As we've mentioned elsewhere (see "Theme: Dissatisfaction"), O Pioneers! is a classic narrative of the modern immigrant experience. A big part of that experience is having to adjust your dreams, hopes and plans when you realize the New World, well, isn't all it's cracked up to be. For those of us unfamiliar with frontier life, this is one of the main take-home lessons in O Pioneers! And there's no question here that Alexandra leads the way in imparting that lesson. It's her unwavering commitment to realizing her father's dreams of a successful farm and happy family that, at least in part, makes her the novel's obvious hero.
Questions About Dreams, Hopes and Plans
- Should we believe that Alexandra has only ever worked for Emil's benefit? Or is she trying to live vicariously through him and his social advancement?
- How trustworthy is the narrator in O Pioneers!? How true is it that Alexandra doesn't have "much imagination"?
- When the narrator says "pioneers should have imagination," does this imply that Alexandra is a true pioneer, while her brothers aren't? Why or why not?
Chew on This
From the perspective of plot, the purpose of Emil's murder is to launch Alexandra out of the belief that she has all along been working for his benefit and social advancement, allowing her finally to see herself as a woman with freedom and desires of her own.
O Pioneers! avoids giving an overly sentimental or idealistic account of frontier life by emphasizing the hopelessness that often plagues the Divide's inhabitants.