In our section on "Tone," we talk a bit about why this novel seems anti-political. For one, the way Lou Bergson and Frank Shabata are portrayed as resentful "agitators," in addition to being the novel's antagonists, makes for a novel that seems pretty suspicious of politics and political activism. Now, an anti-political novel is definitely not an apolitical novel. O Pioneers! is super interested in contemporary politics, social issues and class conflicts. But the novel seems to avoid condoning any one path toward social justice, instead glorifying Alexandra's stubborn, independent individualism and her refusal to be caught up in the conventions and petty issues of her time.
Questions About Society and Class
- Does Alexandra try to live vicariously through her brother, Emil? How might it be different if Emil were a girl?
- How much tension is there between Alexandra's determination to be independent and follow her own mind, and her obvious awareness of class and social expectations?
- How does Carl's description of city life and mass society change the novel's pastoral tone?
- Would this be a different novel if Alexandra chose to remain unmarried at the end?
Chew on This
In O Pioneers!, freedom is the opposite of social determinism.
Though largely a pastoral novel that focuses on human beings and their connection to nature, O Pioneers! is also totally a realist novel with regard to its take on class and society on the American frontier.