Neighbour Rosicky - Literary Criticism

Literary Criticism

Willa Cather migrated in 1883 with her family to the plains of Nebraska. This move gave her firsthand experience in order to write stories of the immigrant experience. Clifton Fadiman, in a review of Cather’s work, states “no one has better commemorated the virtues of the Bohemian and Scandinavian immigrants whose enterprise and heroism won an empire.”

In “Neighbour Rosicky” Cather portrays a realistic image of the immigration and settlement process, through Anton Rosicky’s story. She specifically represents the Czech immigrant ideals which are independence, hard work, family unity, and freedom.