# XIII explained — My Ántonia

> Chapter companion for My Ántonia by Willa Cather.

## What happens

After a thaw, Mrs. Shimerda and Ántonia visit the Burdens. Mrs. Shimerda envies their possessions and complains about her lack, leading to tension. Jim learns that Mr. Shimerda is sad and no longer plays his violin, longing for his old country. Jim and Ántonia argue about their families' attitudes. Later, a warm spell causes the bulls to fight, and a severe blizzard hits on Jim's eleventh birthday, forcing the men to dig tunnels through the snow.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Immigrant Experience

Mrs. Shimerda's envy and Mr. Shimerda's homesickness highlight the hardships and cultural dislocation faced by immigrant families.

### Hard Work and Resilience

The family's chores and the men's struggle to dig through the blizzard demonstrate the relentless labor required to survive on the frontier.

## Character check-ins

### Jim Burden

Narrator who resumes chores and feels annoyed by Mrs. Shimerda's envy.

### Ántonia Shimerda

Visits with her mother; defends her family and shares her father's sadness.

### Mrs. Shimerda

Visits the Burdens, envies their possessions, and is described as conceited and grasping.

### Grandmother Burden

Hosts the Shimerdas, gives away a pot, and later darning while commenting on poverty.

### Mr. Shimerda

Mentioned as being unwell and sad, no longer playing his violin.

### Ambrosch Shimerda

Considered the important person in the family, deferred to by his mother and sister.

## Key lines

> My papa sad for the old country. He not look good. He never make music any more. At home he play violin all the time; for weddings and for dance. Here never.

Ántonia explains that her father is depressed and no longer plays his violin, which he used to play for celebrations in his homeland.

_Reveals Mr. Shimerda's deep nostalgia and emotional decline._

> People who don't like this country ought to stay at home. We don't make them come here.

Jim harshly tells Ántonia that immigrants who are unhappy in America should not have come.

_Shows Jim's youthful insensitivity and the tension between native-born and immigrant perspectives._

> She's not old, Jim, though I expect she seems old to you. No, I wouldn't mourn if she never came again. But, you see, a body never knows what traits poverty might bring out in 'em.

Grandmother remarks that Mrs. Shimerda's grasping behavior is a result of poverty, not age.

_Offers a more compassionate view of Mrs. Shimerda's envy._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/chapters/xiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/chapters