Let's remember for a second that O Pioneers! is also a story about the immigrant experience in America. This isn't a fairy tale about a strange, far-off place called "the Divide;" it's a chapter of American history, and the characters in this novel could very well have been real people. That's why it's called historical fiction, folks. (Check out our section on "Genre" for more.) Anyway, the point is that O Pioneers! captures something of the immigrant experience in the way the novel depicts some of the disappointment experienced by those who arrive in a new land, only to find out that their hardships will certainly continue.
Questions About Dissatisfaction
- Does Carl feel inferior to Alexandra? If yes, how does this figure into their relationship?
- Is Frank a victim of his own disappointment, or does the novel suggest that he should have tried to overcome it?
- Is it true in O Pioneers! that "wherever you go, there you are"? Or is a universal significance attached to land and nature?
- What is the narrator's relationship to Marie? Is her romantic interest in Emil portrayed as being fueled by her disappointment with Frank?
Chew on This
The exchange between Carl and Alexandra, in which they discuss their disappointment with their chosen life paths, underlines the primary importance given to human relationships in O Pioneers!
Frank's commitment to feeling disappointed and his refusal to let himself be loved by Marie is the real reason for his ultimate demise.