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Book 1, Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Antonia, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Immigrant Experience
Friendship
The Prairie
The Past
Innocence and Maturity
Gender
Summary
Analysis
On Christmas morning the Burdens eat waffles and play dominos. Otto writes a letter to his mother in Austria, but he has been gone so long that he struggles to remember the language.
Otto is an immigrant. Yet unlike Mr. Shimerda, who can't let go of his past, Otto has almost forgotten the language and traditions of his homeland.
Themes
Mr. Shimerda comes to visit the Burdens to thank them for the presents. As they sit in front of the stove, Jim notices that the warmth and security of their house seem "completely to take possession" of Mr. Shimerda.
The warm and friendly house is comforting to Mr. Shimerda because it reminds him of his old comfortable life in Bohemia.
Themes
Before he leaves, Mr. Shimerda kneels before the tree and crosses himself. Jim knows his grandfather is uncomfortable with other people's religions, but his grandfather quietly tolerates Mr. Shimerda's prayers and later tells Jim, "The prayers of all good people are good."
The Burdens are Protestant, and the Shimerdas are Catholic. This difference bothers Jim's grandfather, but not Jim. Jim's tolerance reflects the younger generations' ideals of acceptance and multiculturalism.
Themes
