"The Great Divide": Isolation in Willa Cather's O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark

ABSTRACT

Unlike some of Cather's other works, such as My Ántonia, which focus more on the negative effects of physical isolation, Cather offers in these novels a more complicated portrait of isolation's value to women who need independence from their communities in order to explore the widely dissimilar fields of agriculture and opera. Stout discusses at some length the "redefinition of women" that Cather undertakes in writing the careers of Alexandra and Thea.5 She also notes the "ambiguity" of Cather's female characters in general, in their ability to step outside gender roles and to pursue their interests in spite of naysayers in their communities.6 In the context of Stout's broad study of Cather's life and career as a modernist, where isolation indirectly impacts the self-discovery of Cather's early heroines, I argue that isolation is in fact the key ingredient in their emotional development and in their successful careers. While this narrative highlights the importance of isolation in order to allow experimentation and self-discovery, Cather also pays close attention to the way that physical isolation, especially in combination with poverty, can discourage people from pursuing their interests and can damage their mental health. While isolation does take a serious toll on their mental health, it also plays a vital role in their success because it allows them to experiment with new ideas unhindered and because it gives them space to recharge away from the demands of difficult relationships.