A Matter of Land: Explaining the Differences Between O Pioneers and A River Runs Through It Anonymous 11th Grade

Much as the often-flooding rivers of Mesopotamia shaped their cultural beliefs in demons punishing humanity and the open grasslands and calm weather of central Asia shaped the Mongols’ cultural beliefs in the afterlife being the eternal blue sky, the untamed Western landscapes shapes the culture of the American West with its emphasis on freedom and opportunity. Land can define cultures and it does so clearly in the art of the American West. Much of Western Art depicts the land and the ideals the land creates, as can be seen most obviously in cowboy movies, but more subtly in O Pioneers! and A River Runs Through It. Both these works express the ideals of freedom and opportunity in some form, yet the differences between Montana and Nebraska create differences in plots, themes, and voices, which can be explored by contrasting these two works. The differences between Nebraska in O Pioneers! and Montana in A River Runs Through It shape the main differences between the books and their major themes: surviving vs recreating, isolation vs community, and powerful vs. stereotypical women's roles.

A Rivers Runs Through It emphasizes the beauty and recreational opportunities of the land, whereas O Pioneers! emphasizes the struggles of...