From Disney’s unfortunate depiction of John Smith’s relationship with Pocahontas to the recent glorification of the Native American as the noble savage, the views of early American pioneers has changed from that of celebration to condemnation. However, Willa Cather’s novel, “O Pioneers!”, takes a look at what it means to struggle with the land to tame it into a partnership and to survive the trials that come with settling new territory. Her epic saga, in turn, becomes a novel of celebration instead of condemnation and what it celebrates is America’s manifest destiny.
