O Pioneers!

For decades, Cather's O Pioneers! It has been recognized as her finest achievement, an ambitious work that sets the tone for many of her novels to come. It is a story in which the sharp physical realities and myths of the frontier are presented together, in an attempt to convey the transformation of the land and those who came to settle it. The story itself is a pioneer tale, following Alexandra Bergson as she grows up to become a successful farmer on the Nebraska prairie. However, tragedy enters into Alexandra's life because of her inability to commit to one person and because of her constant focus on the land. In this way, Cather's pioneer story contains elements that could be described as both triumphant and tragic, for it is through this dichotomy that we see that these people have successfully tamed a wild land but have sacrificed their humanity in the process.