There is another important aspect of Jim's returning to the West. With each visit, he rekindles the friendship he shared with antonia, and this is very important to him, too. Theirs is a lifelong bond that cannot be broken, and this is a steady theme throughout the novel. Jim and Antonia have always loved each other, but their love is much more than a romantic bond. They enjoy the true and lasting bond of friendship, and it does not splinter even though their lives change dramatically as they grow older. Again, Jim hopes to remember the girl of his youth, and by doing that, he hopes to hold on to his own youth as well. At one point after visiting antonia again, he muses, "In the course of twenty crowded years one parts with many illusions. I did not wish to lose the early ones. Some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again" (Cather 328).
Theirs is a comfortable and affectionate friendship that returns whenever they see each other, even if it has been many years between visits. Although antonia does not put in an appearance that often in the novel, it is quite clear she is vital to Jim, and a very significant part of his memories. When he sees her again, after twenty years, he thinks, "All the strong things of her heart came out in her body, that had been so tireless in serving generous emotions. It was no wonder that her sons stood tall and straight. She was a rich mine of life, like the founders of early races" (Cather 353). Jim's current life is all wrapped up in his past, and much of his past is dependent on the memories he has of him home, his family, and of course, antonia.
However, it also represents something else in this haunting book. It represents beauty, peace, and friendship. Whenever Jim goes home, he looks at the beautiful and inspiring countryside, and it makes him feel content. He is happy to be home among friends in a "safe" and endearing place. Jim has always been in touch with the natural world and appreciated the beauty of the land around him. In the East, he does not have much chance to enjoy the beauty and peace of nature, but when he comes back West he does. Therefore, the West represents more than home to him, it represents peace too, and well being. That is obvious with his relationship with antonia, too. It is quite clear that she and her family are quite happy and content. They love each other, and their entire way of life represents the well-being of living in the West, where life is less hurried and far more satisfying. Jim comes home because he needs to find himself, and to find a measure of peace, too.
In the end, Jim feels he has "come home" again, and that he has found peace and happiness. He has found antonia again too, and will interact with her family as often as he can. Ultimately, Jim is searching for himself, and he cannot seem to truly find himself until he returns home to the prairie, where he grew up and loved antonia. Some people say "you can never go home again," but in Jim's case that is simply not true. He has to go home again to find out who he really is and what really matters to him.
References
Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin,…
