nd so busy in tending their land, that they really had no time for themselves. Alexandra is a very good example of this. She spent so much of her time worrying about the land and her family, that she had no time in perusing her wishes of falling in love and marrying Carl. Throughout the novel, she had a recurring dream that a big and strong man picked up all of her burdens. Family lives were also affected by the stresses and burdens of tending the land. Family ties became strained or not evident because all of the time and energy had to be devoted to the land. Sons did not have healthy relationships with their working fathers. Daughters and mothers suffered the same fate as fathers and sons. However, some pioneers were able to sustain a healthy family atmosphere as proven by Amedee and his wife and son. Husbands and wives divorced because their love for each other became strained due to the time spent working the land. They had no time for each other. Frank and Marie’s situation is a prime example of this problem (even though her flirtasous spirit was not much help).Willa Cather did a very good job by portraying the real life situations that American pioneers had to face. This novel opened the eyes of the American public to the courage these pioneers must have had to venture out on to wild and un-charted land. It also opened the heart, of the American public, to these pioneers because of the hardships and burdens these pioneers had to face. As one reads this novel, it is very easy to feel nothing but the utmost respect for these pioneers because they underwent so much turmoil, that very few others during this time, went through. These pioneers were family oriented and wanted nothing but the best possible for their families. The pioneer men back during this time were real men and the pioneer women during this time were real women....
