grandmother is evident in her kitchen. For example, we learn about Mrs. Burden's fear of things that are foreign when she throws away the mushrooms that Mrs. Shimerda had given her as a gift. This is the area with which she seems to be most at ease. She is not afraid to say what she has on her mind. Mrs. Shimerda is a housewife, much the same way Mrs. Burden is. She cooks for her family and tends to her children. Until after her husband's death, she rarely worked outdoors. Mrs. Shimerda appears to be stuck up and prissy like a cat in her mannerisms towards others. She is especially conceited and nasty with Mrs. Burden. Some instances that prove this are when she sees the pots that the Burden family has and brags that if she had the same material possessions she could do better in making the most use of them. She is portrayed as jealous upon her first visit to the Burden family’s home. She examines the interior decorations of the house and complains to her daughter. Mrs. Shimerda is the money-hungry, dignified woman, whose hopes revolve around the moneymaking abilities of her eldest son. This supports that women are supposedly materialistic. Mrs. Harling's emotional qualities are introduced to us in book two. She is described as, “quick to anger, quick to laughter, and jolly from the depths of her soul” (Cather 96). You do not hear men described in these terms. Men are always described as rugged, quiet, wise, and violent. Mrs. Harling portrays Mother Nature when she is gardening. The children felt separated once she took on the task of planting. Mrs. Harling plays the role of the peacekeeper when her husband was at home. She turned all her attention to him. She was at his beck and call placing her in the role of the servant. Mrs. Harling also seems to be stuck up and prissy, like the personality of a cat when she is contrasted to Mrs. Shimerda. She is critical of Lena Lingard's personality and behaviors. She gossips about the hired girls with her friends. This is stereotypically a female trait. Antonia also fits into the typical female roles at different stages. In the section of the novel that parallels a scene in the Garden of Eden, Antonia plays the helpless damsel in distress. She clings to Jim and feeds his self-image by stating how brave he is. She encourages Jim to show everyone how he killed the snake. When in the field, Antonia takes on the form of “Mother Earth”. She embodies all that the frontier women is thought to be. She is a cook, a gardener, a mother, and a wife. Some insight is gained through examining Jim Burden's ideas of what is acceptable behavior for a woman. Jim often tells us about what he feels is inappropriate for Antonia. Until after the death of Antonia’s father, the change that takes place between Jim and her

Some topics in this essay:
Lena Lingard's, Throughout Antonia, Jim Jim, Jim Burden's, Willa Cather, Eden Antonia, Mother Nature, Portrayal Women, Lena Lingard, Miss Lingard, willa cather, own businesses, american dream, hired girls, jim burden's, town girls, women antonia, male society, stuck prissy, “mother earth”,