Annika Lee
AML 2149
Many would agree that Willa Cather’s “O Pioneers!” would fit Garrad’s definition of pastoral, “any literature that describes the country with an implicit or explicit contrast to the urban,” (Garrard, 33) simply by reading the novel. Eco-critic Lawrence Buell, however, has four distinct criteria for nature writing, all of which are met by “O Pioneers!”
The first is “the nonhuman environment is present not merely as a framing device but as a presence that begins to suggest that human history is implicated in natural history,” (Garrard, 53). Throughout part I of the novel, those living in Hanover, including the Bergson’s, are in a constant struggle with the land they are trying to make a life out of. Seeing as “many of them had never worked on a farm until they took up their homesteads,” (Cather, 15) the land shaped human history by introducing a new lifestyle of farming and agriculture. Even during “three years of drought and failure” when “farmers…had to give up their land,“ (Cather 32) nature instilled a kind of resilience in some families, namely the Bergsons, until the land they put so much effort into became fruitful in part II.
The second criterion is that “the human interest is not understood to be the only legitimate interest,” (Garrard, 53). This is mainly portrayed through the characters Marie and Ivar, as they display concern for nature’s interest. Both have a deep respect for animals, neither able to bear witness to their suffering. In chapter 4 of part II, Marie accompanies Emil while he hunts, only to become overcome with regret when she sees the dead ducks. Meanwhile Ivar does not allow guns on his property in order for animals to have a safe haven at his pond. This ties into the third criterion, “human accountability to the environment is part of the text’s ethical orientation,” (Garrard, 53). It is saying that humans must use the environment responsibly and respectfully in order for it to reach full potential. Alexandra was willing to try anything to make her land profitable. She went to the “river country” to pick up new farming techniques only to become enlightened, realizing her land is valuable and could be prosperous. It was this dedication to the land that enabled it to give back to her via bountiful crops.
Buell’s fourth criterion that “some sense of the environment as a process rather than as a constant or a given is at least implicit in the text,” (Garrard, 53) is notable throughout the entire novel. The changing seasons is one way this is exemplified; the novel begins with a description of Hanover “trying not to be blown away. A mist of fine snowflakes was curling and eddying about the cluster of low drab buildings huddled on the gray prairie, under a gray sky,” (Cather, 3). “Barren summers” (Cather, 33) full of hard work without the reward of crops are then described, ultimately leading up to part II in which “the Divide is now thickly populated. The rich soil yields heavy harvests; the dry, bracing climate and the smoothness of the land make labor easy for men and beasts,” (Cather, 51). Various other depictions of the changing environment are given, with character’s personalities, emotions and actions reflected in these changes.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. O Pioneers! Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1941. Print.
Garrard, Greg. Ecocriticism. London: Routledge, 2004. Print.
I completely agree with your argument stating that the four criteria described by Lawrence Buell for nature writing are met by Willa Cather in “O Pioneers.” The fourth criteria depicting “some sense of the environment as a process rather than as a constant or a given is at least implicit in the text,” (Garrard 53) was the one which was most evident to me. The changing seasons throughout the novel is explicitly stated, but the changing of the weather suddenly within a single day also plays a role in various parts of the novel. Specifically, in part V, “a storm [came] up in the afternoon, bringing black clouds, a cold wind and torrents of rain” (Cather 109). In this part of the novel, the storm is essential in Alexandra’s reflection of the recent misfortune as it “seems to bring back feelings you [she] had when [she] was a baby” (Cather 111).
In addition to the points you made about the fourth criteria, the prairie was also frequently described as its own entity several times in Part I. The settlers were depicted as almost fighting a battle against the overwhelming power of nature, and their efforts originally seemed to have little effect on the land. In this sense, nature is personified, definitely making it a “process” rather than a “constant.”