After reading the novel, O Pioneers!, it was hard to judge whether it was a tragedy or a I think the answer you are looking forwould be a triumph. The only way I see it as atragedy is that Emil and Maria died. I knew, sincepage six of the book, that they were destined to betogether. It kind of broke my heart to see lateron that she had married someone else. But when herand Emil got shot, I thought it may finish as atragedy. But overall, I would see it as a triumphin the way that the Bergson’s finally got what theywanted out of their land. It made them rich. Also, Alexandra and Carl finally married. Andbeing that the whole novel was basically based on“the land”, they were triumphant in getting whatthey risked, what they longed for. In my opinion, I think the land broke thecharacters rather than the characters breaking theland. Of course the characters had to plant andsew the fields, but they did that every year. Ittook the forever, it seemed like, for the land tobreak them. That’s what the Bergson’s had workedfor their whole life. The land pulls the familytogether and makes them work hard to get what theywant,...money, happiness. It makes them happy. Soyes, the land does break them more than they breakthe land.In considering Cather’s characters, I don’tthink they become fully Americanized within ageneration. At the beginning of the novel, itseems like they are more in tuned with the rest ofAmerica. They are economically stable. But whenCarl comes back on his first visit, Lou and Oscarscorn him about burning Wall Street. Obviously,America is building and becoming more advanced. While still in Nebraska, people are relying ontheir crops to get them by. They are stilldwelling on their traits, beliefs, and actions thatpast generations had. Romantic love in this particular novel is veryhard to judge whether it is necessary for humanhappiness. I don’t think that it was mean...
