night, while they sit on a roof to watch a lightning storm, Jim asks whyÁntonia isn't always "nice like this."Ántonia replies that life is different for her family than for Jim, and this is why she behaves as she does.Ántonia's response shows that she has understood that there is a division between herself and Jim––a division born out of economic disparities, and that will widen as they grow older. Her prediction that "things... will be hard for us" is correct: while Jim eventually goes to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et.
Book 2, Chapter 8 Quotes
Yet the summer which was to change everything was coming nearer every day. When boys and girls are growing up, life can't stand still, not even in the quietest of country towns; and they have to grow up, whether they will or no. That is what their elders are always forgetting.
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Jim has stated that he and the Harling children were never happier than in the first weeks of spring, when they helped Mrs. Harling andÁntonia garden after the end of winter. However, this idyllic scene is overshadowed by the coming summer, which Jim hints will "change everything." His description of the way that time moves for young people further emphasizes the idea that the coming events will prompt a loss of innocence. Indeed, Jim's words highlight a subtle connection between the innocence of children and the innocence of "the quietest of country towns"; like the land itself, children begin life Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mol
Book 2, Chapter 14 Quotes
Even while we whispered about it, our vision disappeared; the ball dropped and dropped until the red tip went beneath the earth. The fields below us were dark, the sky was growing pale, and that forgotten plough had sunk back to its own littleness somewhere on the prairie.
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Jim,Ántonia, Lena, and their friends have all been picking elderflowers, and that evening they watch the sunset cast light dramatically behind a plough that has been left in the field. The sun's light magnifies the impression of the plough, and the friends feel that the sight is especially meaningful. When the sun sets, however, the plough sinks "back to its own littleness." The fleeting nature of the moment highlights the speedy passage of time and the transience of youth. Indeed, Jim's observation that "even while we whispered about it, our vision disappeared" illustrates how quickly and suddenly eras of life Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia.
Book 4, Chapter 1 Quotes
I was bitterly disappointed in her [Ántonia]. I could not forgive her for becoming an object of pity, while Lena Lingard, for whom people had always foretold trouble, was now the leading dressmaker of Lincoln, much respected in Black Hawk.
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The summer after finishing college and before he begins studying at Harvard Law School, Jim returns to Black Hawk. Here, he learns thatÁntonia is pregnant, and that her fiancee has deserted her; meanwhile, Lena Lingard is incredibly successful, "the leading dressmaker in Lincoln." The disparity between the two girls' fates highlights how dramatically the lives of people who grew up together can diverge. Indeed, Jim points to the unpredictability of the course of life when he mentions that "people had always foretold trouble" for Lena. This further proves the ignorance of people's judgments and expectations of recent immigrants.Jim's feelings aboutÁntonia's Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qu
Book 4, Chapter 4 Quotes
As I went back alone over that familiar road, I could almost believe that a boy and girl ran along beside me, as our shadows used to do, laughing and whispering to each other in the grass.
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Jim has gone to seeÁntonia at the Shimerda's farm, where she looks thin and worn down. They have a warm, pleasant conversation, and as Jim goes to leave, Ántoniatells him that his presence remains with her on the prairie, just as her father's does. As Jim walks away, he imagines a boy and girl running alongside him––the ghosts (or "shadows," continuing the novel's imagery of light) of his andÁntonia's childhood selves. This image emphasizes the way in which the past remains part of the present. Just asÁntonia feels Jim's lingering presence in the prairie, so does Jim imagine that he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Oc
Book 5, Chapter 1 Quotes
She was a battered woman now, not a lovely girl; but she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that somehow revealed the meaning in common things. She had only to stand in the orchard, to put her hand on a little crab tree and look up at the apples, to make you feel the goodness of planting and tending and harvesting at last. All the strong things of her heart came out in her body, that had been so tireless in serving generous emotions.
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Jim has avoided going to seeÁntonia for 20 years, fearing how it would feel to see her as an old woman. When he finally returns to see her, they at first don't recognize each other. In this passage, Jim describes her as "a battered old woman," but adds that she still possesses the same vigor that emanates from her ability to find "meaning in the common things." Jim's words illustrate the way in which the past can live on within the present––although she has been worn out by a life of hard work and struggle,Ántonia's personality remains the same, and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis.
In my memory there was a succession of such pictures, fixed there like the old woodcuts of one's first primer: Ántonia kicking her bare legs against the sides of my pony when we came home in triumph with our snake; Ántonia in her black shawl and fur cap, as she stood by her father's grave in the snowstorm; Ántonia coming in with her work-team along the evening sky.
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Jim has metÁntonia's children, andÁntonia has shown him photographs she keeps of when they were young. That night, Jim sleeps next toÁntonia's children and brings to mind memories ofÁntonia, which appear like "old woodcuts" in his mind. In each memory,Ántonia is slightly different, both in terms of the situation she is in and her stage of development. Each image involves a feature of the natural landscape: in the first, the pony and snake, in the second, the snowstorm, and in the third, the evening sky. Taken together, they traceÁntonia's growing maturity as she is faced with increasingly difficult challenges in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Re
Book 5, Chapter 3 Quotes
For Ántonia and for me, this had been the road of Destiny; had taken us to those early accidents of fortune which predetermined for us all that we can ever be. Now I understood that the same road was to bring us together again. Whatever we had missed, we possessed together the precious, the incommunicable past.
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Jim has leftÁntonia's farm, promising to return soon. He takes the train to Black Hawk, only to find that most of his old friends are not there, having died or moved away. He watches the sunset and reflects on the fact that, although "fortune" has led him and Ántonia to live vastly different lives, they are inevitably bound together by "the precious, the incommunicable past." These thoughts highlight the way in which the past, present, and future are implicated in one another. Although they could not have known it at the time, Jim andÁntonia's futures were "predetermined" by small moments Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut ve
