Jim has met Ántonia for only a matter of minutes, but she immediately reveals her generosity and impulsiveness by trying to give him her ring. On the train that brings Jim and Ántonia to Black Hawk, the conductor comments on the young girl's "pretty brown eyes." Later, when Jim first meets Ántonia at her family's dugout, again he is caught by her arresting, unusual eyes: "They were big and warm and full of light, like the sun shining on brown pools in the wood." From the very start, Cather is imbuing Ántonia with the qualities of warmth, generosity, and earthiness. "Wealth," of course, can mean a lot of land and money, but, more important here, wealth is synonymous with whatever is rich in spirit and understanding. From the time of her arrival on the prairie, she believes that a person who works hard will become wealthy. In this way, like the plow against the sun, she symbolizes the invincible pioneer spirit. Ántonia has a resilient inner strength that drives her to succeed and helps her survive adversity.
Book I: The Shimerdas: Chapters XVII-XVIII.Book I: The Shimerdas: Chapters XIV-XVI.
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