Willa Cather’s novels are often seen by students as being overly ‘common’ in their depiction of frontier life in Nebraska. Perhaps this is the reason why so many individuals tend to question her placement of specific elements of her stories, such as the segment entitled “Winter Memories” in her novel O Pioneers. While the novel essentially follows the love stories of two different couples, this segment is devoid of the male influence, relating Alexandra’s life almost exclusively with only the occasional foray into her world by the ‘loose’ Marie, a married woman romantically linked with Alexandra’s youngest brother. However, a close reading of the first line of the segment reveals Cather’s intentions in including this portion of the story which are reinforced throughout as she continues to emphasize the idea of women being free to be themselves.
The first sentence of this segment makes it clear that Cather is attempting to give her female characters a chance to understand their true desires and intentions free of the male influence. The first words one reads upon turning the page to this segment are: “Winter has settled down over the Divide again; the season in which Nature recuperates, in which she sinks to sleep between the fruitfulness of autumn and the passion of spring” (Cather, p. 81). During this period in time, women were largely the subject of the men they were associated with, being required to acquiesce to male ideas and plans. This has been demonstrated throughout the book as Marie exists in a loveless marriage to Frank Shabata and Alexandra has refused her own longtime love interest, Carl Lindstrum, in deference to her brothers’ petty jealousies. Following this segment, the two women will be required to make decisions based on how they feel about the men in their lives, free of the influence of others. This segment, as Cather makes clear, is the season in which women, frequently associated closely with concepts of Nature, are given time to recuperate, to relearn who they are and what they want for themselves.
As the women settle back into their normal routines, free of male influence and design, Cather illustrates the freedom this represents for them in the arrival of Mrs. Lee to Alexandra’s farm. “Here she could wear her nightcap and sleep with all her windows shut, listen to Ivar reading the Bible, and here she could run about among the stables in a pair of Emil’s old boots. Though she was bent almost double, she was as spry as a gopher” (Cather, p. 81). They are able to create their own schedules, discuss what is important to them without any of the men around to tell them they are silly or unimportant. Marie points out how Frank laughs at her for fussing over the flowers in the winter even though he obviously enjoys having them bloom while Mrs. Lee obviously enjoys her freedom in everything she does with the other women.
However, this quiet time is also the time the women have to learn more about themselves and to reflect upon their lives and what they want out of them. As she considers her life with Frank, Marie begins to realize that she is exactly the wrong sort of woman for him even as she fantasizes about exploring the world with Emil. As she reflects on her influence over her husband, she begins to shrink into herself, considering that she must be the reason Frank is considered so unlikable among their neighbors. As she shrinks into herself, she also begins to find herself and discover what it is she wants. This time of hibernation to discover the self is mentioned in Alexandra’s observations of her friend. “She seemed to be brooding over something, and holding something back” (Cather, p. 87). Yet the reader is aware of Marie’s awakening to the pulses of life suggested by the promise of the coming spring.
At the same time, Alexandra herself is portrayed as a woman in a period of stasis, just on the verge of emerging in the full bloom of spring promise. In section two of “Winter Memories,” it is said “her personal life, her own realization of herself, was almost a subconscious existence; like an underground river that came to the surface only here and there, at intervals months apart, and then sank again to flow on under her own fields” (Cather 88). This description foreshadows the productive nature of her future as compared to the merely wild nature awaiting Marie. This idea is also reinforced in Alexandra’s fantasies about the corn man as a fruitful individual who would one day carry her away to happiness she only dared dream of in her most idle moments. However, as the winter wears on, the fantasy is shown to have gained strength and purpose, leading her toward her decisions later in the novel.
Thus, through her portrayals of the various female characters throughout this chapter, Cather illustrates the importance of providing women with the opportunity to be free with their thoughts and ideas to determine what they want for themselves without any of the requirements or necessities of caring for men. While Mrs. Lee is able to more fully experience what makes her joyful without restrictions and Alexandra is able to determine what she wants for herself to help her live a more fruitful and productive life, Marie, who is still encumbered with the presence of men in her home, ends up pursuing a life of freedom that leads only to death.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. O Pioneers. Whitefish, MT: Kassinger Publishing, 2004.