The time in which this novel is written, and takes place, is one of change for a younger United States. Many saw the country as a place to begin anew and not be persecuted for their beliefs, for this reason the U.S. saw an influx of Immigrants during the 1800’s to 1900’s. With them came brand new cultures and ideas that would plant the seed to create what is known as the American melting pot. This process however was met with opposition, and as history has shown progress is slow while also, more often than not involves questioning traditions, laws, and common ideologies, that have been in place for centuries. Of, the many movements for equality that have occurred in America’s history My Antonia is credited for the promotion of Feminism. What…show more content… “James Woodress explains in his biography of Cather how she created fictions about herself, that it is sometimes difficult to tell where reality ends and fiction begins. Much of her published fiction, especially My Antonia, is in this overlapping area (Murphy 23).” (Elizabeth Giglio, Feminism in My Antonia, digitalshowcase.lynchburg.edu, My Antonia). This quote further emphasizes that the characters through out the novel are not just imaginary but are in fact actual depictions of people she has met through out her life. This adds credibility to her writing because she is not merely guessing or taking information from second sources about the people of this time, but instead is using the knowledge she has attained first hand to portray accurate depictions of them. The result of authentic identities in the novel lead to readers, especially ones from that time period, to trust the information being presented to…show more content… Men made all the decisions, they were always assumed, or considered to be the smarter of the two. A woman’s job was to give all her love and attention to her husband, and raise their children. The mans duty was to work to support his family and keep them fed but whatever means necessary. This way of life leads to the ideology that women need men to survive and are helpless without them. Those reasons all helped contribute to have the main character in a novel that is practically based on Willa Cather’s life, to be a