O Pioneers‪!‬

Willa Cather published her second novel, “O Pioneers!” in 1913 at the age of 40. Together with “My Antonia,” “O Pioneers!” is the novel for which she is best known. The book takes place on the plains of Nebraska in the late 19th Century as the Prairie is settled be Swedish, Bohemian, and French immigrants trying to eke out a living from what appears to be a harsh, inhospitable land. The heroine of the book is Alexandra Bergson, who inherits her father's farm as a young woman, raises his three sons and stays with the farm through the harsh times to become a successful landowner and farmer. The book speaks of being wedded to the land and to place. In this sense it is an instance of the American dream of a home. It also speaks of a strong woman, of thwarted love, of the difficult nature of sexuality, and of human passion.