The “Lost Lady”, Essay Example

Willa Cather’s “A Lost Lady” is referred to as the “Paradoxes of Changes” by Rosowski, 2007. Critics among the English literature circle have long recognized the pioneer theme that has run and been noted throughout the major works presented by Willa Cather. The standard interpretation that is widely accepted among the literary circles is that her early novels such as My Antonia or O Pioneers have presented the nobility of the pioneer spirit. However, novels that came afterwards such as the “Lost Lady” have traced a loss of that spirit. It must be noted even though, that this approach creates a certain perception or bias into the reader’s mind and has a risk of fitting the individual piece work into the preconceived framework. A Lost Lady has specially suffered with this misconception. Regis Michaud is reported to have regarded Marian Forester as an “American Emma Bovary” shortly after its publishing. Also, Michaud pronounced an interpretation for this work, which is widely accepted up till now.

A Lost Lady revolves around Marian Forester and the theme of the novel is related to how she breaks noble pioneer values of the West. The story encircles the era of Western Society, when it was imprisoned with the values and traditions persistent at the time when the story was written. The decline in Mrs. Forrester’s values symbolizes the West’s decline and the novel becomes a legend masterpiece of the Western past and is suitable for nearly every period in the coming years. However, internal and external evidences contradict the reading. Cather’s writings are not limited a specific place, or period of time. Rather her novels are said to have rooted in their place firmly. Cather uses particular situation to describe a simple point with universal themes, which are free of time or period limitations. In her novels, she teaches the reader to transform itself so that the reader lives according to the ‘great truths.’

A Lost Lady and similar pioneer novels by Cather narrates the relationship of Alexandra and the land through transformation. The novel has based its starting upon progress of Alexandra forming a dream in the scene on the Divide and henceforth, the later stages in novel progress with depiction of actualization of his dreams. It is a literal transformation that has taken place in Cather’s work, and her words and style of writing have magnificently shaped the land to reflect Alexandra’s dreams, as is later quoted in the novel “order and fine arrangement manifest all over the great farm.”

The critical cause of importance of A Lost Lady is that it symbolizes the West’s decline in values and traditions. In the race for freedom and no regard for values and traditions, it has been since too long that West has left such concepts into the past. Although the novel is said to have been first written in mid 1900’s, the author had already depicted the declining values in the Western Society. Although the society wasn’t pin pointed directly, yet Cather’s way of making the community aware of its declining values is a remarkable step in taking out the negative points of the society and highlighting them in the most positive way. Scholars and established interpreters in modern English Language collectively accept these conclusions and regard A Lost Lady as a master piece.

A short extract from A Lost Lady is given below:

In pleasant weather, Judge Pommeroy walked to the Forrester’s, but on the occasion of dinner for the Ogdens, he engaged the liveryman to take him and his nephew over in one of the town hacks.