[The plow] stood out against the sun
. . . the handles, the tongue, the share—black against the molten
red. There it was, heroic in size, a picture writing on the sun.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Summary: Chapter VIII
Finally, the long winter gives way to spring, and Ántonia,
Jim, and the Harling children spend their days in the garden and
at play among the trees. In June, the Vannis, an Italian family,
arrive with a dancing pavilion and begin giving lessons. The pavilion
quickly becomes a center of town life, especially on Saturday nights,
when the dancing carries on until midnight.
Summary: Chapter IX
Jim claims that all the socially respectable boys are
secretly attracted to the country girls who came to Black Hawk as
hired girls. But because of the town’s extremely rigid social hierarchy,
none of the town boys feels comfortable dating a hired girl. For
his part, Jim finds the hired girls more interesting and worthwhile
than the townsfolk, and he begins to spend time with them, to the
general disapproval of the community.
Summary: Chapter X
Over time, Ántonia begins to draw notice at the pavilion,
and thoughts of dancing soon preoccupy her waking hours. Trouble arises
when an engaged boy attempts to kiss Ántonia on the Harlings’ back
porch. Although Ántonia manages to fight him off, Mr. Harling presents
her with an ultimatum: she must quit dancing or look for work elsewhere.
Indignant, Ántonia decides to take her chances on her own and announces
her plan to find work with Wick Cutter, the local moneylender. Distraught,
Mrs. Harling tells Ántonia that she cannot speak to her if she works
for the Cutters. Ántonia insists on keeping her independence and
leaving the Harlings.
Summary: Chapter XI
Jim describes the Cutters as a detestable Black Hawk couple,
generally loathed by the populace: Wick Cutter is a devious moneylender who
makes his money by manipulating farmers into accepting unwise loans,
and Mrs. Cutter is a hideous shrew. The Cutters do not even get
along with each other, and their epic arguments are legendary throughout
the town.
Summary: Chapter XII
Once set up at the Cutters, Ántonia spends even more time
and energy on her new social life. She sews her own outfits and
parades around town with Lena and a number of the other hired girls.
Now a senior in high school, Jim sometimes travels about with them. After
the Vannis leave town, a group called the Owl Club begins to stage
dances in the Masonic Hall each Tuesday, but Jim refuses to join.
Envious of the older girls, Jim begins to grow restless at the thought
of being cooped up in school, and so he visits a local saloon. When
Jim’s reputation is brought into question, he is forced to look elsewhere
for diversion, but he quickly finds that very few diversions are
to be found in Black Hawk.
Eager to find an alternative, Jim resolves to attend the
Saturday night dances at the Firemen’s Hall, sneaking out of the
house after his grandparents have fallen asleep. One evening, after
a night of dancing, Jim walks Ántonia back to the Cutters. When
he asks for a kiss and goes a little farther than Ántonia expects,
she scolds him for his brazenness. Jim, pleased at her show of virtue,
walks home with his heart full of her.
