Pioneering, or the act of breaking new ground, is what has made the United States the enormous international presence it is today. Building on the ideals represented by Manifest Destiny, the Declaration of Independence, institutions like Wellesley College, and the Second Amendment, the United States created a home for pioneers like Frederick Douglass, Amy Tan, and Ellen De Generes to thrive and create life . in areas of society that were previously dormant. Willa Cather gained fame writing about a group of pioneers who gave birth to the Midwest in her prairie novels, including her novel "O Pioneers!"; so it is no surprise that she is herself revered as a pioneer. “When O Pioneers! was first published in 1913, reviewers praised Willa Cather for having created “an entirely new type of fiction.” Cather had mined 'a new vein of material' and 'broken new ground.'” (Gelfant 1) Cather was a pioneer with her prairie novels in several ways. For example, she was the first to give immigrants heroic stature in serious American literature (Rosowski 45). the heroine of her novel is a woman. "O Pioneers!", the heroine Alexandra Bergson is seen as the most capable child in her family and inherits the family estate upon her father's death 1913, it was rare for pastorals to be centralized writings about women having influence and sometimes control over men as in the case of “O Pioneers!”. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned "? Get an original essayAlexandra triumphs over the intractable prairie by amassing a fortune and stabilizing the future of her three brothers. She proves herself to be a capable woman, and most of the novel, including "The Wild Land", "Neighboring Fields", and "Alexandra" is devoted to her story. However, "O Pioneers!" includes two more parts, titled "Winter Memories" and "The White Mulberry Tree", which do not focus on Alexandra at all, but rather on the relationship between two other characters, Marie and Emil. Alexandra, the undeniable heroine of the story, is overshadowed for two-fifths of the narrative. The fact that a considerable amount of "O Pioneers!" is dedicated to Marie and Emil should be given careful consideration because it is obvious that Cather wanted her audience to interpret these two characters with importance. What was Cather's purpose in giving meaning to Marie and Emil's relationship? Why are they an important aspect in the whole denotation of “O Pioneers!”? Marie and Emil's recorded account contributes to the novel in several ways. First of all, Marie and Emil's love story provides an alternative to the conventional love story depicted in the prairie novels of Cather's day. Furthermore, they function as examples of two helpless characters who are victims of their situations and places in society. And most importantly, Marie and Emil provide valuable contrast to Alexandra's situation and character. Cather uses the emphasis on Marie and Emil to support her protagonist and in effect creates another reason to be designated as a pioneer with a new dark twist on romance on the prairie. The love story between Marie and Emil is atypical of the romance contained in prairie romances. in the early 1900s. Often characterized as pastoral, “O Pioneers!” by Cather. it has often been compared by critics to other works of its genre such as: Virgil's "Eclogues", Spenser's "Shepherd's Calendar" and Sannazaro's "Arcadia", characterized as "the most elaborate pastoral novel" (Rosowski 46 ). “O Pioneers!” remains unique compared to these works because it differs fromtypical pastoral which the critic Leo Marx claims is largely centered on the "sick love of suitors". Typical pastoral care includes “a primary impulse to find happiness in love” and traditionally “brings together peasants and their lovers.” However, in the case of Marie and Emil, happiness is definitely not found through their love. In reality, their story is the exact opposite of a perfect love story and ends in tragedy. Cather foreshadows the romance between Emil and Marie from the first chapter (8-9), when Marie and Emil are first introduced as children and Marie is seen offering Emil some candy. Cather warms up their romance in the second part as they are the opening characters of "Neighboring Fields", conversing affectionately with each other as adults (53-57), and closes the narrative section with a confrontation between the two lovers when Emil he states in a frustrated tone “I can't play with you like a little boy anymore – sometimes you seem to understand perfectly, sometimes you pretend you don't” (104). The tragedy of their affection for each other becomes apparent when Emil recognizes that there are "so, many, many" things he cannot have (104), referring to his love for Marie. He realizes that he will never possess Marie because she is a married woman. Trying to repress his passion, Emil forces himself to leave for Mexico to forget Marie. Both characters strive to overcome their passion for the other. “Though deeply infatuated with Emil, Marie tries to make him understand that their feeling for each other 'won't last.' He will go away and things will go back to the way they were” (157), (Murphy 123). However, it is clear that Marie and Emil cannot control their emotions. They show unreasonable jealousy towards each other. Emil resents Marie's light mood at the Sainte Agnes fair when he himself is agonizing over the pain caused by their love. He accuses Marie of being disrespectful and flirting with other men (230). Marie, in turn, is also jealous, even though she is married to another man and has no justification for feeling possessive of Emil. “He gets angry when Emil teases Angelique and hangs out with the French boys instead of running to her during church dinner. She admits that she is spoiled, that she has gotten everything she ever wanted, from the Turkish lady's toy to Frank Shabata, and becomes petulant when Emil allows one of the buttons on his turquoise shirt to be auctioned off instead of giving it to him (Murphy 123) .” The strong, powerful and uncontrollable passion that Emil and Marie feel for each other becomes dangerous. “Marie and Emil's passion becomes so strong that it resembles the craft of witches” (Rosowski 48). The deeply exaggerated and heated romance between Marie and Emil is embellished by Cather, who dramatizes their encounters. The settings of the meeting of the two lovers are often very romantic: among flaming roses, under the white mulberry tree, in costume (as a gypsy and as a Mexican), at dances, or in the wheat fields with the twinkle of fireflies in the background. . The description of their first kiss, which occurred violently when the lights of the Sainte Agnes church fair were turned off, is excessively dramatized: “it was like a sigh that they had exhaled together; almost painful, as if each were afraid of awakening something in the other" (149). Amidst the drama and overwhelming desire, the love story between Marie and Emil is extremely ironic. “Marie tells Emil if she 'had eyes' she would see Alexandra's affection for Carl – that's true enough, but Marie fails to see the more immediate truth of Emil's love for her (154),” (Rosowki 57). After both characters have suffered the emotional suffering caused by their passion and endured struggles to control their emotions, their desire explodes in a scenetumultuous in the Shabata orchard, where they were first seen playing with childlike innocence. Their innocence is destroyed by adulterous excitement as “Emil threw himself next to (Marie) and took her into his arms. The blood returned to his cheeks, his amber eyes slowly opened, and in them Emil saw his own face, the orchard, and the sun. 'I was dreaming of it,' she whispered, burying her face against him, 'don't go the way of my dream!'” (259).The two lovers have previously been depicted in this setting shooting ducks that seem "too happy to kill", prefiguring the death of the lovers. The tragedy culminates when the two are killed as soon as they allow their hearts to love each other fully. “Emil and Marie die under a mulberry tree, their blood stains the white berries red” (Rosowski 54), underlining the ironic and tragic orientation of their love story. Undoubtedly, the love story between Marie and Emil is an ironic tragedy. They find themselves in situations where they cannot love each other freely. As soon as they give in to their emotions, they are murdered. Unlike the typical pastoral romance where “happiness is found in love,” Emil and Marie find suffering and ultimately death through their love. Literary critic Shanon O'Brien condemns Emil and Marie's love story as “an illegal and adulterous relationship,” for which they are punished (O'Brien 443). To view their story with disdain would be to misinterpret the denotation of the novel and is clearly not what Cather intended. In “O pioneers!” Marie and Emil's deaths are not treated as a deserved punishment, but rather as a horrible tragedy. Frank Shabata's immediate response to the murder of the two lovers is sympathy for Marie. He shouts: “Do not suffer! She was a good girl, not to suffer!” (178). Alexandra blames none of the characters but herself for not realizing their hidden feelings (193). Cather tells the lovers' story with empathy and compassion. Marie and Emil, in their story of uncontrollable desire and death, are depicted as victims of social structures and conventions. Emil is a victim of his social situation because he is in love with a married woman, unacceptable in society. He too is a helpless victim of himself, he is unable to repress his desire for Marie, which is the cause of his death. Marie cannot repress her feelings like Emil, and is further trapped by social conventions because, although she loves him, she cannot leave her husband. She is Catholic (105) and divorce is avoided by the Catholic Church. Furthermore, society in the early 1900s was intolerant of adultery. Rather than rebel against the social structure the characters are trapped in, they choose to conform and suffer emotionally as a result. In fact, they are murdered because they lack self-control and the courage to attempt to escape social conventions. In "O Pioneers!", it is obvious that Cather expresses disapproval of adultery. Ivar calls it a “sin” (183). However, due to Alexandra's pain, the audience is forced to feel sympathy and regret for these two characters. Perhaps if they had had the chance to freely announce their love, if Marie had had a realistic chance of leaving her husband, the tragedy could have been avoided. Since these options were not relevant in realistic prairie life, the love story is tragic. However, Cather indicates that rigid social conventions, with no room for change, can be harmful to people's happiness. Through the portrayal of Marie and Emil, Cather indirectly implies the need for social change. However, this is not the only intention Cather has in mind when she doesfocuses on Marie and Emil. “Although she tells the lovers' story with empathy and compassion, Cather wants to subordinate the narrative to the other narrative she was writing: not only that of Alexandra's personal triumph but also her unconventional relationship with Carl, the friend she will one day marry ” (O' Brien 443). By comparing Marie and Emil's relationship to Alexandra's situation, Cather supports her main character and persuades the audience to agree with Alexandra's actions. Although Alexandra is condemned by her brothers regarding her relationship with Carl (111-113) and is informed that "the people have begun to talk" (111), she defends her actions. Although it is not considered appropriate for a woman “nearly forty” to marry someone “five years younger,” Alexander eschews social convention and is more interested in her own happiness. In contrast, Marie is more afraid of what others will think and gives up her own happiness to exist in a socially accepted role. Indeed, Alexandra outlives Marie, indicating that Alexandra made the wisest choice. There are many contradictions that can be made between Marie and Alexandra in the novel. While “Cather admires Marie's spontaneity, vitality, and warmth, she is critical of the way her imagination is structured by social and narrative conventions. Like the self-limited Edna Pontellier, Marie is unable to imagine a life story for a woman outside of the romantic plot” (O' Brien 443). It is true that Marie's role, both in life and in the narrative, is defined by the men with whom she has romantic encounters. From the beginning of "O' Pioneers!" Marie is seen admired by men. The men at the store order her to "pick one for the fiancée." Finally he turns to his uncle and says, “here is my treasure” (11-12). The only choice that seems to be granted to Marie is her ability to choose her "treasure": first Frank and then Emil. However, Alexandra has many choices in her life. In “The Wild Land” he refuses to sell the family farm and convinces his brothers to take out a mortgage. By exerting her influence on men, she breaks gender codes. She is also characterized as a rebel against social conventions (5): her sister was a tall, strong girl, and walked quickly and purposefully, as if she knew exactly where she was going and what she would do next. She wore a long man's down jacket (not as if it were an affliction, but as if it were very comfortable and belonged to her; she wore it like a young soldier), and a round plush cap, tied with a thick veil. His face was serious and thoughtful, and his blue eyes, clear and deep, stared intently into the distance, appearing to see nothing, as if he were in trouble. But in the same part of the book Marie is portrayed as a follower of social convention, very different from Alexandra. Marie has “brown, curly hair like that of a brunette doll” and dresses in the fashion of “Kate Greenway,” already eager to integrate into society (10). While Alexandra's dreams and hopes are about cultivating her land and caring for her family, Marie's dreams center on the typical romantic narrative. “Cather demonstrates Marie's continuing imaginative concern with romantic narrative in the fortune-telling scene. Dressed in a bohemian costume at the church fair, Marie entertains the crowd by telling them the stories they want to hear, all stories of love and marriage - just like the famous women writers Cather once wanted to disown" (O'Brien 443).Marie is also different from Alexandra, because she has no individual achievement that defines her from a convent after studying in the city with Frank Shabata. She decides to marry against her father's wishes inyoung age because he has no control over his emotions, effectively wasting his education. The most important thing in his life is romance. The farm she lives on with Frank wasn't earned through her hard work, it was a gift from her father. And after five years of marriage, Marie doesn't even have a child. Alexandra, in contrast, follows her father's wishes and works on the farm to support her family. In “Neighboring Fields,” Alexandra demonstrated her success and strength by bringing fortune to the family and acquiring enough land for her three brothers. He achieved individual results and a staff under his employment. In fact, Alexandra has more power than Marie. Alexandra also has more control over her private life and authority to defend herself, as is evident in the confrontation between her and her two older brothers: “This isn't about anyone but me and Carl. Go to town and ask your lawyers what you can do to keep me; for the authority you can exercise over me through the law is the only influence you will have over me again" (115). Unlike the spontaneous Marie who marries at a young age only to be trapped in a disappointing marriage and killed when she commits adultery, Alexandra only commits to love after accumulating individual achievements. And even after Carl and Alexandra get together, neither of them conforms to the expected gender role , rather than on burning desire. “In contrast to the burning love shared by Marie and Emil, Alexandra and Carl share a quiet companionship” (Murphy 123). they have experienced life on their separate territories. Alexandra marries for different reasons than Marie. "When friends marry they are safe," Alexandra tells Carl at the end of the novel. "I think we will be very happy" (308 ). Unlike Marie and Emil, Carl and Alexandra do not lose themselves in their love story. Carl recalls how he and Alexandra “used to milk together, he on his side of the pen and she on theirs” (126). This setting stands out for the fence that separates the couple, a symbol of their union, of how they love each other but still treasure their individuality. The tone surrounding the exit of the two female characters is also very dissimilar. The scene of the discovery of Marie's exit from the narrative is tainted by death and misfortune. When Ivar discovers the murdered lovers in the orchard, the narrator states, “The story of what happened was written clearly in the grass of the orchard, on the white mulberry trees that had fallen during the night and were covered with stains” (268). While Alexandra leaves a permanent mark on the land with her crops and the creation of her property, Marie's mark is a bloodstain that can be washed away. The scene where Alexandra leaves the narrative at the end has a contrasting effect that emphasizes timelessness. “The narrator pulling back, joins age and youth, life and death, present and universal: 'They entered the house together, leaving the Divide behind them, under the evening star. Lucky country, which one day will welcome hearts like Alessandra's into its bosom, to give them again in the yellow wheat, in the rustling wheat and in the shining eyes of youth! (308)” (Rosowski 60). This passage indicates that the work and dedication Alexandra invested in the prairie made her immortal. Elaborating on the romance between Emil and Marie, the only other relationship focused on in “O Pioneers!” in addition to that between Alexandra and Carl, Cather builds a relationship of comparison and contrast between the two couples. The story of Marie and Emil represents a story stimulated by an uncontrollable desire and a love story that leads to.