Willa Cather

Name: O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II
Author: Willa Cather

O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

Summary

“O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II”, published in 1913, is a work by Willa Cather. It explores elements such as John Bergson, Alexandra and homestead.

Quotes from O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (Willa Cather)

Willa Cather, O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

“ On one of the ridges of that wintry waste stood the low log house in which John Bergson was dying. The Bergson homestead was easier to find than many another, because it overlooked Norway Creek, a shallow, muddy stream that sometimes flowed, and sometimes stood still, at the bottom of a winding ravine with steep, shelving sides overgrown with brush and cottonwoods and dwarf ash. This creek gave a sort of identity to the farms that bordered upon it. Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening. ”

[↩︎]

Source: Wikisource

Willa Cather, O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

“ John Bergson had the Old-World belief that land, in itself, is desirable. But this land was an enigma. It was like a horse that no one knows how to break to harness, that runs wild and kicks things to pieces. He had an idea that no one understood how to farm it properly, and this he often discussed with Alexandra. Their neighbors, certainly, knew even less about farming than he did. Many of them had never worked on a farm until they took up their homesteads. ”

[↩︎]

Source: Wikisource

Willa Cather, O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

“ She was a good mother, but she was glad when her children were old enough not to be in her way in the kitchen. She had never quite forgiven John Bergson for bringing her to the end of the earth; but, now that she was there, she wanted to be let alone to reconstruct her old life in so far as that was possible. She could still take some comfort in the world if she had bacon in the cave, glass jars on the shelves, and sheets in the press. She disapproved of all her neighbors because of their slovenly housekeeping, and the women thought her very proud. ”

[↩︎]

Source: Wikisource

Willa Cather, O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

“ I want no quarrels among my children, and so long as there is one house there must be one head. Alexandra is the oldest, and she knows my wishes. She will do the best she can. If she makes mistakes, she will not make so many as I have made. When you marry, and want a house of your own, the land will be divided fairly, according to the courts. But for the next few years you will have it hard, and you must all keep together. Alexandra will manage the best she can. ”

[↩︎]

Source: Wikisource

Willa Cather, O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

“ Oscar, who was usually the last to speak, replied because he was the older, "Yes, father. It would be so anyway, without your speaking. We will all work the place together."
"And you will be guided by your sister, boys, and be good brothers to her, and good sons to your mother? That is good. And Alexandra must not work in the fields any more. There is no necessity now. Hire a man when you need help. She can make much more with her eggs and butter than the wages of a man. It was one of my mistakes that I did not find that out sooner. Try to break a little more land every year ”

[↩︎]

Source: Wikisource

Willa Cather, O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

“ His boys were willing enough to work, but when he talked with them they usually irritated him. It was Alexandra who read the papers and followed the markets, and who learned by the mistakes of their neighbors. It was Alexandra who could always tell about what it had cost to fatten each steer, and who could guess the weight of a hog before it went on the scales closer than John Bergson himself. Lou and Oscar were industrious, but he could never teach them to use their heads about their work. ”

[↩︎]

Source: Wikisource

Willa Cather, O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (1913)

“ He speculated, lost his own fortune and funds entrusted to him by poor seafaring men, and died disgraced, leaving his children nothing. But when all was said, he had come up from the sea himself, had built up a proud little business with no capital but his own skill and foresight, and had proved himself a man. ”

Willa Cather

Summary

Quotes from O Pioneers! — The Wild Land, II (Willa Cather)

Common terms

Similar works

Get perspective with Kwize: daily news enlightened by great literature