# My Ántonia — Character guide

> Key figures in My Ántonia by Willa Cather.

- [Jim Burden](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/jim_burden.md): The narrator and protagonist, an orphan who moves to Nebraska and grows up with Ántonia.
- [Ántonia Shimerda](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/antonia_shimerda.md): A spirited Bohemian immigrant girl who becomes Jim's lifelong friend and symbol of pioneer resilience.
- [Lena Lingard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/lena_lingard.md): A beautiful hired girl who becomes a successful dressmaker and Jim's romantic interest in Lincoln.
- [Otto Fuchs](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/otto_fuchs.md): The Burdens' hired hand, a rough but kind Austrian immigrant who helps the family.
- [Grandmother Burden](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/grandmother_burden.md): Jim's loving and practical grandmother who raises him on the Nebraska farm.
- [Ambrosch Shimerda](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/ambrosch_shimerda.md): Ántonia's hardworking and sometimes surly older brother who manages the family farm.
- [Jake Marpole](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/jake_marpole.md): A hired hand who travels with Jim from Virginia and remains a loyal family friend.
- [Anton Jelinek](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/anton_jelinek.md): A Bohemian neighbor and friend of the Shimerdas who helps them adjust to America.
- [Ántonia Cuzak](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/antonia_cuzak.md): Ántonia as a married woman and mother, content on her farm with her large family.
- [Mrs. Harling](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mrs_harling.md): The warm, energetic mother of the Harling family who employs Ántonia as a hired girl.
- [Mrs. Shimerda](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mrs_shimerda.md): Ántonia's demanding and often complaining mother who struggles with pioneer life.
- [Tiny Soderball](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/tiny_soderball.md): A Swedish hired girl who later becomes wealthy from gold mining in Alaska.
- [Grandfather Burden](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/grandfather_burden.md): Jim's stern but fair grandfather who owns the farm and guides the family.
- [Peter Krajiek](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/peter_krajiek.md): A Russian immigrant who sells the Shimerdas their poor farm and cheats them.
- [Mr. Shimerda](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mr_shimerda.md): Ántonia's gentle, cultured father who struggles with homesickness and takes his own life.
- [Pavel](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/pavel.md): A Russian immigrant who tells a grim story about wolves and dies shortly after arriving.
- [Mrs. Cutter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mrs_cutter.md): The suspicious wife of Wick Cutter who helps Jim escape a dangerous situation.
- [Johnnie Gardener](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/johnnie_gardener.md): A local man who runs the hotel in Black Hawk and is friendly with the hired girls.
- [Gaston Cleric](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/gaston_cleric.md): Jim's inspiring Latin teacher at the University of Nebraska who encourages his studies.
- [Yulka](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/yulka.md): Ántonia's younger sister who helps with the family and later marries.
- [Wick Cutter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/wick_cutter.md): A predatory moneylender in Black Hawk who tries to assault Ántonia.
- [Samson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/samson.md): A blind horse owned by the Shimerdas that Ántonia cares for tenderly.
- [Miss Nellie d'Arnault](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/miss_nellie.md): A young woman who plays piano at the dances in Black Hawk.
- [Leo](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/leo.md): One of Ántonia and Cuzak's lively sons in the later part of the book.
- [Frances Harling](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/frances_harling.md): The capable eldest daughter of the Harling family who helps run the household.
- [The Shimerdas](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/the_shimerdas.md): The immigrant family from Bohemia who become the Burdens' neighbors and friends.
- [Mr. Harling](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mr_harling.md): The stern but fair father of the Harling family who runs a grain business.
- [Russian Peter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/russian_peter.md): A Russian immigrant who lives with Pavel and later disappears after Pavel's death.
- [Ole Benson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/ole_benson.md): A Norwegian farmhand who is infatuated with Lena Lingard and later drowns.
- [Ordinsky](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/ordinsky.md): A temperamental Russian violinist who lives in the same boarding house as Jim in Lincoln.
- [Mr. Cutter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mr_cutter.md): Another name for Wick Cutter, the predatory moneylender.
- [Nina Harling](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/nina_harling.md): The youngest Harling daughter, a playful and affectionate child.
- [Norwegian Anna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/norwegian_anna.md): A hired girl from Norway who works for the Harlings and is known for her strength.
- [Larry Donovan](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/larry_donovan.md): A charming but unreliable train conductor who courts and abandons Tiny Soderball.
- [Charley Harling](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/charley_harling.md): The eldest Harling son who goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
- [Chris Lingard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/chris_lingard.md): Lena's younger brother who works on the family farm and later moves away.
- [Rudolph](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/rudolph.md): One of Ántonia and Cuzak's sons who helps on the farm.
- [Martha](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/martha.md): A hired girl who works for the Burdens and helps with household chores.
- [Mrs. Gardener](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mrs_gardener.md): The wife of Johnnie Gardener who runs the hotel in Black Hawk.
- [Anna Hansen](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/anna_hansen.md): A Norwegian hired girl who works for the Harlings and later marries.
- [Marek](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/marek.md): A mentally disabled Bohemian man who lives with the Shimerdas and is harmless.
- [Sylvester Lovett](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/sylvester_lovett.md): A young man from Black Hawk who is infatuated with Lena Lingard.
- [Genevieve Whitney](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/genevieve_whitney.md): A wealthy young woman Jim meets at a party in Lincoln who is sophisticated and aloof.
- [Mr. Burden](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mr_burden.md): Jim's grandfather, also referred to as Grandfather Burden.
- [Widow Steavens](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/widow_steavens.md): A neighbor who tells Jim about Ántonia's life after he leaves Black Hawk.
- [The Harlings](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/the_harlings.md): The family for whom Ántonia works as a hired girl in Black Hawk.
- [Mrs. Steavens](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mrs_steavens.md): A neighbor who provides news about Ántonia to Jim after his return.
- [Sally](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/sally.md): A hired girl who works in Black Hawk and is friends with Ántonia and Lena.
- [Crazy Mary](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/crazy_mary.md): A mentally unstable woman who lives near Black Hawk and is known for her outbursts.
- [Mary Dusak](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mary_dusak.md): A Bohemian woman who marries and lives near the Shimerdas.
- [Mrs. Thomas](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mrs_thomas.md): A woman who runs a boarding house in Black Hawk where some hired girls live.
- [Annie Iverson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/annie_iverson.md): A Swedish hired girl who works in Black Hawk and is known for her beauty.
- [James Quayle Burden](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/james_quayle_burden.md): The full name of the narrator, Jim Burden, as an adult reflecting on his past.
- [Jan Bouska](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/jan_bouska.md): A Bohemian immigrant who works as a farmhand and is friends with the Shimerdas.
- [Nick Svendsen](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/nick_svendsen.md): A Norwegian farmhand who works in the area and is known for his strength.
- [Mrs. Vanni](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mrs_vanni.md): An Italian woman who runs a dancing pavilion in Black Hawk.
- [The Cutters](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/the_cutters.md): The married couple Wick and Mrs. Cutter, known for their troubled relationship.
- [The Russians](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/the_russians.md): Pavel and Peter, the two Russian immigrants who live near the Shimerdas.
- [d'Arnault](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/darnault.md): A blind pianist who performs at a dance in Black Hawk and impresses the crowd.
- [Marguerite Gauthier](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/marguerite_gauthier.md): A character from a play that Jim and Lena attend in Lincoln.
- [Young Harry Paine](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/young_harry_paine.md): A young man from Black Hawk who is involved in a scandal with a hired girl.
- [Selma Kronn](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/selma_kronn.md): A Swedish girl who works as a hired girl and is friends with Tiny Soderball.
- [Brother William](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/brother_william.md): A monk or religious figure mentioned briefly in the narrative.
- [Mr. Bushy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mr_bushy.md): A man who works at the hotel in Black Hawk and is known for his gossip.
- [Anson Kirkpatrick](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/anson_kirkpatrick.md): A lawyer in Black Hawk who is involved in local affairs.
- [Ole Iverson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/ole_iverson.md): A Norwegian farmhand who works in the area and is known for his strength.
- [The Vannis](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/the_vannis.md): An Italian family who run a dancing pavilion in Black Hawk.
- [Prince](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/prince.md): A horse owned by the Burden family that Jim rides.
- [Virgil](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/virgil.md): The Roman poet whose works Jim studies with Gaston Cleric.
- [Mary Svoboda](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mary_svoboda.md): A Bohemian woman who lives near the Shimerdas and is friends with the family.
- [Armand](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/armand.md): A character from a play that Jim and Lena attend in Lincoln.
- [The young Cuzaks](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/the_young_cuzaks.md): Ántonia and her husband's children who appear in the final book.
- [Emmaline](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/emmaline.md): A hired girl who works for the Burdens and helps with household chores.
- [Dude](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/dude.md): A horse owned by the Burden family that Jim rides.
- [Josiah](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/josiah.md): A man mentioned briefly in the narrative as a neighbor or acquaintance.
- [Willy O'Reilly](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/willy_oreilly.md): A young man from Black Hawk who is known for his mischievous behavior.
- [Mr. Paine](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/mr_paine.md): The father of Young Harry Paine, a respected man in Black Hawk.
- [Nanine](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters/nanine.md): A French maid who works for Mrs. Vanni at the dancing pavilion.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/my_antonia_se/characters