West Women During the Time

West

Women during the time of Alexandra Bergsen, who was a character in Willa Cather's novel O Pioneer!, enjoyed different roles than they would have had outside of the western context. They could still not vote, and did not have the ability to do everything that men had the ability to do in the realm of business and politics. However, the westward migration allowed for a fresh start in terms of social and economic opportunities, especially for women. Women like Alexandra were not uncommon, as there was more gender equity in this time. Alexandra could inherit land, which gave her a lot of power due to the fact that the land could be cultivated to yield cash crops. She was an astute businesswoman, as many women in that time and cultural environment were becoming. They did not have the means to make laws or serve on juries, but women could be business people.

In spite of the advantages that women had during this era, there were also significant challenges that women like Alexandra dealt with in their time. For example, Alexandra could not vote. She could not serve on a jury that enabled her to have the power over people's lives as men did. Men had a lot more political power than women, and would until women had the right to vote. Women had more restrictive gender roles in some ways, but as Alexandra's example shows, it was possible to explore love options independently. Alexandra fell in love with the man that she chose, regardless of her social status.

Women were not necessarily constricted to the domestic sphere, and expected to be servile. They were, as in Alexandra's case, more influenced and determined by their socio-economic class status and their race. Women who were poor, or women who were not of white Christian European descent were less likely to attain social and political status in the community. Therefore, it is unfair to judge the gamut of women's experiences in the west based on Cather's novel only. Cather's snapshot of life in the west, and in Nebraska, was colored by her prejudices and experiences as someone who understood the experiences of white women.

Most of the issues that arise in Alexandra's life were universal human experiences such as loss and death. The romance between her brother and a married woman show that both men and women suffer from restricted gender roles and norms. There were ways that marriage was inadequate and inappropriate for the needs of men and women, and so, gender was not the only factor restricting people's lives in the west. The lawlessness that reigned in the west was both beneficial and detrimental to people's lives, as it allowed them to be free of intrusions on their lives by foreign officials and eliminated bureaucracy. At the same time, it meant people could take the law into their own lands, and not see justice.