"THERE was a curious social situation in black hawk. All the young men felt
the attraction of the fine, well-set-up country girls who had come to town to
earn a living, and, in nearly every case, to help their fathers struggle out of
debt, or to make it possible for the younger children of the family to go to
school." (Page 127) This was the way of life for most girls around the
1920s. The book My Antonia by Willa Cather, Refreshingly creates female roles
and strong personalities. Frances Harling, Molly Gardner, And Lena Lingard are
excellent examples of such women. Frances Harling is one of the vast examples of
what a strong woman can be. She is very responsible. She takes care of her
father's business when he goes out of town, and on Sundays she would go to the
office just to read the mail. Frances is very talented. She could play the piano
with out a light and talk to her mother at the same time. Frances also was one
of the most dependable people in town. If any one had a wedding she would bring
a present. If there was a funeral she would be there to help console them. You
could always count on her to be there. Molly Gardner had a strong personality.
Molly would show her personality by the way she presented herself. Jim the
narrator said "Mrs. Gardener was admittedly the best-dressed woman in Black
Hawk, drove the best horse, and had a smart trap and a little white-and-gold
sleigh."(Page 117) Molly liked to have the best meterial goods in the town,
and she liked to show them off. Mollys personality was the reason that her
husband’s and her business did so well. Jim also said "…he knew that
without her he would hardly be more that a clerk in some other man’s
hotel."(Page 122) Molly would also go on all the business trips because she
was the smarter one between her and her husband. Lena Lingard was not one of the
most respected people in town, but she wanted to improve herself. She wanted to
get away from the farm she thought the work on the farm was endless. Lena had
left the farm at a young age to become a seamstress and study under Mrs. Tomas,
a well known dress-maker in town. Her mother supported her decision and Lena was
planning on making some money and helping her mother, back on the farm. One of
Lena’s weak points and the reason the town talked about her was that she was a
flirt. ""I didn’ know if your mother would like her coming
here,"said Antonia, looking troubled. "She was kind of talked about,
out there."" Lena would be chased by guys and their girlfriends
because she would flirt so much and that would upset the girlfriends. My Antonia
shows the strong personalities and positive life roles of women in the 1920s.
Frances Harling, Molly Garner, and Lena Lingard all show this in the way they
presented themselves in Black Hawk. Frances shows responsibility skills, Molly
shows leadership skills, and Lena shows the will to improve herself. If ever
woman or man had these skills they would have no trouble getting through life.